A week ago, eschewing considerations of personal reputation and safety, I dove into the shark-infested waters of baseball expertise and lore to consider the odd phenomenon of the absence of left-handed catchers in major league baseball. Various worthies deigned to instruct me in the sublime subtleties of the sport and to let me know, in effect, that this is all part of God’s Master Plan for Baseball. He designed the game, it would seem, in ways that make lefties inherently unsuitable as catchers. It’s hard, for example, for a lefty to make a snap throw to third base when there’s a right-handed batter; but never mind that right-handed catchers don’t seem to have any problem making snap throws to first base when there’s a left-handed batter.
Go figure. It is not within our humanly powers to grasp all the mysteries of God’s Master Plan for Baseball.
In a late-summer harmonic convergence of sorts, Gene Weingarten, in today’s Washington Post Magazine, takes up the question of, ahem, why there are no left-handed catchers in major league baseball. It seems that Weingarten recently attended an annual convention of sabremetricians (which must be about as captivating an event as, say, the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association), and, while there, decided to put the eternal question to the assembled experts.
bq. I figured if anyone would know, it would be the SABR guys. So I walked around asking the question, and everywhere I asked it, vigorous debates ensued. Theories were propounded and shot down. For every explanation (it would be harder for a lefty to throw a runner out at third base), a valid counter-argument arose (it would be easier for a lefty to pounce on a bunt and throw to first). Theories ranged from the aesthetic (pitchers would get rattled seeing the glove on the unaccustomed side of the plate) to the tautological (no one becomes a lefty catcher because everyone knows there are no lefty catchers). To demonstrate the rightness of their theories, old men were squatting in a catcher’s crouch, trying to simulate young men squatting in a catcher’s crouch. It wasn’t pretty to watch. It was like watching donkeys try to imitate Seabiscuit.
bq. I left the convention sadder, but no wiser. Then I had an idea. I phoned around and finally reached the greatest catcher in the history of the game.
bq. Why are there no left-handed catchers, Yogi?
bq. “That’s just the way it is,” he said, “’cause that’s the way it’s been.”
bq. So now we know.
(Hat tip to Gina Lambright)