Baseball Prospectus: Catcher Blocking

[weams]

I was very wrong in my distaste for Castillo. I was wrong about him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out the results of our new catcher blocking model! Article on methodology coming soon<a href="https://t.co/69emqNRMEK">https://t.co/69emqNRMEK</a> <a href="https://t.co/xytiYOVxuS">pic.twitter.com/xytiYOVxuS</a></p>— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) <a href="

">November 1, 2015</a></blockquote>

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[Can_of_corn]

I was very wrong in my distaste for Castillo. I was wrong about him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Check out the results of our new catcher blocking model! Article on methodology coming soon

<a href="https://t.co/69emqNRMEK">https://t.co/69emqNRMEK</a> <a href="https://t.co/xytiYOVxuS">pic.twitter.com/xytiYOVxuS</a></p>— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) <a href="

">November 1, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Now someone compare this to the framing numbers as there has been talk of the two being inversely proportional.

[Frobby]

Wieters -0.7 pitch framing, +1.8 pitch blocking in 2015.

Joseph +10.1 pitch framing, +0.7 pitch blocking in 2015.

Wieters' pitch blocking numbers are impressive when you consider that he only caught 55 games this year (53 as a starter). Similarly his three-year total is impressive because he only caught 22 games in 2014. So really, his three-year total of +4.3 was accumulated in about 1.5 seasons worth of catching.

I do think it's pretty obvious that Wieters is a better pitch-blocker than Joseph. But Joesph seems to be one of the league's best in pitch framing, which more than makes up for it.

[Can_of_corn]

Wieters -0.7 pitch framing, +1.8 pitch blocking in 2015.

Joseph +10.1 pitch framing, +0.7 pitch blocking in 2015.

Wieters' pitch blocking numbers are impressive when you consider that he only caught 55 games this year (53 as a starter). Similarly his three-year total is impressive because he only caught 22 games in 2014. So really, his three-year total of +4.3 was accumulated in about 1.5 seasons worth of catching.

I do think it's pretty obvious that Wieters is a better pitch-blocker than Joseph. But Joesph seems to be one of the league's best in pitch framing, which more than makes up for it.

Probably.

But how much is it worth for the pitcher to know he can bury a breaking ball with a runner on base?

I don't think the true value of either skill can be easily measured.

[Frobby]

Probably.

But how much is it worth for the pitcher to know he can bury a breaking ball with a runner on base?

I don't think the true value of either skill can be easily measured.

Fair point.

[mdbdotcom]

Joseph saves strikes. Wieters saves runs.