Catchers at Frederick

[orioole28]

Has anybody noticed that the catching at Frederick is just terrible when it come down to containing the running game. I don't have a stat in front of me, but the catching must have the lowest % level in throwing out runners. Which puts a lot of stress on the pitchers because a walk is a double, a single is a double and you give up 2 hits or a walk and a hit and you just gave up a run. This has been going on all year long. Last night they stole 5 bases. I just can't believe it's the pitching fault for not holding runners on, maybe 1 or 2 pitchers but the whole staff. It's just an observation on my part. I 've been listening to 85% of the games and the opposing teams are just running wild against us.

[sonderweg]

I've attended 13 games at Harry Grove Stadium this season. I can't say that I have noticed opposing teams running more than usual this year than in the past. If anything, there has been such a turnover at the catcher position this season - Madera, Bock, Clendenin, Pulley, and probably someone else - that I would suspect opposing teams want to see what type of arm the "catcher de jour" has (though three of those four have has experience in the Carolina League prior to 2007, so they are hardly strangers in the league).

[AVencill]

I've been out of the loop for the last week with no internet on vacation, but here's my take on this:

Your absolutely right orioole26. The opposition is running wild on the Keys. Here's a stat for everyone: .238, the percentage Frederick catchers are throwing out the opposition. That's 144 steals in 189 attempts this season (I didn't realize it was THIS bad). A lot of it has to do with the fact that this season there is an unusually high number of guys stealing bases. It's not that the catchers are terrible this season, it's more so I think in deliveries by the pitchers along with great jumps and reads by the opponents. It's a stat the PR dept. doesn't record but other teams do. It's one that gets swept under the rug. But I'll post currently what each Keys catcher sits at (thanks to milb.com):

NAME SB ATT .PCT
Brian Bock 24 29 .172
Morgan Clendenin 0 0 .000
Zach Dillon 78 102 .235
Ramon Hernandez 0 1 .000
Justin Johnson 32 47 .319
Matt Pulley 9 10 .100
Paul Winterling 0 0 .000

Clearly, what I thought before looking up these stats is that Justin Johnson was the best defensive catcher on the club. Lets take a look at stolen bases in the League from 2005-present:

YEAR SB/ATT PCT LEAGUE LEADER
2005 - 829/1254 34% Robert Valido - 52
2006 - 1106/1585 30% Pedro Powell - 63
2007 - 794/1178 33% Pedro Powell - 44 (Through approx. 98 games out of 140)

In 2006, there were 23 people in the League who finished with 20+ stolen bases.