Just curious about drafting catchers and developing pitchers. You always hear MLB pitchers talk about how important the guy behind the plate is. How much, if any, does that factor into the minors?
Good question. Here is what I've seen happen pretty much as standard in the minors:
Lower levels (rookie ball, A Ball, maybe High A Ball)
1. Pitchers are not evaluated on stats and more on developing their second and third pitches. So, if the kid throws a mean four seamer, while he'll continue to throw said pitch, he will be asked to work on throwing his other pitches often to develop a feel for them.
2. Catchers in the lower minor leagues are asked to develop the part of the game that is fundamental, such as blocking balls in the dirt, throwing to the base correctly and moving inside and outside, plus working on framing. As far as calling the game, I'm sure managers handle that for them (since they know what the kid on the mound is suppose to be working on).
Higher level (AA and AAA)
1. Pitchers should pretty much know what to throw and how to throw a pitch depending on their status (re: starter or reliever). They should be working on game management at this point and start to produce numbers that are valuable to management. This is probably along the lines of PPI (pitches per innings) groundball to flyball ratios, etc.
2. Catchers should be developing management of the game by now and should be able to handle pitchers and situations by this time, having learned how to call a game. Along with the up and coming prospects will be a smattering of professional catchers who may have had some time in the big leagues to tutor the kids on how to manage a game.
