When it comes to catchers, the debate between offense and defense has always been a hot topic. But what about those so-called "intangibles" that scouts and coaches love to talk about? In the lab, we believe there’s no such thing as an unmeasurable skill—just numbers we haven't fully cracked yet.

Take the 2023 season, for example. Dusty Baker famously limited Yainer Diaz to just one or two starts behind the plate per week, arguing the rookie wasn't ready for the physical demands of everyday catching. The problem? Diaz was clearly the better hitter than veteran Martin Maldonado, and the defensive metrics actually suggested he was the superior catcher, too. I was among those beating that drum all season, and I stand by it. Why? Because we can dig into numbers that measure the so-called intangibles.

Pitch framing used to be one of those mysterious skills. Fans and analysts called it an "intangible" simply because we didn't have a way to track it. Now we do, and it's a stat just like any other. So what about handling a pitching staff or calling a game? Can we measure that too?

It turns out, we already have a number for it: catcher ERA. It's a straightforward calculation of the earned run average of pitchers when a specific catcher is behind the plate. Sounds simple, right? But many statisticians are hesitant to rely on it because backup catchers often work with just one or two pitchers. If those arms are elite or struggling, it can skew the results dramatically.

These are the numbers that start shaping Gold Glove conversations. We have metrics for blocking pitches in the dirt, controlling the running game, and overall fielding run value. But as we keep refining the data, the line between "intangible" and "measurable" continues to blur. The key takeaway? The more we measure, the more we realize there's always something new to learn behind the plate.