At a certain point, does a guy get too tall to be a catcher? If so, how tall about is that? I would think that eventually you would get so tall that you wouldn't be able to get low enough to allow the umpire a good view.

I am 6 ft, and the doctor says I haven't had my growth spurt yet, and I am supposed to get between 4 and 6 inches, and I kind of hope I don't get much taller so I don't get too tall.

lucky you!

Im only 5'8

You ask an interesting question, Adam. When height is discussed, players are almost always worried about not being tall enough. You're potentially playing a position where being too tall can be a disadvantage. My son was worried about not being tall enough, and was talking about it with a friend who played MLB baseball. The friend told my son that he was already as tall as Mike Lieberthal, Paul LoDuca, Brad Ausmus and several others. He then said that he needed to worry about being as good as them, not as tall as them. If you look at it from your perspective, you'll see that you will likely be as tall as Sandy Alomar, Benito Santiago, Mike Matheny, and several more as tall as them. Just like my son, worry about being as good as them, not about being as tall as them.

From all I have read and heard I figure it is less how tall you are and more how tall you get. If your 6'6" and stand straight up to throw down then yes, this could be an issue. If you stay low and have good mechanics, then look at it as a blessing.

Think of it this way. If you call an intentional walk, you will be able to get the ball out far enough so that someone like Cabrera wont drive a run in with it.

Good luck,

Tim

I'm 5-11, and I'm the short one in the family. I have 2 older brothers. One is 22, he's 6'2. The other is 19, he's 6'3. My little brother is 13, he's 5'5, we expect him to be about 6'4. I don't complain about my height, because I'm a catcher. Although Javy Lopez is 6'3. I'm pretty well built, so I'm very happy, I still wrestle with my older brothers, and win sometimes. Being on wrestling for a winter did help, though.

with anything to do with baseball and height i just think of the small guys that could hit jacks, height doesnt matter at all as long as you have control of your body. i played against this 4'10 kid who hit absolute bombs, everythingin baseballs about speed and quickness, with height you can sometimes lose quickness, thats all

Lets see---7-10 Randy Johnson.....5-9 Marcus Giles.....doesnt seem to be an issue if you can play!

Sorry---6-10 for Randy!

Here's some catcher's stats. Varitek, 6'3", Alomar was 6'5" and Fisk was listed at 6'2" but stood next to 6'2" Rice and easily had 2 to 3 inches on him. There are many other 6'2" to 6'5" catchers that play and have played. Pudge is like 5'9" and Yogi was an exagerated 5'8". Size really doesn't matter, but talent sure does.

I was 6'5" and was able to play 5 years professionally with the Red Sox and Devil Rays. The only thing that held me back from getting to the bigs and playing every day was hitting that da** slider. Defensively, it was an asset my pitchers loved because they had a huge target to throw to and it was easier on my body wear and tear wise because I had more size and didn't get tired as easy...not to mention helping out in the collisions at the plate.

I will tell you that you will have to work twice as hard on keeping your foot speed as quick as the smaller guys, but if you are wanting to climb that ladder as far as you can go, you aren't afraid of a little hard work.

You would be surprised how many "big" (6'2+) catchers there are now a days in Division I and professional baseball. Just work at all the small things and you will be fine.

Terry Kennedy 6'4"....Mark Parent 6'5".....Bruce Bochey 6'5"....Current Chris Snyder 6'4" or better.....If you can play the position height is not an issue....

At 5-8 I blame Johnny Bench for the demise of the small catcher....just kidding...baseball players as a whole are bigger, stronger and faster than "them old days." I was just trying to come up as the Big Red Machine was in its heyday...I was told a hundred times if once...your too small...we are moving to bigger catchers...I do enjoy watching guys like Santiago and Pudge! They give hope to some of us ---Little People. I agree with above....if you have the talent, heart and willingness to work hard at your trade...no one but you can stand in your way.

I'm in the same boat as you in this.I'm around 6' tall and am expected to get about 4 inches taller.The only problem it has given me to be tall is at the plate.If nething, being tall has made catching easier for me.It makes me bigger when blocking, and often makes baserunners more afraid to steal against me.Just learn to use your heigth to your advantage and it will do nothing but help you.

Surprised nobody mentioned Joe Mauer. He was 6-4 when drafted by the Twins and now measures near 6-6 with shoes.