Atlanta Braves: who are the team’s best pitch-framing catchers?

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The Art of catching is not an easy task

Ever since Statcast began tracking stats of pitch-framing in 2007, history shows that the Atlanta Braves are no strangers to great framing catchers.

Here are the framing statistics and explanation of those statistics that will be used to measure catchers framing value (out of catchers with at least “1,000 pitches caught” for sampling):

zBall% – the average number of pitches caught IN the strike zone, but called a ball.
oStr% – the average number of pitches caught OUT of the strike zone, but called a strike.
+Calls – the total number of balls that are called strikes.
PerGame – the average number of calls a catcher gets per game.
RAA – Runs Above Average; estimated number of runs saved due to pitch framing.

Recently, we have heard a lot about how elite Tyler Flowers is at pitch-framing. Who else, other than Tyler Flowers, was an elite pitch-framer in a Braves uniform? Here is a sample of Atlanta’s catchers since 2007:

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: David Ross #8 of the Atlanta Braves walks back to the dugout after striking out swinging to end the top of the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 8, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images) /

David Ross: rankings in framing from 2009 to 2012 w/ ATL:

2009 – #80 in zBall% (10.6), #2 in oStr% (11.6), #7 in +Calls (145), #2 in PerGame (3.86), #7 in RAA (19.2).
2010 – #62 in zBall% (13.6), #2 in oStr% (11.0), #10 in +Calls (73), #6 in PerGame (2.01), #10 in RAA (9.8).
2011 – #68 in zBall% (12.3), #9 in oStr% (9.4), #14 in +Calls (82), #6 in PerGame (1.98), #14 in RAA (10.9).
2012 – #75 in zBall% (10.2), #4 in oStr% (9.6), #9 in +Calls (103), #3 in PerGame (2.34), #9 in RAA (13.6),

While Ross did not manage to snag any number 1 spots in framing statistics while with the Braves, he is still one of the best pitch-framing, and overall defensive catchers to put on a Braves uniform. Tag-teaming with one of the best pitch-frames in the game at the time had to have helped Ross with the framing abilities.

Who was Ross tag-teaming with? None other than Brian McCann.

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 25: Carlos Gomez #27 of the Milwaukee Brewers is confranted at home plate by Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves after hitting a first inning home run at Turner Field on September 25, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Brian McCann: rankings in framing from 2007 to 2014 w/ ATL:

2007 – #6 in zBall% (18.7), #17 in oStr% (9.9), #3 in +Calls (119), #15 in PerGame (1.51), #3 in RAA (15.9).
2008 – #4 in zBall% (14.6), #3 in oStr% (10.4), #2 in +Calls (327), #2 in PerGame (2.51), #2 in RAA (43.5).
2009 – #3 in zBall% (12.1), #3 in oStr% (10.0), #1 in +Calls (330), #3 in PerGame (2.72), #1 in RAA (44.0).
2010 – #7 in zBall% (12.0), #9 in oStr% (9.9), #2 in +Calls (219), #9 in PerGame (1.78), #2 in RAA (29.2).
2011 – #5 in zBall% (11.4), #10 in oStr% (9.2), #2 in +Calls (264), #4 in PerGame (2.16), #2 in RAA (35.1).
2012 – #2 in zBall% (10.0), #16 in oStr% (8.1), #3 in +Calls (177), #9 in PerGame (1.59), #3 in RAA (23.5).
2013 – #62 in zBall% (11.8), #21 in oStr% (7.6), #11 in +Calls (75), #17 in PerGame (0.90), #11 in RAA (9.9).
2014 – #73 in zBall% (10.4), #24 in oStr% (7.9), #11 in +Calls (86), #17 in PerGame (0.87), #11 in RAA (11.4).

Brian McCann was a force behind the plate for the Atlanta Braves, and is still a force after winning the 2017 World Series with the Houston Astros. While with the Braves, McCann went to 6 consecutive All-Star games (’06-’11) and an extra one added on in ’13, tallying 7 All-Star appearances in 9 year of service with the Braves.

As you can see by McCann’s framing stats towards the end of his tenure with the Braves, his framing skill began deminishing as he aged. Being a catcher is extremely demanding of the body, especially on the knees.

