Torrealba #3 in the MLB at getting extra strike calls

[guitarmy21b]

Baseball Prospectus | Spinning Yarn: Removing the Mask

Awesome article I jacked from the Pirates forum. It goes into all the science and variables of catchers helping their pitchers get called strikes for pitches outside the strike zone. I found it really interesting. Posada and Varitek rank among the last in the league since 07. Napoli is a little bit below average. This should really be an official MLB stat IMO.

 

[fordman84]

Hard to believe. He is always moving around, shifting around, annoying pitchers and viewers. Maybe all that motion makes the ump think he has some sort of palsy and that is why he moves the ball towards the zone after he catches it.

 

[DallasMCRSdynasty]

I still want Nap behind the plate every game in the playoffs! Nice to have a an awesome back-up though!

 

[Windingmywatch]

Hard to believe. He is always moving around, shifting around, annoying pitchers and viewers. Maybe all that motion makes the ump think he has some sort of palsy and that is why he moves the ball towards the zone after he catches it.

Drives me nuts too. Got to be annoying for a pitcher to have the catcher jumping around back there just as the pitcher starts his windup. All the antsy feet do not make him very good at reacting to pitches especially to his right. He reaches over to catch those pitches ... rarely see him over their blocking it.

In my opinion as far as defensive catcher right now Torrealba is #3 on this roster behind both Napoli and Treanor. Napoli is clearly the #1 catcher right now ... especially given how he is hitting.