catcher arms

[tomwistar]

This is a question I've been wondering about for a long time ... is it really worth it to surrender offense to use a catcher with a -1 arm rather than a 0? In my experience, the -1 guys (and even -2s) still give up a lot of stolen bases.

I ask because I notice that Simmons's 2.55 card gets used a lot in Dunn. I was thinking a Simba/Nicosia platoon would provide pretty nice offense in the lower part of my lineup.

But maybe I should forego temptation and stick with the defensive specialists!

[Ragnarokpc]

The best I can say is, 0 to -1 is only a 5% difference. I prefer to have a good arm behind the dish, but I like a -3 or better. If the offensive upside is a lot better, I'd take a 0 over a -1.

[Maxie Minoso]

I did an evaluation of catchers arm strength over a decade ago and, using actuals, came up with these figures:

-4 arm = -7.7 700 defensive runs created (700DRC)
-1 arm = 3.64 700DRC
0 arm = 10.3 700DRC
1 arm = 18.3 700DRC

The biggest factor in arm strength value was not the just the % CS (-4 = 37.6%, 0 = 30.2%) but the attempted steals (-4 = 92.2, 0 = 205, ave = 145.4). That keeps a lot of runners at first out of scoring position and the double play a possibility.

I used the average pitchers arm value of the 50 or so most used pitchers at that time (-.5 I think was the figure) to arrive at these catchers numbers.

Maxie
Disclaimer: The use of Maxie's data may cause chills, sleeplessness, diarrhea, headaches, and occasional vomiting. Consult your doctor before using.

[bkeat23]

You forgot to mention the rash.

[tomwistar]

thanks! great work, Maxie, rash or not.