What is the expected pop time for freshmen in high school and beyond?

There is no expected and it is very individual. It can be worked on over and over. There may be averages for high school frosh, but I am not sure if any good data on it exists.
Work on good footwork and training the body athletically over the next few years and then hope for that 2.0 benchmark as a senior.
I am working with a 15 year old that threw 3 1.95's today, 1 during a game situation and the other 2 between innings. On the steal attempt a perfect throw still didn't get the runner as he had a huge jump on the pitcher.

For a Freshman a good target to shoot for is to break the 2.4 mark.

The average game pop for a good high school varsity catcher is 2.20-2.25.

Above average is 2.10-2.19

Excellent for a HS varsity catcher would be a game throw 2.0-2.09


The key to remember is that the catchers throw is only the 2nd half of the equation. If your pitcher is 1.7 to the plate, and your catcher is 2.3, that's 4.0 combined. That will beat many baserunners to 2nd.

I have so many coaches contacting me telling me their catchers are not effective throwing out runners but when I ask what their pitchers time to the plate is they have no idea, We need to be aware of both times.

Catchers take to much of the blame for successfull basestealing.

I had one 14 yr old student a few years ago that could throw game throws 1.90 and faster. He caught on a middle school team. He only threw out about 20% of the base stealers. The pitchers many times never even looked over to first. The leads were and jump were huge. It's not just about the catchers throw.


ONE MORE STANDARD FOR YOU.

Another good standard for kids to shoot for is for the kids 13yr old, first year on the big field. Most have been throwing 85ft, now 127.

Their goal should be to finish spring season of 13 yr ball breaking 3.0

Catching coach great post and I have to agree 100%.

Average major league pop time is 2.0 on the bag. The key idea in that sentence is on the bag.

I agree with Catch Coach....but would add...knowing when to and when not to (a tactical thought process) is critical...I have struggled all season with a 15 yo who was taught when in doubt throw him out...he has launched more baseballs into right and left field trying to throw out a runner...Im a catcher all my life and I cannot break this habit...he was taught from 6 up to throw it...cant even count how many runs it has cost us...sometimes as a catcher you have to just eat it when the runner is there.

Yea, whenever anybody throws to a base when the runner is easily safe- the expression my coahc ALWAYS says: THATS NOT BASEBALL, FELLAS!!

scouts will always look for kids that throw under 2.0. dont tell a freshman catcher that he is doing well throwing a 2.4, because that is not a good time. i suggest find a professional instructor to work with the younger kids. reason being, there are kids that have worked with instructors and who are throwing at that mark or below even as freshman. i have a kid right now who just started his freshman year of hs and has already attended a WWBA 18u tournament and has been clocked as low as 1.94

It is a good throw if he is doing the best he can. Legit 2.4 for a freshman no problem with that. Now get some good instruction , work hard on your mechanics , continue to work on your arm strength ( you will gain some arm strength naturally by getting older and stronger ) and understand that it will not happen overnight. 1.9 pops for youngs kids are the exception not the rule. Dont measure yourself against the exceptional arm right now. Work to get it at 2.2. Then work on getting that clean accurate 2.0. When your a senior if your throwing that good accurate 2.0 1.9 no one is going to care that you were a 2.4 as a freshman. One things for sure the freshman with a 1.9 is not going to drop 5 tenths off his pop. He is going to be lucky to get it down in the 1.8 range. There is a ceiling folks. My boy was a 2.06 clean and accurate at PG event his freshman year. He is a Jr now and is a consistent all day long 2.0 game pop very accurate. He throws 1.9 all day non game pops and has hit some 1.8's. I really dont care what he can do non game. I have had several freshman come in that were 2.4 2.5 and left solid 2.0 2.1 guys. Several have played in college. Good Luck to you. Get you a good instructor that can work with you one on one in the off season. And if you dont have a HS coach with catching experience use the instructor during the season. Keep working hard you will be fine. Its not where you start the race its where you finish it. GOOD LUCK

great point! if he is at 2.4, work to get to 2.2.. this can be achieved by letting the ball get deeper instead of extending the arm to catch it first.... there are numerous ways to shave off .2 sec off your time

A big problem I see with kids is they chase the baseball. They see the runner going and they reach out for the ball. They think by reaching out for it they are going to get the ball faster and be able to get rid of it faster. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ball travels faster than you can. Let it get deep. Also by chaseing the ball you get off balance and alot of these throws are not accurate at all.

Coach May,

You and I have agreed on this topic many times. An accurate 2.4 in a game is a good time for a Freshman. Many of these kids are only 14-15 years old, growth spurt may have not always started for all of them even at that age.

For 99% of the HS catchers out there a goal of 2.2 in a game by the time they are Seniors will be a good, realistic target.

Just wondering what is a good radar time down to second.

Don't know if they differ from d-1 down but lets say for a top senior catcher looking for a d-1 school.

Southside, an accurate 2.0 game pop time with a velocity of 75+ MPH would get a lot of looks for D1, especially if he can hit.

(I used to live on the south side of Chicago myself.)

80+ would be outstanding.

quote:

(I used to live on the south side of Chicago myself.)

Rob, just curious if you ever ran into one heckuva ballplayer by the name of Bad, Bad Leroy Brown?

Originally posted by Catching Coach:
If your pitcher is 1.7 to the plate, and your catcher is 2.3, that's 4.0 combined. That will beat many baserunners to 2nd.

At what level? I would think that combo is very slow for Varsity.

Krak:

Actually, yes. I knew Leroy quite well. Minor correction, though. It is a little known fact that Bad, Bad Leroy Brown was actually a female. I dated her for months.

Never felt safer on the South Side of Chicago. She owned the place.

There are so many factors in play here. As a catcher all you can do is catch it and throw it. The speed of the runner, the lead of the runner, the condition of the field ie wet dirt, loose dirt, hard dirt, the type of jump the runner gets, how well the pitcher holds the runner, how long it takes the pitcher to get rid of it, the type of pitch curve ball change up fastball, the location of the pitch inside and up outside and up down and in away and up etc etc etc. These are all factors that will determine wether or not the runner is hosed or not. The only thing you can actually controll is how you recieve it and how you get rid of it. One thing for sure is an accurate throw will give you a chance. You want to work on getting rid of it quick and accurately and with as much on it as you can and still accomplish the first two goals. Ive seen kids hosed on 2.3's and I have seen kids safe on 2.0's. Catchers will always be blamed by the fans for not throwing out runners. And they will always get the credit when they throw someone out. The fact is it is a combination of the pitcher and catcher working together as a team. Only worry about what you can controll.

I was at a local showcase today.I timed the catchers from the bleachers kinda for something to do.There were 7 there,& all were Sophomores,Juniors,or Seniors.The times ranged from 2.05-2.4.Some looked descent,but none really caught my eye as a "standout".I think if you can stay below 2.1 & be consistently accurate with your throws,you have a shot to play at the next level.