I know it’s complex, but at some point can you go a bit more into the variables accounted for in the run algorithm. I’m still skeptical about the bottom line. Have pitch framing rankings been normalized to specific pitcher the guy is catching? To specific umpires? To specific batters? And if so, do they correlate to pitching metrics for this pitchers and to fielding independent hitting metrics for this hitters? Do they account for where the pitch is in the at bat, where the at bat is in the inning, runners on base etc, score, and what inning? What are they using to measure how close the pitch is? The little white box on the screen that sits in two degrees but does not show us the depth of the strike zone. And who puts the white box up anyway? (You said the robo ump is going to have to be programmed to read a strike zone for each batter. Are they using the correct data today? Garbage in garbage out, right?
I remember in “the old days” many a batters’ stance had influencing the umpire’s perception of the strike zone in mind. Think Wally Backman, Pete Rose, (and of course Eddie Gaedel 😉) yet we never today refer to a batter’s pitch framing skills. Maybe because batting tends to be measured on outcome - Did they get a hit or did they walk. The bottom line.
I suppose catcher runs is the outcome measure. But how do you know you can trust it when as a close watching fan you can’t see it? (And for goodness sake, how fun is it if you can’t see it?)
My eyeballs are spinning in my head with these stats lol. Can we get a deep dive and unpack the specific movement of each umpire behind the plate and how they call a strike and then a punch out - with video ?
Thanks for the piece JB. Really helpful.
I know it’s complex, but at some point can you go a bit more into the variables accounted for in the run algorithm. I’m still skeptical about the bottom line. Have pitch framing rankings been normalized to specific pitcher the guy is catching? To specific umpires? To specific batters? And if so, do they correlate to pitching metrics for this pitchers and to fielding independent hitting metrics for this hitters? Do they account for where the pitch is in the at bat, where the at bat is in the inning, runners on base etc, score, and what inning? What are they using to measure how close the pitch is? The little white box on the screen that sits in two degrees but does not show us the depth of the strike zone. And who puts the white box up anyway? (You said the robo ump is going to have to be programmed to read a strike zone for each batter. Are they using the correct data today? Garbage in garbage out, right?
I remember in “the old days” many a batters’ stance had influencing the umpire’s perception of the strike zone in mind. Think Wally Backman, Pete Rose, (and of course Eddie Gaedel 😉) yet we never today refer to a batter’s pitch framing skills. Maybe because batting tends to be measured on outcome - Did they get a hit or did they walk. The bottom line.
I suppose catcher runs is the outcome measure. But how do you know you can trust it when as a close watching fan you can’t see it? (And for goodness sake, how fun is it if you can’t see it?)
Pitch framing is essentially an accepted form of cheating.
My eyeballs are spinning in my head with these stats lol. Can we get a deep dive and unpack the specific movement of each umpire behind the plate and how they call a strike and then a punch out - with video ?