Mike Petriello discusses MLB's new bat-tracking metrics, the impact of replay on catcher's interference calls, and the historical and modern approach to pitching rotations. The conversation highlights key data like bat speed and player performance metrics, touching on injury risks, player evaluation, and future enhancements in analytics.
Bat Speed measures swing speed at contact, revealing player performance differences.
Outfielders employ deceptive strategies to outsmart baserunners, like fake catches and pump fakes.
Bat tracking data advancements may enhance player evaluations and scouting methodologies.
High swing speeds impact hitting effectiveness by influencing contact quality.
Utilizing swing speed analysis offers insights into player strategies and outcomes.
Deep dives
Bat Speed: The average swing speed focused on the speed at the point of bat contact, with the top 90% of swings used for each player's seasonal average.
Bat Speed measures the average swing speed at the point of contact, using the top 90% of swings for each player's seasonal average.
Fast Swing Rate: The percentage of swings over 75 mph to indicate how often batters swing at a high speed.
Fast Swing Rate represents the percentage of swings exceeding 75 mph, showcasing how frequently batters swing at a high speed.
Squared Up Rate: Measures how efficiently a batter reaches maximum exit velocity based on a combination of swing speed and pitch speed.
Squared Up Rate gauges a batter's efficiency in achieving maximum exit velocity by considering swing speed and pitch speed.
Blasts: Reflects the most exceptional swings that achieve high exit velocity with a hard swing, showcasing elite contact quality.
Blasts highlight exceptional swings that achieve high exit velocity with a hard swing, emphasizing elite contact quality.
Swing Length: Indicates the distance traveled by the head of the bat during a swing to reveal the varying lengths of batters' swings.
Swing Length reveals the distance traveled by the bat head during a swing, illustrating the diverse lengths of batters' swings.
Swords: Defines the ability of a pitcher to make a batter look uncomfortable with a pitch, showcasing the art of inducing awkward swings.
Swords epitomize a pitcher's skill in unsettling batters with pitches, demonstrating the art of eliciting uncomfortable swings.
Bat Swing Speed and Its Impact on Player Performance
Bat swing speed plays a crucial role in player performance, impacting how effectively they hit the ball. Analyzing swing speed helps identify differences between players and their ability to make contact. High swing speeds can lead to more whiffs and mis-hits but result in harder hit balls when contact is made. Understanding swing speed can provide insights into player strategies and performance outcomes.
Innovative Outfield Deception Strategies
Outfielders have been exploring innovative deception strategies to outsmart baserunners. Techniques such as faking a high catch and adjusting to catch the ball lower have been successfully executed to confuse baserunners. These deceptive plays, like the 'KK play' and recent pump fake tactics, showcase the creative approaches employed to gain an advantage during gameplay.
Future Applications of Bat Tracking Data and Player Evaluations
As bat tracking data continues to evolve, potential applications for evaluating minor leaguers and enhancing player assessments could be on the horizon. Exploring projections solely based on bat speed and swing decisions could offer new perspectives on player performance. The utilization of deep data layers, including swing speed in conjunction with existing metrics, might provide a more comprehensive understanding of player abilities, influencing scouting and training methodologies.
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the “effectively wild” debut of Paul Skenes and the Pirates’ bases-loaded walkathon, an in-development TV series about Ippei Mizuhara, the demotion of Craig Kimbrel and possible trade dangling of Mason Miller, the continued success of Davis Schneider, the impact of replay review on the increase in catcher’s interference […]
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