Catcher Challenges

[jorgenswest]

Is anyone aware of data that shows the success for minor league catchers on their challenge calls?

I can find aggregate AAA numbers from 2024. The overall success rate was 49.5%. Hitters were successful 45% of the time. Catchers and pitchers were  successful 53.5%. I don’t have the split for that year but my guess it is something around 56% catchers to 41% pitchers which were the spring numbers.

It would be really interesting to see individual catcher success rate over their years in the minors. Just the challenge numbers isn’t enough. We also need the on the pitches that were not challenges. How many opportunities will be missed? It is really four buckets challenge/success, challenge/fail, no challenge/missed strike and no challenge/called correctly. Digging deeper in those buckets it would be good to know how many were really close close calls.

New catching skills to be measured for 2026.

• the ability to successfully challenge called balls
• the ability to make a strike look like a ball trying to get the batter to call for an unsuccessful challenge.
• the ability to receive a ball well so the umpire calls it a strike and the batter does not challenge.

Some catchers are going to be much better at this than others. The range of skill will likely be greater than the framing numbers. I hope the Twins have enough of their analytics staff left to the identify the catchers with challenging skills that are elite. 

[Linus]

Jeffers seemed to be good at challenging this past spring training. Of course very SSS but might be a way to provide more defensive value. I wonder if it becomes worth it for him to go back to a traditional crouch which would help his blocking and throwing. If he doesn’t get a proper strike call due to positioning he can challenge.