Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury has catcher’s interference down to a science
By Tim Haberin
Jacoby Ellsbury may never live up to his contract with the Yankees, but he’s become historically good at drawing catcher’s interference.
Jacoby Ellsbury has been a very good player at times during his 11-year major league career. He was the American League MVP runner-up in 2011 as a member of the Red Sox after slashing .321/.376/.552 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI. (Not bad for a leadoff hitter.) Recently he’s been far more ordinary, even below average. But when all is said and done, the Yankees outfielder will likely retire as the all-time greatest in one obscure area.
In Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox in Chicago, Ellsbury did something fans have become very accustomed to seeing: He advanced to first base on catcher’s interference. But this wasn’t just another exercise of a niche skill the 33-year-old has developed into a legitimate weapon. No, this was the 29th instance of catcher’s interference in Ellsbury’s career, tying him with Pete Rose for the most in history.
Catcher’s interference is called when the catcher’s glove makes contact with the batter or his bat during a pitch. The batter is awarded first base and the catcher is charged with an error. The batter’s manager can also decline the interference call in favor of the original result of the play.
Though reaching base this way won’t boost a player’s on-base percentage, you’ll certainly take it, especially when you’re a player like Ellsbury who has struggled to contribute consistently since signing with the Yanks.
All these catcher’s interferences have come in something of a recent flurry for Ellsbury. He set a single-season record with 12 last year, which helped put a jolt in his career total. Ellsbury is also one of only six players to draw interference twice in one game, per Baseball-Reference.com. He joined that exclusive club in 2015.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
So how did Ellsbury become so good at working his interference mojo? It’s hard to say for sure. If it was that simple, more players would do it to get an easy pass to first base. Likely Ellsbury’s swing and spot in the batter’s box just coincide in a way that makes him graze the catcher’s mitt more often than most.
“More often than most” may be a gross understatement, though. To get an idea of how prolific Ellsbury has been at forcing interference, consider that Rose collected his 29 instances over the course of an expansive 24-year career. Ellsbury has matched him in about a third as many games. Pete may be the hit king, but he’ll have to concede the crown on this one.
Ellsbury returned this week from an extended DL stint caused by persistent concussion symptoms he suffered after colliding with the wall on a running catch. Though he has largely disappointed in New York, he’s been somewhat more productive this season in the early going. Ellsbury is slashing .278/.342/.410 with four homers and 14 RBI in 41 games. His .751 OPS would be his highest as a Yankee, though his 97 OPS+ is still a bit below league average and lags behind the 111 OPS+ mark he posted in 2014, his first year with the club.
Next: Guaranteed All-Star from each AL team
With Aaron Hicks on shelf – among a rash of other injuries – the Yankees will need Ellsbury to remain a positive force in the lineup. His continued knack for drawing catcher’s interference may be unorthodox, but it definitely doesn’t hurt.