Catcher framing is the art of a catcher receiving a pitch in
a way that makes it more likely for an umpire to call it a strike.
This page breaks down the catcher’s view into eight zones around the
strike zone and shows the called strike percentage of all non-swings
in that zone. Strike Rate shows the cumulative total of all
zones. Catcher Framing Runs converts strikes to runs saved
on a .125 run/strike basis, and includes
park and pitcher adjustments. To qualify, a catcher must receive 6 called pitches per team
game.
How to say it: “In 2018, Jeff Mathis converted 55 percent of
non-swing pitches into called strikes in the
Shadow Zone, the best rate of any catcher in baseball.”
Qualifier: For catchers 6 called pitches (i.e., takes, or non-swings) in
the ‘shadow zone’ per team game. For pitchers and batters 1.5 called pitches in the ‘shadow zone’ per team game.
(The shadow zone is essentially the
edges of the strike zone, roughly one ball width inside and one ball
wide outside of the zone.
See what that looks like here.)
For pitchers/batters: This shows the framing that occurred behind the plate while the player in question was pitching or hitting.