Tim Marchman pondered a few "dubious, wrongheaded or just downright illogical" experiments in baseball, and one of them was the tall catcher.

Yogi Berra, who was arguably the greatest catcher in baseball history, wasn’t exactly long and lithe. Most great catchers aren’t. Since it’s their job to squat for hours on end, they tend to be short of limb.

Just 11 catchers listed at 6-foot-4 or taller have ever had at least 2,000 plate appearances in the modern major leagues. Among them, only Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins, a two-time batting champion, has been a truly exceptional player — at least, when he’s healthy. Mr. Mauer is currently out of the lineup with a back injury. The idea that catchers shouldn’t be too tall is the rare concept that has the scouts and the statisticians nodding their heads in agreement.

All of this raises an uncomfortable possibility for the Baltimore Orioles. Their top pick in the 2007 draft was catcher Matt Wieters, who’s listed at 6-foot-5 and hit .355 with 27 home runs in the minor leagues in his professional debut last year. Given the dearth of tall catchers of note, the Orioles could be tempting fate by leaving a potentially historic hitter at the position most likely to stunt his career.

Andy MacPhail, the Orioles general manager, says he’s “not necessarily a subscriber” to the idea that a tall catcher can’t be successful, despite the views of scouts. He says there are no imminent plans to move the talented Mr. Wieters, although he won’t rule out the possibility. “The beauty of the situation,” he says, “is that if the bat is what it appears to be, he’ll be able to play anywhere on the field.”

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