What does the catcher do on a bunt with nobody on?

Q: What does the catcher do on a bunt with nobody on?

With nobody on, the out at first is the whole play. The catcher fields anything right in front of the plate; if it is not his, he calls who has it and "One!" loud, early and once, then covers home.

The job, step by step

The job is the same idea on each play. The first one is shown in full; after it, only the steps that change.

Nobody on, bunt back to the pitcher

FieldThe pitch until the ball is fielded
Field the bunt if it is in front of the plate. Otherwise point and call the base — “One!” — loud, early, and once.
AssessThe ball back in the infield
Back up the throw, then return to the plate and cover it.

Nobody on, bunt to the first-base side · Nobody on, bunt to the third-base side: what changes

FieldThe pitch until the ball is fielded
Standard depth, then explode forward the instant the bunt is down. Anything right in front of the plate is yours. If it is not, call who has it and where it goes — “One! One!” — loud, early, and once.
AssessThe ball back in the infield
Cover home. With nobody on there is no lead-runner play, so the out at first is the whole job — confirm it and get the ball back.

Who you work with

First baseman crashes with the third baseman
Pitcher covers the middle
Second baseman covers first

Common mistakes

Calling the base with a position (“1B!”).
The calls are the words: “One!” A word carries; a position name sounds like a fielder’s name and sends the wrong man after the ball.
Calling more than once.
One call, early. A second call after the fielder has already turned just adds noise.

The plays

Each one opens the full play: every position's job, the coaching points and the animation.

More catcher jobs

The catcher on every play · All positions