RESEARCH: How pitch framing affects starting pitcher value

Pitch framing has quickly gained widespread acceptance in valuation of catchers. However, projection systems for pitchers do not appear to have kept pace. While park factors and team defense are routinely incorporated into projections for pitchers, framing ability of the catcher is not. Today, we will estimate the effects of catcher pitch framing on a starting pitcher’s statistics—particularly strikeouts, WHIP, ERA, and wins—and then attempt to determine whether the framing skill of a catcher is worth accounting for in a pitcher's projection.

Orientation

This analysis uses several framing statistics that may or may not be familiar to you:

• Called Strike Above Average (CSAA, from Baseball Prospectus’ Catcher stats database) is the...

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