Pickoff Throws Per Baserunner is a pitching statistic which details the average number of times a pitcher attempts to pickoff baserunners for each baserunner faced.
More about Pickoff Throws Per Baserunner Leaders
Pitching pickoff throws per baserunner leaders make the most number of pickoff attempts to a base (usually first base) for every baserunner against them. For most pickoff attempts, pitchers are truly expecting to pick off a runner but are more likely to be “keeping a runner close” and preventing them from obtaining too large of a lead. Having a high percentage of pickoffs per baserunner can reflect a number of factors: 1) a pitcher could be more likely to be a reliever more likely to enter the game with an important runner on base, thus requiring more pickoff attempts, or 2) a pitcher could be slower than average in his delivery to home plate, which makes keeping runners closer to the base even more important to discourage them from attempting to steal a base. In many instances pitchers follow their manager’s directions to make a pickoff attempt, so this statistic can often be as reflective of a manager’s preferences as that of a pitcher’s.
