Pop up to the catcher

When the ball goes straight up above the catcher you absolutely have one of baseballs toughest plays. Here's why.

The ball goes up with a lot of topspin imparted on the ball. What this means is that the ball will come back towards the infield as it starts to descend. The perception from a catcher's standpoint is that it will return to the ground straight below where it reaches its' apex. Understanding physics gives the catcher a better chance at recording the out.

Catcher should always turn his back to the infield as the ball will return to him. Also, there are plenty of fielders in the field of play but only the catcher in foul territory. So, the catcher should turn his back for both reasons. Once the ball is located, the catcher should proceed depending on the height of the ball. The higher the ball, the slower the walk.

You want to constantly keep the ball at 10 degrees above you. You do not want to get underneath the ball. It will fall behind you if the catcher does not maintain 10 degrees.

The other fundamental is the dismissing of the catcher's mask. This should be done very late in the process. A must is that you do not trip over the mask. Therefore, once the catcher recognizes where the ball is hit he throws the mask in the other direction.

Pop ups to catchers are very challenging. Any catcher will tell you that if another infielder could catch the ball he would gladly trade responsibilities.