Catchers calling pitches...any difference in catchers?

[tessl]

Re: Catchers calling pitches...any difference in catchers?

The Red Sox just dusted Blake Swihart for a guy (Sandy Leon) hitting .000 because he "called a better game and had a better relationship with pitchers".

I had quite a capable relationship with all three catchers in college, but Randy was my dude. He knew exactly what to throw, when, and where it needed to go. Based on the previous at-bats, swings on previous pitches, and situations. He was the worst of my three at blocking balls in the dirt.

I would indeed like to see the catcher be a larger part of the pitchers' production, and perhaps as a quirk, would give a boost to the pitcher he was catching with regards to strikes or confidence.

The realism, or lack thereof, does not come from the ability to scout batters and go over pitching plans and strategies. The non-realistic part of the problem is how to institute this without feeling "cheap" or forced.

I am pretty sure Gary Sanchez and Jady Molina can go over scouting reports and batter tendencies exactly the same. Sanchez couldn't block a baseketball, but I'll tell you who 100% of the pitchers in the MLB would rather throw to, and it is not because of scouting batters.

~syf

The problem is mlbts attributes are stat related. They would be introducing an attribute based upon something completely subjective. The exact same catcher will catch high performing pitchers and pitchers who can't get anybody out.

In September 2018 the Cardinal pitching collapsed with Yadi behind the plate. He didn't forget how to call a game. They have the game programmed correctly when it comes to catchers.