How many coaches and players wear protective gear when warming up the pitchers???

You probably saw the article in this morning’s paper, about the coach that got hit in the face by the baseball, when he was warming up a middle school pitcher and how many coaches and players wear a protective mask and do they take the time to slip on a chest protector, when warming up a pitcher before the game starts or in between innings, while the regular catcher is getting his equipment on???

Do any of our high school or middle school coaches wear a mask for protection or do they just grab a mitt and go out there and start warming up the pitcher? I have been to several game this season and don’t remember seeing any coaches wearing a mask, if they were warming up a pitcher between innings, during a game situation and I have never seen a coach put on a chest protector……

The players that go out there and warm up a pitcher until the regular catcher is ready, almost all of them that I have seen, are wearing a catcher’s protective mask, but I don’t see them with a chest protector on or shin guards and in other words, the coaches are in no gear other than a mitt and the players are wearing the mask and that is about it and for the players the mask may be enough, but what do you think and what are you seeing when you are out there at the games????? No need to be calling coaches out by name, we are just talking in general here……

I saw at least four games this past week and I don’t recall one occasion where the coach was warming up a pitcher and the coach was wearing a catcher’s mask….I have seen right at 20-22 games this season and don’t remember seeing any coaches wearing catcher’s masks….Maybe they do in practice…….

After what I read today, the catcher’s mask might just be a good idea and rule of thumb and something that should be required of all coaches and players….Mandatory……CLICK HERE to check out the article by Gerald Witt(N&R) in case you missed it…..

The coach that got hurt was over at Kiser Middle School and he was a volunteer coach, Coach Atkins and Melvin Brooks is the head baseball coach at Kiser Middle School…..

They need to make this a safety rule that is in place for the games and at practice…..You never know when that ball may bounce or skip off the end of your mitt and hit you in the face……At the games, the umpires should be on the lookout for this problem and they need to say something about it, if they see a coach or player out there warming up a pitcher and not wearing a catcher’s mask….

It might take a few reminders or warnings, but I think we can make this rule/safety policy stick…..What do you think and are these precautionary measures necessary???

I remember back in the day when I was coaching high school softball and I would always be there for the school’s baseball games too and I would usually end up warming up our pitchers for part of the game and I was never wearing a mask and those kids could throw pretty hard….Sometimes the hand hurt more than the face……I also remember a few times in youth baseball when I would attend other teams’ practices and get a chance to catch the other teams’ pitchers and there was more than one instance where I would come home with a loose tooth or missing fingernail or two, after catching some of those older and much stronger pitchers….

Wish I would have been wearing a mask or a mitt instead of a glove when I decided that I wanted to find out what the other guys could do with the old fastball…..Some of the days still make me hurt just to think about them and you never let on that you might have taken a nasty shot, it was always, “I’m OK and you can just keep on bringing it to the plate”…..

Might be a very good idea to bring a catcher’s mask and a chest protector with you, when you get behind that plate…..You just never know when the ball might take a funny turn or when you might turn your glove or mitt the wrong way…..The best observance might be to err on the side of safety, in cases such as this one…….

Hey battter, batter, batter…….What do you say about this topic on this cloudy Saturday afternoon, here in baseball land, in Greensboro?????

One thing that I feel is a sure thing is, that you need to put on that catcher’s mask, but you may get by without the chest protector, but that may be left up to the individual……Mask…..Got to have it on!!!!!

4 thoughts on “How many coaches and players wear protective gear when warming up the pitchers???

  1. if you are coaching anything at the middle school level or above you should never get down and catch a pitcher without at least the mask and a cup. at the middle school level some of these kids can really bring it but they still lack control. for the players, full gear is always a good idea, but minimum mask and cup. for all school competition, the state ought to require at least masks if they don’t already. if you are standing up and catching a pitcher, i can see allowing adults to go without the mask, but as soon as you go into the squat, put on the mask or get out of there.

  2. Excellent points….I think even a Steve Yeager would echo what you are saying……Catching a player standing up is a bit different and most times when standing and warming up, the players don’t bring as much heat….Just in a tossing sense…..

  3. Only out there 2-3 minutes and only need a mask. Not enough time to put on a chest protector.

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