When should the catcher leave his position?

The unexcusable in baseball is the catcher not being at home plate when a runner is attempting to score. It seldom happens but there are times when the catcher is expected to leave homeplate and provide some help elsewhere during the course of a game.

The first and most common example of the catcher leaving homeplate is the routine groundball to an infielder with a runner not in scoring position. On those groundballs the catcher sprints at a wide angle to be the backup in case of overthrows. It is very difficult to be an effective backup on this play if the field does not have a fence. However, if there is a fence surrounding the field of play a catcher backing up the play can prevent a runner from moving into scoring position.

Another time that a catcher can prove to be valuable is a single to right field that the 1B has to chase. Often times this "blooper" has the 1B chasing it while the batter rounds 1st base. The play is in front of him and he knows where the 1B is. He doesn't really expect the catcher to be a threat to him. However, if the catcher actually trails the runner he could prove to be a major threat in this situation. The rightfielder could pick up the ball and look for a catcher who has come behind the unsuspecting baserunner. Reminder- no one can be on base!

The third time a catcher should leave home plate is on a bunt to the 3B with a man on 1st. As the 3B fields the ball the catcher should continue past the 3B and anchor down 3B.

This is simply an example of how hustle can provide a benefit to a baseball team. But, hustle can't be blind. And, knowing when and where you should hustle comes down to knowing the game.