Weeks before Opening Day this season, Major League Baseball sent a memo to all 30 clubs highlighting a rise in catcher interference. Instances of catchers being hit by opposing batters' bats increased rapidly. In 2023, catcher's interference was called 94 times, nearly 20 more times than in 2022.
What was the reason for the dramatic increase? The catchers moved closer and closer to the plate. In the era of pitch framing, teams concluded that the closer a catcher is to a pitch, the greater the prospect of “stealing” a strike.
It worked so well that the catchers moved closer and closer to the batter's box. This spring's memo essentially warned teams to refrain and move catchers further behind the plate to attenuate risk.
But anyone who saw St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras suffer a fractured left arm on Tuesday night knows that the danger stays ever-present.
Catcher's trouble calls proceed to extend at a historic pace. From 2010 to 2018, the common total variety of catcher interferences was 31. This 12 months, it was called 33 times – lower than two months later.
MLB's concerns were already growing. There are greater than double the disruptions in 2024 in comparison with the 2022 season at the identical time (15). The league is on pace to have a record 148 catchers this season. The try to frame the underside shot inadvertently compromised the protection of the catchers.
“The risk is high,” Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said earlier this week. “We just experienced it.”
Contreras was hit flush by the swing of New York Mets designated hitter JD Martinez. The catcher underwent surgery on Wednesday and shall be out for a minimum of six to eight weeks. Contreras was one among the worst framers in baseball on boundary pitches below the zone last 12 months. The Cardinals, a defense-oriented club, worked extensively with Contreras to enhance in that regard.
In his first 12 months in St. Louis, the Cardinals overhauled Contreras' approach, including his setup behind the plate (Contreras abandoned the standard crouching position behind the plate in favor of the one-knee-down method). They also actually moved Contreras closer to the plate.
While the Cardinals aren't the one team in baseball to make use of this method, they were the primary to pay the value this season.
“The more catchers are evaluated in framing, the closer they get to the batter to get that low pitch,” Marmol said. “You see more catchers doing that because they're able to get the deep pitch, but you also see catchers doing more interference and backswings that get guys to do it because they're closer. Sometimes the catcher could unknowingly get closer and closer from hitter to hitter without even realizing it.”
This appears to have been the case with Contreras, who was caught within the swing of Martinez, who naturally has a deep swing and features up as near the back of the batter's box as possible. Replays showed the pinnacle of Martinez's bat coming straight into Contreras' left arm. It also showed how far Contreras had are available his try to dictate the pitch.
Willson Contreras will leave this game after deflecting successful to his left arm from JD Martinez. pic.twitter.com/mJfiqOBf4t
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 8, 2024
“There’s always a risk being a catcher,” Contreras said after the injury. “Could have been something else. It could have been my knee, it could have been a concussion. This risk will always exist. I don’t blame any part of my game because of what happened tonight.”
Maybe that's the issue. No position player in baseball takes more consistent hits than the catcher. And while teams across the board covet the low-strike call, catchers bear the brunt of the implications.
“We always used to talk about catcher malfunctions being long strings on the glove or ticking on the glove,” said Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch, who was a catcher in the most important leagues for seven seasons. “Then it completely transformed into the glove. (Contreras) is one of the first I saw on a branch.”
“It’s risky,” Hinch added. “The closer we get to the plate, the more shots we can get on the bottom rail. Catchers are evaluated. They get paid based on how well they can control the bottom rail. This led to more and more catcher interference as the game progressed. … We want our guys to be close enough to be effective with the low blow, but not be in harm's way. It’s a difficult balance when the incentive to do it is real and the risk is extreme.”
Some teams place more emphasis on the low blow than others. Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson was a catcher within the Tigers' organization for 4 seasons. He was taught that because the hitter comes through the zone, the glove should follow.
“J“You’re going to catch more foul tips,” Thomson said. “You’re closer to the plate, you’re closer to the strike zone. It’s a better presentation for the referee.”
Still, Thomson prefers his catchers to maintain far from the plate.
“We keep an eye on the guys who do that and remind the catcher, 'You need to back off a little bit,'” he said.
The completely satisfied medium for some teams appears to be self-monitoring. The Minnesota Twins, for instance, monitor their catcher every pitch. It's one among first base and catching coach Hank Conger's primary duties in the sport.
“A good, tight setup is generally better than worse, something you prefer. But of course it’s not just about avoiding interference with catchers, but also injuries,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “I think there are a few reasons why (being closer) is helpful, but sometimes we yell at them to get the hell behind to be helpful too, you know?”
The Atlanta Braves have two coaches handling catching duties. Sal Fasano is the catching coach. He shall be joined by Eddie Pérez, who spent nine of his 11 big league seasons as a catcher for the Braves. Pérez definitely understands the strategy behind being near the plate, but believes the responsibility to let the catcher know he's too close falls to those watching the sport from the dugout.
““It’s always a good idea to be closer to the hitter,” Pérez said. “The assumption is that if you’re closer to the hitter, you’re going to get more calls.”
“Sal always reminds them to go back because you don’t want to get hurt,” Pérez added. “You can see better from the dugout. When you catch, you don't know how far you are from the hitter, and every hitter has a different setup, so you have to adapt. … As a catcher, they have to tell you from the side how close you are to the hitter.”
But the accidental hits behind the plate can sometimes be a one-way street. Catchers are sometimes hit by the batter's swing, no matter where they’re positioned. Since the common bat speed is about 75 miles per hour, some argue that the responsibility falls on the hitter to make sure not only that his physical body stays inside the parameters of the batting box, but in addition his swing.
“What I don't necessarily agree with is that it could also be the way people swing,” Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It could be the way catchers set themselves up, yes. But it can also be the way some people swing. And it’s dangerous.”
Now that the league is within the loop and MLB is clearly aware of the risks, what may be done to cut back catcher interference – and the associated risk of injury? Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas suggested a physical line behind the plate that catchers can't cross, a box of their very own, so to talk. Could the automated ball striking system (which theoretically eliminates the worth of framing) be the reply? Possibly, however it's an imperfect system within the minor leagues and removed from a product for the most important leagues.
““I don’t know what they could do other than reward the hitter with more bases and put him on second base,” Hinch said. “There are probably things you could do to make a big impact on the game, but I don't know if anything can have a bigger impact than having one of your best players for six to eight weeks, 10 weeks or whatever it will be to lose.” ”
The Cardinals now understand how serious those impacts may be. The greater query becomes: Does baseball work?
The athlete
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