Hitting – Analytics In The Outfield

Bat Speed = Contact?

A question popped up in my mind recently: How does bat speed affect contact rate? We know that higher bat speed leads to better contact, but the question here is on making contact. Intuitively we’d think that more bat speeds leads to a little more time to make a swing decision and the ability toContinue reading “Bat Speed = Contact?”

What happened to HRendon?

Anthony Rendon was an All-Star, Silver Slugger and 3rd in MVP voting in 2019 with the Nationals. His injury issues with the Angels have been well documented, and he is on pace to play in the most games (over 58) with the Angels in 2024. What has interested me though is his lack of powerContinue reading “What happened to HRendon?”

Impact of Banning the Shift

For the 2023 season MLB will be banning the infield shift. This ban is supposed to increase action on the field, which in this case more hits is the goal. This post looks into what a potential impact would be and which players will be most affected. Methodology The idea here is very simple, butContinue reading “Impact of Banning the Shift”

Breakout of Taylor WARd

For years Taylor Ward had been up and down from the major league level and could not gain consistency. Ward then turned himself from an average major leaguer last season (turning it on in the second half) into an above average major leaguer. Before the 2022 season his career bWAR was -0.4 and he isContinue reading “Breakout of Taylor WARd”

Whiff-le Ball (Part 1: Analytics)

Everyone loves the whiff (also known as swinging strikes). Coaches, front offices, scouts, agents. Pitchers that don’t have good numbers on the surface but a high whiff % continue to get opportunities in MLB. Why? Well whiffs are an indicator of success for pitchers, especially relievers. If the bases are loaded with no outs, we’dContinue reading “Whiff-le Ball (Part 1: Analytics)”

The Enigma of the 2020 Season: Batters

The 2020 season was one of the strangest MLB seasons in history. A 60-game season starting in late July, no fans, social distancing measure for players, and no high fives due to COVID-19. A big question going into the 2020 off-seasons was how can we analyze player performance with such limited data in an unprecedentedContinue reading “The Enigma of the 2020 Season: Batters”

The 2021 Sho (Part 1: Batter)

To kick off this blog I had to do something with my favorite team, the Angels. My friends and family would say I am obsessed but I will say passionate is the better word. Missed only one home opener the last 15+ years and going to 20+ games every year while having to follow everyContinue reading “The 2021 Sho (Part 1: Batter)”