It’s going to be a few years before Stryker Trahan is officially ready for the big leagues.
But once the 18-year-old high school catcher out of Louisiana is called up, it’s easy to imagine a scenario in which the Arizona Diamondbacks will hold an incredible advantage once an opposing runner rounds third. After all, would you do anything but slow down and start waving a white flag if there was any chance that Trahan could lay the same hit on you that he did this poor Seattle Mariners prospect?
Feel free to hold your answer until after watching this clip from a recent rookie game:
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3. Steve Treder
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 05:35 PM (#4187401)
He went all Mike Scioscia on him.
4. Tom Nawrocki
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 05:41 PM (#4187409)
The runner looked safe to me. Strahan hit him with his shoulder, not his glove.
5. Mayor Blomberg
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 05:49 PM (#4187423)
I'd have thought catchers normally come out pretty well when they have enough time to get set and check their email before the runner arrives.
6. Dale Sams
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 06:02 PM (#4187437)
I was all set to read a bunch of posts about "Let's get away from our neanderthal roots", but good for the catcher. The runner is going to try and blast the catcher, then the catcher should be able to go Albert Belle on him.
Almost all MLB players that are willing to crash into catchers are pretty big dudes so I don't think the DBacks are going to have some sort of incredible edge because of this guy behind the plate.
Wendell Kim is the third base coach for a rookie team? Who knew?
11. Biscuit_pants
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 06:25 PM (#4187474)
That's how you do it.
from a technical aspect he did it wrong, catchers are taught to put the arm out make the tag then pull the mit back to your chest so as to protect the ball from the collision. He lower his shoulder then extended his arms, which if the runner was a bit bigger (ok a lot bigger) he could have separated the ball from the glove by just naturally going head first toward the plate.
From the non-technical aspect those are really fun plays to watch. My best friend in college was a smallish shortstop and I had hit a double and was rounding second going towards third watching the play at the plate and my friend bounced off the catcher. I was able to give him crap for....well if he were next to me right now I would still be doing it.
12. King Berenger
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 08:44 PM (#4187581)
I really like the arm pumping of the guy behind the screen, center-right, about 5 seconds in.
13. Smitty*
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 09:50 PM (#4187629)
There was a play like this in a rec league softball league I was in. I was playing left and had thrown out a runner at the plate by a mile. He tried to take out the catcher. In the words of Lewis the alligator.."it didn't end well". Our catcher played offensive tackle at a division 1 college and was thus far better equipped for the collision.
Oh, and don't you hate pants
14. MM1f
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 10:36 PM (#4187668)
That was pretty great. Too bad Trahan is unlikely to catch in an MLB game, he will likely move to the outfield.
15. dirk
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 10:56 PM (#4187684)
i'm not a fan of the collision at home plate but it's hard not to watch and enjoy a 'he got jacked up!' moment. the only other base you can overrun is first, and that's always a force, but imagine how bad ass the game would be if a tag was mandatory on routine grounders. when the XLB starts, that should be their first rule change.
i'd like to see fewer collisions and less incentives for creating contact like this, but as long as the umps don't care if the catcher camps in the basepath, and knocking the ball loose by knocking the catcher unconscious is rewarded with a run, whattaya gonna do?
My softball rec league prohibits contact at the plate entirely. Not really that hard to enforce, and I think it makes for a better game.
As alluded to above, who the hell sent that runner home?
Too bad Trahan is unlikely to catch in an MLB game, he will likely move to the outfield.
I pity those fences.
18. jobu
Posted: July 19, 2012 at 11:23 PM (#4187702)
I really like the arm pumping of the guy behind the screen, center-right, about 5 seconds in.
Good call--the triple-pump, exuberant yet contained within his own personal space. He and his buddy are the only ones who appear to even take notice of the play.
There was a play like this in a rec league softball league I was in. I was playing left and had thrown out a runner at the plate by a mile. He tried to take out the catcher. In the words of Lewis the alligator.."it didn't end well". Our catcher played offensive tackle at a division 1 college and was thus far better equipped for the collision.
I had somebody try and take me out at 3rd once. Why I don't know as I had at least 80 pounds on him (I am tall, he was not). I did fall backwards on my butt, but it was really only because I just wasn't expecting him to try and go through me. I had the ball in plenty of time and was a good two feet in front of the bag waiting, he had at least 3 or 4 steps to slow down.
There was a play like this in a rec league softball league I was in. I was playing left and had thrown out a runner at the plate by a mile. He tried to take out the catcher. In the words of Lewis the alligator.."it didn't end well".
The highlight of my intramural softball career in college involved playing catcher and surviving a HP collision. Flyball hit to moderately deep CF and runner on 3rd tagging up. I don't know what kind of experience the CF had, but I started to hear the ball around second base as it was on a direct line to my face. I was more scared of missing the ball and having my face crushed in by the throw, but I caught it cleanly, turned toward the tagging runner, and was immediately knocked on my ass by him. Held onto the ball, got the out to end the inning, and did a celebratory Pete Rose spike of the ball on home plate.
Reader Comments and Retorts
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1. Ivan Grushenko of Hong Kong Posted: July 19, 2012 at 05:32 PM (#4187395)He hit him with his shoulder but he also got the glove on him.
From the non-technical aspect those are really fun plays to watch. My best friend in college was a smallish shortstop and I had hit a double and was rounding second going towards third watching the play at the plate and my friend bounced off the catcher. I was able to give him crap for....well if he were next to me right now I would still be doing it.
Oh, and don't you hate pants
i'd like to see fewer collisions and less incentives for creating contact like this, but as long as the umps don't care if the catcher camps in the basepath, and knocking the ball loose by knocking the catcher unconscious is rewarded with a run, whattaya gonna do?
As alluded to above, who the hell sent that runner home?
I pity those fences.
Good call--the triple-pump, exuberant yet contained within his own personal space. He and his buddy are the only ones who appear to even take notice of the play.
I had somebody try and take me out at 3rd once. Why I don't know as I had at least 80 pounds on him (I am tall, he was not). I did fall backwards on my butt, but it was really only because I just wasn't expecting him to try and go through me. I had the ball in plenty of time and was a good two feet in front of the bag waiting, he had at least 3 or 4 steps to slow down.
The highlight of my intramural softball career in college involved playing catcher and surviving a HP collision. Flyball hit to moderately deep CF and runner on 3rd tagging up. I don't know what kind of experience the CF had, but I started to hear the ball around second base as it was on a direct line to my face. I was more scared of missing the ball and having my face crushed in by the throw, but I caught it cleanly, turned toward the tagging runner, and was immediately knocked on my ass by him. Held onto the ball, got the out to end the inning, and did a celebratory Pete Rose spike of the ball on home plate.
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