In the weeks leading up to Opening Day of the season, MLB sent a memo to all 30 clubs highlighting the increase in catcher interference. Instances of catchers being hit by opposing batters’ bats are increasing rapidly. In 2023, Catcher in the Rye interference was called 94 times, an increase of nearly 20 times from 2022.
What caused the sharp rise? The catcher keeps getting closer to home plate. In the pitch-frame era, teams reasoned that the closer a catcher was to the ball, the greater his chance of “stealing” a strike.
It worked so well that catchers kept moving closer to the batter’s box. The memo this spring essentially warned teams to cut it off and move catchers further behind home plate to minimize the risk.
But anyone who saw St. Louis Cardinals receiver Wilson Contreras suffer a broken left arm Tuesday night knew the risk still exists.
Catcher interference calls continue to surge at a historic rate. From 2010 to 2018, the average number of interference attempts by a catcher was 31.
Major League Baseball’s concerns are already growing. The number of disruptions at the same point in 2024 was more than double the 2022 season (15). The number of interference attempts by receivers in the league this season is expected to reach a record 148 times. The practice of pushing the downswing inadvertently puts the catcher’s safety at risk.
“The stakes are high,” Cardinals head coach Oli Marmore said earlier this week. “We just went through it.”
Contreras was hit by a swing from New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez. The catcher underwent surgery Wednesday and will miss at least six to eight weeks. Contreras was one of the worst players in baseball last year on the edge of the zone. The Cardinals are a defense-oriented club and have worked extensively with Contreras to improve that aspect.
In his first year in St. Louis, the Cardinals revolutionized Contreras’ offense, including his stance behind the plate (Contreras abandoned his traditional crouch behind the plate, Switch to kneeling down on one knee). They also did get Contreras closer to the plate.
The Cardinals aren’t the only team in baseball to take this approach, but they are the first this season to pay the price.
“The more catchers are evaluated on the frame, the closer they are to the hitter to get a low pitch,” Marmore said. “You’re going to see more catchers doing it based on being able to get low pitches, but you’re also seeing more catchers interfering and backswinging to get players closer based on them. Sometimes the catcher might be in Unknowingly getting closer to the batter without noticing.
That seemed to be the case with Contreras, who got caught in Martinez’s swing, which was naturally deep and as close to the back of the batter’s box as possible. Replays showed the head of Martinez’s bat struck Contreras in the left arm. It also shows how far Contreras has gone in trying to build a stadium.
Willson Contreras will leave this game after receiving a left-arm swing from J.D. Martinez. pic.twitter.com/mJfiqOBf4t
— BallySports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 8, 2024
“There’s always risk as a receiver,” Contreras said after the injury. “It could have been different things. It could have been a fall from my knee, it could have been a concussion. There’s always that risk. I’m not blaming any part of my game because it happened tonight .
Maybe that’s the problem. No position in baseball gets hit more often than catchers. When every team is hungry for a low hit, receivers bear the brunt of the rush.
“We used to say catcher interference was a long string on the glove or a tick on the glove,” said Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch, who spent seven seasons in the major leagues. “Then it just completely turned into a glove. (Contreras) was one of the first people I saw physically.
“It’s risky,” Hinch added. “The closer we are to the plate, the more hits we can catch the bottom rail. Catchers are being evaluated. They are paid by their ability to control the bottom rail. This results in more catcher interference throughout the game. Come more and more. We do want our guys to be close enough to make an impact with low strikes but not put themselves in danger. It’s a difficult balance when the motivations for doing so are real and the stakes are high.
Some teams emphasize low hitting more than others. Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson spent four seasons as catcher with the Tigers. He was told that when the bat passed through the area, the glove should follow.
“yesYou get more foul calls,” Thomson said. “You’re closer to the plate, you’re closer to the strike zone. It’s a better presentation for the umpires.
Still, Thomson wants his catchers to stay some distance from home plate.
“We keep an eye out for those who do that and remind the catcher, ‘You’ve got to back off a little bit,'” he said.
For some teams, the happy medium seems to be self-monitoring. For example, the Minnesota Twins monitor their catchers on every pitch. That’s one of first base and catching coach Hank Conger’s primary responsibilities during the game.
“Generally speaking, a good, tight setup is better than worse, which is what you prefer. But it’s obviously not only to avoid interference from the receivers, but also to avoid injuries,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think (being closer) helps for a couple of reasons, but sometimes it also helps that we yell at them and give them support, you know?”
The Atlanta Braves have two coaches covering the ball. Sal Fasano is the receivers coach. He was assisted by Eddie Pérez, who spent nine of his 11 seasons in the majors catching for the Braves. Perez certainly understands the strategy behind staying close to home plate, but he believes the responsibility for informing the catcher that he’s too close falls on those watching from the dugout.
“It’s always a good idea to be closer to the hitter,” Perez said. “People think if you’re closer to the batter, you’re going to get more calls.”
“Sal always reminds them to go back, you don’t want to get hurt,” Perez added. “You see better from (the dugout). When you get to the ball, you don’t know how far away you are from the hitter, and every hitter has a different setup, so you have to adjust. … As a catcher, they have to tell you from the side how close you are to the batter.
But an unexpected hit behind the plate can sometimes be a two-way street. Catchers are often hit by batters’ swings, no matter where they are. Since the average bat speed is around 75 mph, some believe it’s the hitter’s responsibility to ensure not only that their bodies stay within the parameters of the batter’s box, but also that their swings are as well.
“What I don’t necessarily agree with is that it could also be the way people swing,” Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Yes, it could be the way the catcher is set up. But it could also be the way some guys swing it. And that’s dangerous.
With the league on notice and MLB clearly aware of the risks, what steps can be taken to reduce catcher interference and the inherent risk of injury? Cardinals starting pitcher Myles Mikolas suggested having a physical line behind home plate that catchers couldn’t cross, a box of their own in a way. Could an automated batting system (which theoretically eliminates the value of the frame) be the answer? It’s possible, but it’s an imperfect system in the minor leagues and far from a major league product.
“I don’t know what they can do other than reward the hitter with more bases and put him at second base,” Hinch said. “There are probably things you can do to make it super impactful on the game, but I don’t know what’s more impactful than losing one of your best players for six to eight weeks, 10 weeks, whatever it is.”
Cardinals now know how serious the impact can be. Bigger questions loom: Baseball?
— CompetitorMatt Gelb, Cody Stavenhagen, Aaron Gliman, Patrick Mooney, David O’Brien and Eno Sarris contributed to this story.
(Photo of Contreras being helped off the field: Jeff Robertson/AP)
