National treasure David Laurila posts his weekly notes column at FanGraphs. There’s a very interesting section on catchers setting a target down the middle of the plate:

The idea of having a catcher set up down the middle has gained a certain amount of traction. The reasoning is twofold. More strikes will be thrown — long a recipe for success — and the movement, often paired with plus velocity, will be enough to limit solid contact. Given the power arsenals that many pitchers now possess, it makes sense that aggressively attacking the strike zone makes more sense than attempting to dot corners.

FanGraphs.com

Tucker Barnhart appraises the strategy, and thinks it works best with young relievers.

“There’s not necessarily one guy that comes to mind, but I think a lot of younger guys get to the big leagues and think that they have to pitch on the edges to have success. Quite frankly, that’s not the case. A lot more times than not, it puts them in situations where they get in trouble. That’s why it’s super important for guys to come up and dominate the strike zone. Hitting is hard. When you’re behind in the count, as a hitter, it’s exponentially harder. The one way to make hitting easier is to fall behind.”

It’s something to keep in mind this season as you watch games.