Catchers Helmet

The catchers helmet is the singular most important addition to the youth catchers gear bag. In order to fully appreciate today’s innovative safety measures to protect young players, you have to look at baseball’s beginnings to see just how far we’ve come.

The catchers mask was the early day predecessor to the combination helmet mask combination we see today. This has recently evolved to the hockey type many of today’s players adorn. But before we even had any cranial protection, or even a mask, baseball’s first defensive men wore a mouth protector.

The devise, similar to a boxer’s mouthpiece, was about fifty cents of rubber blanked out into a wedge that barely fit in the mouth. No teeth impressions for a comfortable fit were available. Certainly no fashionable colors were offered. I wonder if the vision of chewing on a leather strap was the predecessor to this mouthpiece.

Still no head protection, but the Spalding catalog introduced the first catchers mask in their 1878 issue. This was padded with imported dog skin which fit snugly against the chin. There was a simple wire mesh cage, more oblong than today’s version, but enough to deflect a foul ball and to spare theplayer  from dental and facial work.

The mask continued to undergo improvements, mainly in the area of the frame which obscured field and peripheral vision. Soon the masks grew wider as the cage opened up, allowing for a quick glance for steals around the bases. Still, we have no catchers helmet and batters knew not to step back in the box before swinging for fear of splitting the catchers head open.

The focus was on the mask and although aluminum and other non ferrous materials have been tried, most players still preferred the carbon steel welded round stock most are made with. The reason for this is strength. Aluminum is too soft and other alloys are too expensive. Welded wire, or small diameter bar stock remains the standard today.

If you’ve seen a Sci Fi movie lately, you’ll no doubt recognize today’s innovative styling. The new mask, reminiscent of a hockey goalie mask, was introduced in 1997 and it is made with the latest introductions of polycarbons. This new style helmet offers total protection of the skull, the face and the throat.

The angles have been intelligently created to deflect foul balls instead of absorbing the foul tip as in the past.  Most weigh about 50 ounces, about half a pound more than the past helmet-mask combination. As time goes on and prices come down, you’ll see this as standard issue in many leagues.

My question remains unanswered and besides the safety issue, now out of concern, what about the ability to play the position? Can a player see around the bases? Can he or she toss off the gear when running for a foul ball? All these questions remain to be answered as we progress in innovative equipment.