Altered Swing Paths: The Fly Ball Revolution

[Can_of_corn]

I figure a central location for this topic might be helpful.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/220741974/hitters-trying-for-homers-may-be-part-of-surge/

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/are-early-adopters-of-the-uppercut-influencing-their-clubhouse-peers/

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-d-backs-could-have-a-new-pitching-approach/

It's been the talk of the offseason and early spring for the statistically inclined.

What appears to be happening is a number of hitters are altering their swing path in order to produce more fly balls and, in an apparent counter-move some teams appear to be moving away from the groundball inducing two seamer to the four seam fastball up in the zone.

 

Will be interesting to see how this develops over the season.

 

[Can_of_corn]

 

[Can_of_corn]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/puig-has-joined-the-merry-band-of-fly-ball-revolutionaries/

Quote

What I think about is putting the ball in the air,” Puig said via interpreter, “or else I’m going to have no money in my pocket.

“I focus on bettering my self every day, working with Turner and [Dodgers hitting coach Turner] Ward every day just to better my swing, swing at the right balls.

 

[ArtVanDelay]

That's an awesome quote from Turner.

[Can_of_corn]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/very-early-batted-ball-trends-a-revolution-in-increments/

[Can_of_corn]

Not really about Ichiro so much as it is about peak exit velocities at various launch angles.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/could-ichiro-have-been-a-power-hitter/

[Can_of_corn]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joey-votto-and-the-mounting-evidence-of-a-fly-ball-movement/

Quote

Across the majors, fly balls (35.7%) are up 1.1 percentage points from last season and 1.9 points from 2015*. Ground-ball rate (44.3%) is down slightly and at its lowest level since 2011. Ground balls are down from 0.4 points from last season and 1.0 point from 2015. In an industry always looking for an extra 2%, the emergence of even slightly a slightly higher air-ball rate might be indicative of something — particularly since pitches in the bottom part of the strike zone have increased by more than three points this season. Those are pitches that should be even more difficult to lift.

*Numbers entering play Monday.

Moreover, average launch angle is up a tick (to 10.9 degrees) this season, compared to 10.8 degrees last season and 10.0 degrees in 2015, launch angle on pitches in the lower third of the strike zone has increased from 5.1 degrees in 2015, to 5.8 degrees in 2016, to 6.0 degrees this season, according to Statcast data.

 

Votto:

Quote

The consensus among all the hitters I’ve spoken to, and hitting people I’ve spoken to, is ground balls are bad, fly balls are good, line drives are good,” Votto said. “That’s definitely something I wasn’t used to when I first came up. The thinking was ‘Hit the ball hard no matter where it is.’ Hit the ball hard, put it in play. There used to be hits up the middle on ground balls, on the right side, on the left side, because the defense was more of a traditional style. Whereas now even right-handed hitters will hammer a ball to the left side and the shortstop will make a back-handed play right behind the third baseman. What previously was a single, is nothing. It is an out.

 

[Camden_yardbird]

Fangraphs is writing some stellar articles on this topic.  If you want to inform yourself on the topic start with those articles.

[Chavez Ravine]

Or maybe a person in a suit visited Costa Rica:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/in-mlbs-new-home-run-era-its-the-baseballs-that-are-juicing/