Plate Equipment

Plate equipment in baseball generally refers to the protective equipment that catchers and home plate umpires use. Although there are differences, which will be noted here, the same basic premise remains: protection of the face, chest, lower legs, and feet. This equipment is also derisively known as "the tools of ignorance".

For catchers and umpires, the face mask is generally the same in construction. Whereas catchers can use nearly an entire palette of colors to coordinate with their uniforms, umpires are basically restricted to the colors of black or blue (either navy or royal blue). For a period from 1996-1999, when the American League used red pullover shirts, red frame masks were also found. Starting in the 1990s, the catcher's helmet, similar in construction to a hockey goaltender's helmet, gained popularity among both catchers and umpires, but this later waned, as this design was associated with an increased number of concussions.

A chest protector is a piece of protective equipment worn by catchers and home plate umpires. While designs have changed, and the designs of catchers' and umpires' gear are different, the basic purpose is the same: to protect the wearer's chest from foul balls and errant pitches.

Chest protectors were first used by both catchers and umpires in the 1880s, and their designs quickly diverged. Although the first catchers' chest protectors were worn under their uniforms - possibly to avoid criticism from teammates -, catchers soon adopted an outside design that they could take off when batting. The basic design was quickly set. The protector is made of heavy padding sandwiched between outer layers with battens to keep it from shifting. It covers the chest and abdomen but has cutouts around the shoulders to give the catcher freedom of motion with his arms.

Umpires' gear had a more complicated history. For a long time, National League umpires wore relatively small chest protectors underneath their coats, while American League umpires used bulky "balloon-style" protectors. The difference in protector style was supposed to have led to differences in pitch calling. NL umpires, who could crouch lower behind the catcher, were supposed to call more low strikes, while the AL umpires were forced to stand upright and called more high strikes. AL umpires switched to the inside protector in the late 1970s when all new hires in the league were mandated to use the inside protector

Shin guards or leg guards refer to the equipment used by both catchers and umpires to protect the lower leg from the knee to the upper metatarsal of the foot. The differences between catcher's and umpire's leg guards relate specifically to the foot area. Catcher's guards have the toe and metatarsal protection built right in to the leg guards. Umpires, on the other hand, use a specific type of shoe, known as a "plate shoe" which are hard- or steel-toed, and have a metatarsal flap over the shoe. This is to allow the plate umpire to wear his shin guards underneath his slacks. The umpire also has a lot less running to do than the catcher, and the heavier shoe is not really a problem for him.

Further Reading

• Chuck Rosciam: "The Evolution of Catcher's Equipment", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 39, Number 1 (Summer 2010), pp. 104-112.