2009 Catcher Block Percentage

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Dec 21, 2009 8:21 PM PST

SBN Blog Beyond the Boxscore has a great post up as of today in regards to Catcher's Block Percentages in 2009. You can find the post HERE. I believe this article is particularly interesting for Angel fans due to our constant defense (Mathis) vs. offense (Napoli) argument.

The formula to determine how strong a catcher is in regards to blocking balls in the dirt was constructed by SBN poster Dan Turkenkopf formula and apparently is still being tweaked a bit. The basics of it after the jump...

Each wild pitch or passed ball saved is worth .27 runs (based on run expectancy and the timing of the events). Full methodology is described here.

There is more to the formula that I don't fully understand (Im not a statistics whiz). However, it seems that he does take into consideration what exactly defines a "ball in the dirt" and from what I understand, the second chart includes the average distance a catcher sits from the plate. (How the hell do these guys do this sh*t?)

Looking at the first chart Jeff Mathis comes out the better catcher defensively as many of you may expect. His block percentage in both charts is 91% of balls in the dirt. According to this formula, Mathis actually SAVES us 2.8 runs a ~~game~~ season if I understand it correctly. In comparison to Mike Napoli who has a block percentage of 88% and actually COSTS us 0.8 run(s) a game.

It should be noted that Mathis caught almost 100 less innings than Napoli last year which of course gives Napoli a greater degree of error (right? Correct me if Im wrong). It should also be noted that Napoli has pretty much remained the same defensively when using this formula in both 2007 where he was an 88% of pitches blocked and 2008 where he dipped to 83%. Finally, last year, Jeff Mathis was actually at the top of this list with 94% of balls in the dirt blocked.

I would love some input from the HH statheads on this. Im still not even entirely sure what all of this means but thought it was of interest.

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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Comments

I'm no statistician

But I’ve got to think that Mathis saved us 2.8 runs last SEASON and not per game. If he saved us 2.8 runs a game, he would be hands down the greatest baseball player ever to play the game.

by Spird on Dec 21, 2009 9:15 PM PST reply actions

Agreed

I took a big pause when I read that.

by ryanfea on Dec 21, 2009 9:41 PM PST up reply actions

fixed it

by Rev Halofan on Dec 21, 2009 10:43 PM PST up reply actions

danka...

Do it for Nick '09

by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Dec 21, 2009 10:45 PM PST up reply actions

so use that same statistic

and figure out how many runs a year Mathis costs us. compared to how many Napoli comes through…
I understand Mathis is the better defensive catcher, But if Naps played a 140 games behind the dish he’d have 35 HRs and a decent OBP. I’ll take some average defense

My prediction as of 12-11-2009- Wood .265 avg, 20 HRs 70 RBIs and an above average glove at 3b

by Sinatrasratpack on Dec 21, 2009 10:58 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Agree 100%

Even though the difference defensively btw. Mathis and Napoli is probably greater than this stat would indicate.

by Spird on Dec 21, 2009 11:13 PM PST up reply actions

But remember,

this is only taking into account block %, not runners thrown out, game calling, making baserunners think twice before stealing, etc., all of which Mathis has the advantage in.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His Saints." - Psalm 116:15 Rest In Peace, Nick.

by angels4adam on Dec 22, 2009 5:49 AM PST up reply actions

Not only that

If you’re a pitcher and Naps calls for a slider in the dirt with a runner at 3rd, are you really gonna trust him to block it?

R.I.P. King Ad-Rock #34

by Seik1177 on Dec 22, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions

Actually, that is about the worst way to view catchers

And this is why most people are not GMs.

The Defensive Spectrum (By Bill James) pretty much says its almost as important to have a good hitting catcher and as good hitting pitcher.

Mathis is the better game caller and receiver. He should get the majority of the games, as he is in the position which handles the most attempts at handling the baseball per game, by far. (Other than the pitcher)

You can get offensive stats from other positions.

I dont understand the people here who do not want to sign Bay because he is a poor defensive left fielder yet want Napoli to play the lions share of catcher because of his offense.

I brought sexy back, but they only gave me store credit....

by PhiSlamma on Dec 22, 2009 1:41 PM PST up reply actions