While McCann was with the Braves, he was indeed something special… All of his Top 10, and even Top 5 finishes in framing for consecutive years was absolutely phenomenal. But at this current point in time, McCann is entering the phase that the NEXT GUY was in while with the Braves.

ATLANTA, GA – MAY 06: A.J. Pierzynski #15 of the Atlanta Braves walks off the field after being thrown out in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field on May 6, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

A.J. Pierzynski: rankings in framing from 2015 and 2016 w/ ATL:

2015 – #17 in zBall% (15.1), #51 in oStr% (6.7), #65 in +Calls (-73), #49 in PerGame (-0.75), #66 in RAA (-9.7),
2016 – #33 zBall% (14.0), #71 in oStr% (6.0), #65 in +Calls (-51), #46 in PerGame (-0.85), #65 in RAA (-6.8).

Although A.J. tried his heart out and had fun while doing so, he simply lost his framing abilities after 2013 and never has positive stats in +Calls, PerGame, and RAA since then.

Pierzynski’s framing production took a decrease in 2009 and 2010 with the White Sox as he always has positive numbers in +Calls, PerGame, and RAA.

2013 marked the year Pierzynski’s framing stats went into the negatives and never came close to coming back to positive through the rest of his career.

DENVER, CO – JUNE 9: Evan Gattis #24 of the Atlanta Braves watches his RBI fielder’s choice during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 9, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Evan Gattis: rankings in framing from 2013 and 2014 w/ ATL:

2013 – #4 in zBall% (10.2), #25 in oStr% (7.6), #18 in +Calls (46), #11 in PerGame (1.31), #18 in RAA (6.1).
2014 – #30 in zBall% (12.3), #42 in oStr% (7.1), #41 in +Calls (-8), #37 in PerGame (-0.09), #41 in RAA (-1.1).

Gattis has been more known for his bat during his MLB career, as with the Braves in ’13 and ’14, he clobbered 43 HRs, 117 RBIs, and 183 hits with a slash line of .253/.304/.487/.791.

Gattis‘ first year in 2013 platooning with McCann helps his framing ability as his total framing skills could place him in the Top 20 of the 2013 catcher class; which was better overall than what McCann’s framing contributed in 2013.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – MARCH 02: Christian Bethancourt #27 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a portrait on March 2, 2015 at Champion Stadium in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Christian Bethancourt: rankings in framing from 2014 to 2015 w/ ATL:

2014 – #12 in zBall% (16.7), #61 in oStr% (6.5), #56 in +Calls (-40), #64 in PerGame (-1.43), #56 in RAA (-5.3).
2015 – #36 in zBall% (13.5), #71 in oStr% (5.3), #59 in +Calls (-45), #61 in PerGame (-1.12), #60 in RAA (-6.0).

Bethancourt never developed into what the Braves were hoping he would develop into.

At the time, he was sort of made out to be the the way we currently view top catching prospect, Alex Jackson. Not saying Jackson is a bust, but that the same hype around Alex Jackson is what was held around Bethencourt years ago.

His time as a catcher was not that great, which is why the Braves signed A.J. Pierzynski in 2015 to start rather than have Bethancourt as the starting catcher.

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 20: Tyler Flowers #25 of the Atlanta Braves hits a fifth inning grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds at SunTrust Park on August 20, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Tyler Flowers: rankings in framing from 2011 to 2017 w/ CWS and ATL:

2011 – #69 in zBall% (11.9), #20 in oStr% (8.4), #20 in +Calls (41), #14 in PerGame (1.43), #20 in RAA (5.5).
2012 – #48 in zBall% (14.0), #19 in oStr% (7.9), #29 in +Calls (11), #30 in PerGame (0.27), #29 in RAA (1.5).
2013 – #36 in zBall% (14.5), #19 in oStr% (7.7), #25 in +Calls (16), #30 in PerGame (0.20), #25 in RAA (2.1).
2014 – #46 in zBall% (12.7), #46 in oStr% (7.0), #57 in +Calls (-42), #44 in PerGame (-0.34), #57 in RAA (-5.6).
2015 – #57 in zBall% (11.7), #2 in oStr% (9.9), #2 in +Calls (169), #1 in PerGame (1.79), #2 in RAA (22.5).
2016 – #70 in zBall% (12.1), #6 in oStr% (9.1), #4 in +Calls (100), #7 in PerGame (1.30), #4 in RAA (13.3).
2017 – #65 in zBall% (13.5), #1 in oStr% (12.4), #1 in +Calls (211), #1 in PerGame (2.56), #1 in RAA (28.1).

