Catcher Statistics

by scrambles the death dealer on Aug 27, 2010 6:36 PM EDT

Does anybody know if a statistic exists that records the performance of pitchers when being caught by a certain catcher? I believe that this would be a good way to measure the pitch calling abilities of catchers. It would also provide coaches the ability to find chemistry between certain catchers and pitchers, much like Molina and Morrow. Obviously a catcher on a team with an elite staff would have a much lower ERA, but maybe it could be compared to the team's ERA when being caught by somebody else. Anyway, I just thought it would be a way to add another dimension to the catcher position and how their abilities are measured from a defensive standpoint.

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I'm not sure about your hypothesis

Does anybody know if a statistic exists that records the performance of pitchers when being caught by a certain catcher? I believe that this would be a good way to measure the pitch calling abilities of catchers.

Doesn’t this assume that the pitcher will throw the pitch the catcher wants 100% of the time and exactly how and where he wants it 100% of the time?

Ball.

by Casusby on Aug 27, 2010 10:50 PM EDT reply actions

They do keep track of catcher ERA

But it is hard to really separate it from the pitchers they catch. Molina has been catching Morrow since Morrow has been pitching well.

by Tom Dakers on Aug 28, 2010 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Yes, any statistic would have to assume that the catcher calls every single pitch, which isn’t always the case. Clearly my suggestion has holes, but I find it odd that there are no major statistics which record the game calling abilities of catchers.

by scrambles the death dealer on Aug 28, 2010 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions

there is

catcher ERA. But it is a useless stat because it’s been proven to not be a repeatable skill

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Aug 28, 2010 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

yup

Baseball Between the Numbers showed that no catcher in history has ever has yielded a consistently lower catcher’s ERA than the pitcher’s ERA. the skill just doesn’t exist (for a bunch of possible reasons they describe)

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by boo15749 on Aug 30, 2010 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Right sometimes pitchers wave pitches off. But even if a pitcher listens to his catcher 100% and throws the pitch they want. That doesn’t necessarily account for mistakes. Catcher tells the pitcher to throw low outside fastball and he slips up and throws it dead red over the plate. That would hurt the catchers ERA but is it his fault?

Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...

by JohnnyG on Aug 28, 2010 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions