New Statcast Metric: Barrel!

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/201699298/new-statcast-metric-barrels-has-best-hit-balls/?game_pk=449170

A "barrel" is defined as a well-struck ball where the combination of exit velocity and launch angle generally leads to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage, though it will require a bit more explanation than that. Perhaps the best way to show what kind of batted ball qualifies as a barrel is with this image -- the "Barrel Zone" is where barrels live:

As you can see, the "Barrel Zone" is an area that begins at 98 mph between 26 degrees and 30 degrees, and expands outward from there. The higher the speed of the ball, the wider the range of launch angle exists for a ball to be considered a barrel. At 99 mph and up, for example, between 25 degrees and 31 degrees is "barrelled." At 100 mph and above, batted balls between 24 and 33 degrees will always be considered a barrel, and so on, expanding as balls get hit harder.

Percentage of barrels per ball in play, 2016 hitters, minimum 200 balls in play

1. 18.4 percent -- Khris Davis

2. 18.3 percent -- Chris Davis

3. 17.6 percent -- (tie) Trumbo/Giancarlo Stanton

5. 17.3 percent -- Chris Carter

6. 16.9 percent -- Nelson Cruz

7. 16.0 percent -- Trout

8. 15.7 percent -- Ortiz

9. 15.0 percent -- Cabrera

10. 15.3 percent -- Mike Napoli

It would be interesting to correlate this stat with BABIP.

It would be interesting to correlate this stat with BABIP.

I have a feeling a lot of them don't end up in play.

I have a feeling a lot of them don't end up in play.

That's true. Crush has 326 balls in play, so 18.3% is about 60 barrels. Presumably most of his 38 homers are included in that number.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Statcast?src=hash">#Statcast</a> Three types of positive outcomes: 1. Barrels (deep hits or HR) 2. Near-Barrels (gap hits) 3. Flares (drop between fielders) <a href="https://t.co/rqQRK72QbX">pic.twitter.com/rqQRK72QbX</a></p>— Tangotiger (@tangotiger) <a href="

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Tom Terrific

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Tom Terrific

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Was a smart hire.