Catcher Fielding Data ’24 Cardinals

The Defensive Strain Index measures the overall defensive workload a catcher faces by combining Passed Balls, Wild Pitches, and unsuccessful stolen base attempts — all moments that put direct pressure on the catcher’s coordination, anticipation, and leadership. With innings caught now included, this chart provides a clearer measure of not just total defensive strain, but how efficiently each catcher manages that strain over time behind the plate.

Ivan Herrera registers the highest total strain score (67) while catching 469.2 innings, giving him a rate of 14.3 strain points per 100 innings — the highest among the group. This suggests Herrera consistently operates under heavy defensive pressure, possibly due to a pitching staff prone to errant pitches or a higher number of baserunning threats during his innings. Pedro Pages, with a strain index of 65 across 543.2 innings, averages 12.0 strain points per 100 innings, showing slightly lighter strain relative to workload. Wilson Contreras, the veteran of the group, posts the lowest total strain (43) in 431.2 innings, or roughly 10.0 per 100 innings — the most efficient performance of the three.

The stacked bar chart breaks down two critical metrics of catcher defense: Passed Balls (PB) and Wild Pitches (WP). These events reflect a catcher’s blocking skill, reaction time, and coordination with the pitching staff. While wild pitches are often outside the catcher’s control, passed balls are typically charged when a pitch should have been blocked. Together, they paint a picture of how catchers manage chaos behind the plate.

Pedro Pages recorded 3 passed balls and 15 wild pitches, totaling 18 blocking events across 543.2 innings, yielding a rate of approximately 3.31 per 100 innings. Ivan Herrera, with 1 passed ball and 15 wild pitches, totals 16 events over 469.2 innings, which translates to 3.41 per 100 innings. Wilson Contreras had 4 passed balls and 13 wild pitches, totaling 17 events in 431.2 innings, equaling 3.94 per 100 innings, giving him the highest rate among the group.

When viewed this way, the narrative changes. While Contreras appears solid on the surface with a relatively low raw total, he actually experiences the most frequent blocking challenges per inning. This could be due to pitch selection, pitching style, or catcher positioning. Herrera’s numbers reveal the lowest total PB + WP rate, highlighting his efficiency in controlling damage, even if his arm is less effective against runners. Pages sits squarely in the middle to higher raw totals but slightly lower rate than Herrera, indicating he’s a consistent, average presence behind the plate.

The Stolen Base Efficiency chart provides a critical look at how effectively each catcher controls the running game, a key aspect of defensive performance that combines arm strength, quick release mechanics, and game awareness. The chart plots Caught Stealing % (y-axis) against Total Stolen Bases Allowed (x-axis), giving us both volume and efficiency. But by adding innings caught, we can now also compare how often each catcher is tested and how well they respond on a per-inning basis.

Pedro Pages faces the most aggressive baserunners, with 13.8 attempted steals per 100 innings, while Contreras sees fewer challenges at 11.1 per 100 innings. Yet, despite this, Contreras maintains an elite Caught Stealing rate of 22.9%, nearly identical in raw efficiency to Pages , but accomplished on fewer attempts and with tighter control.

Ivan Herrera, on the other hand, allows over 12.6 attempts per 100 innings, but converts just 0.85 into outs, resulting in a low 6.8% CS rate. This reveals a potential vulnerability in mechanics or pop time, or possibly a lack of pitcher support in holding runners.