With Flowers’ rankings, I started at 2011 with the Chicago White Sox because this was the first year that he caught over 1,000 pitches in the major leagues.

I also wanted the reader to see how Flowers’ framing abilities have progressed throughout his years in the MLB. Through reviewing the statistics, you can see that Flowers’ rise into the top of the framing statistics leaderboards happened at little later in his career as compared to McCann, and much earlier than Ross.

Flowers did not join the Braves until their last season at Turner Field in 2016, and based off of his statistics from both of his years in a Braves uniform, he is near the top of the list for being one of the best pitch-framing catchers in Atlanta (since Statcast measurements in 2007).

Who are the Top 3 Statcast era framers to don a Braves uniform?

1.) Brian McCann

McCann ranked Top 3 in +Calls and RAA for 6 years in a row (2007-2013). Brian McCann also never finished below the Top 20 in the PerGame category during this 6-year span, and finished Top 10 in 5 of those 6 years (’08-’12).

By measuring catchers overall contribution from framing (using +Calls, oStr, and RAA), McCann’s only real competition among the top catchers during this time period were:

All of these players, including McCann, will go down as some of the best catchers in the first half of the 21st century, including the likes of recently elected Hall of Fame members Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, and Mike Piazza.

2.) David Ross

Even though Ross never landed a 1st place spot in any framing rankings, he was still very helpful behind the plate for the Braves.

His skill as a framer could probably be attributed to playing with Brian McCann for 4 years in Atlanta. When you are platooning with arguably the best pitch framing catcher in the league at the time, you’re bound to learn a few things about framing.

Something strikingly similar to this dynamic duo of McCann and Ross is currently occurring in Atlanta with Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki.

3.) Tyler Flowers

I was hesitant to place Ross over Flowers, but Ross showed consistency for 4 straight years behind the plate when it comes to pitch-framing. Flowers has only had 2 good years, while Ross had 4.

Flowers showed us how good of a framer he was in 2016, but he really made a name for himself in during his first year at SunTrust Park. In 2017, Flowers claimed the #1 spot in 4 of the 5 categories measured:

#1 in oStr% (12.4)
#1 in +Calls (211)
#1 in PerGame (1.30)
#1 in RAA (28.1)

As for the stats of the guy that came in 2nd behind Flowers, Yasmani Grandal:

#2 in oStr% (10.7) – 1.7 behind Flowers
#2 in +Calls (142) – 69 behind Flowers
#3 in PerGame (1.37) – 0.07 behind Flowers
#2 in RAA (18.9) – 9.2 behind Flowers

If Flowers can keep this up, I sure hope the Braves will extend him or resign him once he is a free agent in 2018. Having this elite skillset behind home plate is such a great thing to have with the young pitching staff that the Braves are building.

The only negative thing that I see is that the youngsters may get a little spoiled with Flowers’ supreme framing abilities.

Here is the list of Atlanta Braves catchers NOT included in this statistical analysis, due to either having 0 or 1 season(s) with a “1,000 pitches caught” sample, or simply poor framing abilities while with the Braves SINCE 2007:

Clint Sammons – Only 1 out of 3 seasons with 1000+ pitches caught, in 2008 with 1,314, and his framing stats were not bad, but not great either.
J.C. Boscan – Most pitches caught with ATL was 263 in 2012.
Gerald Laird – Extremely poor framing stats while with Braves; similar to Pierzynski.
Ryan Doumit – Only 1 year with the Braves, had 174 pitches caught in 2014.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Only a half of a season with ATL with 1,139 pitches caught, but had positive stats with the Braves, ranking #18 overall in 2007.
Ryan Lavarnway – Only a half of a season with ATL, had just 1,139 pitches caught (same exact number as Saltamacchia), with negative stats in +Calls, PerGame, and RAA in 2015.

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All catching statistics retrieved from the StatCorner Catcher Report.

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