It’s a familiar sight this time of year.

A pitcher and catcher converge at the midway point between the mound and home plate to review an inaugural bullpen session. Feedback is exchanged. Sometimes there’s a fist bump of validation or maybe a firm handshake signaling satisfaction with the day’s work — or in some cases, a more practical interaction between a young prospect and a non-roster invitee who might have met just a few days, if not hours, earlier.

There’s no telling how many more times these pairs will work together over the course of this season, let alone the two players’ careers. Twenty years ago, Adam Wainwright reported to Cardinals spring training and threw a bullpen to Yadier Molina for the first time, and now they are the gold standard of baseball batteries. And while forging a legendary partnership such as Waino and Yadi might be an unrealistic expectation for any duo working together this spring, it is a humble reminder that you gotta start somewhere.

There’s a reason pitchers and catchers report to Arizona and Florida before everyone else. For one, pitchers need more time to build up their workloads prior to Opening Day. But beyond the purely physical preparation, the early days of camp are pivotal for planting the seeds of the relationships between pitchers and those tasked with catching the nastiest stuff on the planet.

The truth is those conversations often begin long before anyone arrives at their respective spring complexes. “As soon as they sign with us, I like to get their number and call, say hi to them and just talk to them and try to be on the same page for Opening Day,” Royals catcher Salvador Perez told Yahoo Sports.

Perez went through this process several times this past winter as Kansas City added four free-agent pitchers on major-league deals, including Michael Wacha. The Royals are Wacha’s sixth team in six seasons, so he has ample experience introducing himself to new backstops. He makes it a priority to connect with catchers as early as possible to start the get-to-know-you process well before the regular season begins.

“That relationship on the mound and behind the plate, I think it’s the most important one on the field,” Wacha said.

As a rookie, Wacha had the benefit of easing into the big leagues with a seasoned veteran behind the plate in Molina. “I was just throwing wherever he wanted me to throw that pitch,” Wacha recalled. “He was one of the best out there. Every day I would come in, I would notice that he’s not only watching video on the pitcher that he’s facing in the box, but also he’s watching all of their hitters that we’re about to be pitching against. Just seeing that and knowing that he’s going to be prepared gave me confidence on the mound that he knows what pitch to call.”

It’s certainly comforting for talented yet inexperienced pitchers to throw their initial innings to an established catcher, but this dynamic also exists in reverse for young catchers. Tucker Barnhart has become one of the more respected defensive backstops in the league, winning Gold Gloves in 2017 and 2020, but when he debuted with Cincinnati in 2014, he was taking his cues from a veteran pitching staff.

“When I was in [Gabriel Moreno]’s position, I was catching guys like Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, Mike Leake, Bronson Arroyo — guys that had been around for a long time,” said Barnhart, now with the D-backs competing for a backup role behind the ascendent Moreno.

“Cueto is a guy that helped me learn how to call the game. First couple starts I caught him when I was a rookie, he would basically tell me what pitches were coming,” explained Barnhart, harkening back to the pre-PitchCom days. “We had a little system: The hitter would have his head down, and he’d flash a hand sign or with his glove. It helped me learn and put things together and develop the ‘why’ behind certain things.”