August 28, 2023

The Framing Penalty

StatCast allows researchers to pinpoint the location of the catcher’s right shoulder behind the tip of the plate. Tom Tango uses that data to show how a catcher moving closer to the plate improves pitch framing but also increases catcher interference calls:

So you can see why catchers would try to nudge their way closer to the plate, as each inch is giving his team a run in framing. But you can also see how each inch is adding interference calls, and each interference call is worth 0.3 runs (plus potential injury). Being a catcher is a very tough job.

TangoTiger.com

Sixty six behind the back tip of home plate appears to be the spot where the catcher interference calls go down to normal. Lacking robot umpires, I would institute a rule to keep catchers behind that distance to minimize the impact of both CI and pitch framing.

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