There's been a certain amount of talk since the AL MVP results were announced about the value we should place upon a catcher's defense thanks to the effect of Ivan Rodriguez on the opponent's running game. Catcher and the Running Game, Part 2 by Tom Ruane. A look at who have been the best and worst catchers throwing catchers in the past 20 years. Ivan Rodriguez and the Running Game by Tom Ruane. Winning Early, Young Starters, and Defense by Tom Tippet and Tom Ruane Stolen Bases and Caught Stealing by John F. Jarvis.
Ball parks affect each game's outcome.
Isolating the effects is difficult, if not impossible. Here are few of my thoughts on the subject. I also include my 1997 Park Factors and a short article titled Using Park Factors . Takes a look at whether the Rockies are being hurt by Coors when they play on the road, specifically looking at whether the Rockies improve at hitting the longer they are on the road. Estimated Runs Produced by Paul Johnson with foreword and afterword by Bill James.