With time and experience, a pitcher grasps a better understanding of what they can and can’t do on the field. It’s about this time that the decision shifts behind the plate.

The catcher has grown as much as the pitcher. They would tell you even more so since they see a wider variety of batters inches away from their glove. They squat behind the plate and see swings from all angles, combine that with ideas as the best way to get an out and merge that info into what they decide to call.

A really good catcher would have started this before high school, conversing with the current pitcher on the mound and determining the best path of success with their skill set in mind. But they’re still young enough to be superseded by any coach, regardless of their knowledge.

And that coach doesn’t always have to be inside the fenced area designating the field since there’s always somebody in the stands who knows what’s best.

The best catchers have refined their talents to something beyond simple guesswork by the time they’ve graduated. You can stick that ceremony in any location of your choice, but by the time they’re catching pitchers with a future, they should know what they’re doing.

Should is the operative word in that sentence because what should be and what is aren’t always the same thing.