For a long time, it has been easy to see a difficult play made in the field, and with the establishment of Catch Probability, we can even find out just how hard those catches are to make. Now, Statcast is attempting to put a number on the moment between the hit and the catch, and determining exactly how that frame of time is used differently between average outfielders, and truly great ones. What kind of number determines the quality of a player who makes hard catches look commonplace?
Jump, at its most basic, measures how many feet in the right direction an outfielder moves in the first three seconds after a pitch is released.