I have a good young catching prospect in the minors, and I want to be sure to hire coaches who will boost his development, particularly his pitch calling. Does anyone know which coaching attributes I should look for? Does a fielding coach boost PC? Does a pitching coach have an effect?

I remember reading that a bench coach has a big effect on PC, but is it his fielding rating or his strategy rating that I should look at when hiring a bench coach?

Thank you.
4/1/2014 6:47 PM
From what I understand, PC is improved by fielding ratings only.  Pitching coaches only affect pitchers.  Unless someone has read something that contradicts that.
4/2/2014 9:11 AM
As best I can tell, it's FI.   That said, if you're hoping to get a current 38 into the 60s, I don't think it's going to happen.   I checked a handful of my guys and guys in the 30s don't make 50s.    If you draft a 45, he's likely to make it to a decent PC catcher.   A guy drafted at 35 won't.
4/2/2014 10:54 AM
Thanks for the responses.
He was 51 when I drafted him. My scouts projected him to the high 80s, though I'm not sure he'll actually improve that much. Looking at past draft picks, PC doesn't seem to improve by more than 25 or so. Still, I'd be happy if he got that much of a boost.
4/2/2014 11:37 AM
Yeah, other than DITR, the guys I have in the 80s started in the 60s or higher.
4/2/2014 11:45 AM
does PC even matter as much as everyone seems to think it does
4/2/2014 12:08 PM
Yes.
4/2/2014 12:14 PM
Depends on what you mean by "everyone" and "as much as".
4/2/2014 12:45 PM
I haven't noticed much difference, if any, between the ERA of high PC catchers vs low PC catchers who handle the same staffs. if it doesn't contribute meaningfully to ERA, what is its function? total pitch counts? balls v strikes?
4/2/2014 1:44 PM
It's actually an honest question this time, I'm not trolling or anything. I notice that people tend to overrate it, that's all. I notice a lot of 50 overall ML catchers who OPS .550 but have a pitch calling of 90, and so I was just wondering what tangible value that actually is. Does anyone use a statistically-significant (50/50 inning or AB split?) platoon where one guy is ~80 PC and the other is ~40 PC?
4/2/2014 1:51 PM
(researching past threads)
4/2/2014 1:55 PM
All I know is that the FAQ under the help menu says there is a difference of up to .015 points on the opponents' batting average when you use a catcher with a high PC vs one with a low PC. That amounts to about one extra hit every other game. So maybe it isn't huge, but I'd certainly like to maximize what I have.
4/2/2014 1:58 PM
I studied 20+ seasons of data a long time ago.   Same staff, different PC catchers, enough innings to count.    I believe the numbers were something along the line of .12 in ERA for every 10 points in PC.   There were outliers of course but, for the most part, there was enough data to "prove" it matters.   IOW, the difference between 50 and 60 was small enough for varied results.    The difference between 40 and 80 was half a run per game.

IMO, a 49 who mashes with a RC27 of 8.21 is much more valuable than a 94 with a RC27 of 3.44.    But you have to adjust your pitching staff to "cover" for the additional fatigue that results from a .53 higher ERA.
4/2/2014 2:15 PM

.015 avg is soo small, is that actually a statistically-significant value? Also, is it reliable in the short-term (durations of 1 season or less) or can variance happen and sometimes the high-PC guy is .015 worse ? 

4/2/2014 2:17 PM
The last season in Coop is almost perfectly aligned with what I just posted.

Ruben Duran C 127 120 966.1 6 52 147 .354 1 3.558
Koyie White * C 12 11 83.0 0 2 6 .333 0 3.253
Felix Hitchcock C 104 31 418.1 4 11 30 .367 0 3.098

Duran is 55, Hitchcock is 83.    RC27 is 4.50 to 2.08.   But Duran is 68 DUR so he needs to sit some.   Hitchcock filled the VL, DR role. 
4/2/2014 2:19 PM
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