And the stronger arm. I still believe the Cardinals were stealing signs against him in the playoffs, something Ellis was unable to correct between 2013 and last year. I have nothing in fact to base this on, but I have to believe that if the Cards were stealing signs then they were stealing them from the dugout, not from the catcher. I could be 100% wrong.
Does the dugout call the pitches? I thought it's always the catcher and pitcher. Just seems that CK shut them done both times until they managed to get a guy on second, at which point the base runner's line of sight was right past the pitcher to the catcher flashing signs... and then the flood gates opened. In either case, they need to switch them up throughout the game to protect them better. Maybe even use them to their advantage to cross up the Cardinals, if that is occurring again.
It depends on the catcher/pitcher. Some young catchers aren't allowed to call their own games, you see them looking to the dugout before flashing signs. Some managers insist on calling pitches, if only in certain situations.
Man, when Grandal and Pederson were hitting early on, it gave this team a whole other dimension of scary. Since Grandal got hurt and Joc got in his head, the whole lineup has been a mess. I'm expecting significant changes on the roster if this team is one and done again.
