Recent reports and expert commentary have highlighted a significant increase in catcher's interference incidents in baseball, raising concerns about player safety. Major League Baseball issued a memo to all 30 clubs before the season started, noting this uptick and its potential risks. Analysts suggest that the trend may be linked to the modern batting techniques and the strategy of catchers positioning themselves closer to the plate to frame pitches better. This approach, while potentially beneficial for 'stealing' strikes, places catchers in greater danger of being hit by a batter's swing. Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has commented on how this risk has affected the team's positioning of its catchers.
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy shares how the risk of catchers getting hit has affected how the team positions its catchers. https://t.co/cF2ZJBJPzH https://t.co/9fYrG13lVF
Weeks before Opening Day this season, Major League Baseball sent a memo to all 30 clubs highlighting a rise in catcher’s interference. What caused the dramatic uptick? @katiejwoo on how it's putting players at risk ⤵️ https://t.co/rPu0VmDGLd
In the era of pitch framing, teams understand that the closer a catcher is to receiving a pitch, the better chance he has to “steal” a strike. It’s inadvertently led to a rapid uptick in catchers interference. It’s also putting catchers at risk. https://t.co/ZOC0TmNqJ8
"It's crazy how many catcher's interferences there are." @AJ_PierzynskiFT says catchers need to start going off where the hitter sets up rather than sitting in the same spot. https://t.co/3ePsXTVPHI
Plus by trying to steal strikes the catchers are in harm’s way https://t.co/6H5VjahKJC
Heads up CATCHERS! With the 💩 the #gurus are teaching hitters CATCHERS are in danger! These Barrel Dump Bat Lag Long Swings are causing injuries and more CATCHERS INTERFERENCE than I’ve ever seen. #shegone @notgaetti @BobFile @twuench @billdubs @SliderDominate @ROXSystem https://t.co/gIYaN1AQuI
I anticipate some writers will do catcher's interference deep dives in the next few days, but you can get ahead of it by just reading mine from last summer: https://t.co/71WLBq7h6r