Has Baseball Analytics Killed the Art of Hitting?

[MULTIZ321]

Has Baseball Analytics Killed the Art of Hitting?
By David Lingel/ Sport/ MLB/ The Guardian/ theguardian.com


Moments after being doused in celebratory suds last Wednesday, a soaked Christian Yelich was slapping on headphones and a microphone, settling in for a post-game interview. The 26-year-old National League MVP candidate and his Milwaukee Brewers had just beaten the St Louis Cardinals and booked their place in Major League Baseball’s playoffs which start on Tuesday.

It was a strange time for MLB Network personalities to get into a hitting discussion, but the hosts insisted on knowing Yelich’s thoughts on one of baseball’s newer stats: “the vertical angle at which the ball leaves a player’s bat after being struck,” also known as launch angle.

The stat is at the core of a debate concerning a philosophical shift in hitting. Over the past several seasons, hitters have increasingly abandoned the more traditional, contact friendly, line-drive swing, in favor of a riskier method that sends balls high into the air as often as possible. The chances of a home run increase but so do the chances of striking out. This during a time where hitters are already facing a never-ending stream of hurlers who hit 95mph or more on the radar gun and tally up strikeouts....."

Yelich, despite his own propensity to strikeout, is a holdout, possessing the scarce combination of hitting for batting average – he led the league at .326 – and power – the outfielder ranked third in the NL with 36 homers. “There’s more than one way to hit a baseball,” said Yelich, who ranks near the bottom of the launch-angle rankings at 316th out of 331 qualified batters.

National League MVP candidate Christian Yelich has helped propel the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs for just the fifth time in franchise history. Photograph: Benny Sieu/USA Today Sports


Richard

 

[Big Matt]

None of this is new. In fact the new launch angle concept is very similar to the hitting methodology championed by Ted Williams 65 years ago. The 70s is where everyone followed Charlie Lau and George Brett. Remember also that most teams used really hard astro turf. Players stole 100 bases during this era. It was more likely to get a hit by driving it to all fields and missing with grounders. Singles became triples when they skipped off the turf to the walls. Similarly, an infield single by someone like Vince Coleman could end up like doubles and triples when he stole second and/or third. Baseball is by far the most difficult game to play at a high level and the most complicated.

 

[chapjim]

Not dead but maybe on life support.

There are still a few practitioners of the traditional art of hitting. Just to throw one name out there that I watched a lot this summer -- Juan Soto, who has a beautiful classic swing.

 

[Big Matt]

Rendon has a classic swing also. Love watching both of them hit

 

[bogey21]

I am so tired of radio and TV announcers talking swing and pitch analytics that I rarely watch or listen to baseball anymore. It is not the game anymore. It is the numbers...

George

 

[holdaer]

The game of baseball is more exciting than ever. I believe adding the element of analytics will make the players better athletes and add more strategy. Launch angle is one component that has been around for a very long time. My old little league coaching guides from the 70s and 80s showed diagrams about angles. The big change is the shift in the infield. Some complain about this but if hitters always pull and don't have the discipline to go opposite field, then this is a good strategy. A better athlete will hit the ball to the opposite field.

Good times are ahead for baseball and America's favorite pastime.

 

[Big Matt]

I am so tired of radio and TV announcers talking swing and pitch analytics that I rarely watch or listen to baseball anymore. It is not the game anymore. It is the numbers...

George

Go watch baseball live. Much better than on TV. Like hockey it is a much better live experience. I love going to college or minor league games. You can sit up close and pay very little or nothing for a ticket.

 

[pedro47]

Today's baseball hitters are facing much more specialize pitchers IMHO. A starting pitcher today only need to pitch five (5) innings. Today you have a middle relief pitcher, a short inning pitcher and a closing pitcher that only need to pitch 1 1/2 innings or to three (3) to six (6) batters .

Hitters today are playing in larger baseball parks, the first base & third base sidelines are much larger and hitting home runs to the fence are much deeper IMHO. Playing on astroturf does not help the batter either.

 

[artringwald]

Now, more teams are trying having an opener to face the top of the order, a primary pitcher for the middle innings, relievers, and then the closer. I don't object to any of the new strategies. It's up to opposing teams to counter any new schemes.

 

[Big Matt]

Statistics show that batters hit better the second and third time up against a pitcher during the game. Is he tired? Do they have a better idea of what's coming? Regardless, changing pitchers makes sense most of the time. There are always pitchers who are impossible to hit no matter. Koufax, Gibson, Carlton, Ryan, Martinez, and Kershaw come to mind over the last 50 plus years. Here's something else that changed due to better fitness, weight training and so forth. Not many pitchers threw in the mid to upper 90s even as recent as 20 years ago. Everyone does it now and everyone gets Tommy John.

 

[pedro47]

How many pitchers of today will pitch 10 complete games of nine (9) innings this season or the pass five (5) years?.

 

[artringwald]

How many pitchers of today will pitch 10 complete games of nine (9) innings this season or the pass five (5) years?.

In 1968 the Tigers Denny McLain won 31 games, and 28 of them were complete games. Now he has to use his left hand to lift his right hand to shake with anyone.

In the past 18 years, only James Shields has had more than 10 complete games:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/CG_leagues.shtml

Shields had 11 in 2011.

 

[chapjim]

Today's baseball hitters are facing much more specialize pitchers IMHO. A starting pitcher today only need to pitch five (5) innings. Today you have a middle relief pitcher, a short inning pitcher and a closing pitcher that only need to pitch 1 1/2 innings or to three (3) to six (6) batters .

Hitters today are playing in larger baseball parks, the first base & third base sidelines are much larger and hitting home runs to the fence are much deeper IMHO. Playing on astroturf does not help the batter either.

I'm just bugging but I wonder how that 1/2 inning works!

 

[slip]

The problem with the specialized pitchers is that there just aren’t enough good pitchers to go around for every team to do that. The Brewers has the pitchers to do that this year and it worked for them. Most teams can’t do that.

I think it’s just a manager managing to his strengths.

 

[bbodb1]

The game of baseball is more exciting than ever. I believe adding the element of analytics will make the players better athletes and add more strategy. Launch angle is one component that has been around for a very long time. My old little league coaching guides from the 70s and 80s showed diagrams about angles. The big change is the shift in the infield. Some complain about this but if hitters always pull and don't have the discipline to go opposite field, then this is a good strategy. A better athlete will hit the ball to the opposite field.

Good times are ahead for baseball and America's favorite pastime.

This is interesting because just yesterday I was wondering what had happened in the MLB playoffs this year given how little coverage MLB has been given combined with the fact MLB choose the money over keeping their games on the traditional broadcast networks. Baseball is at a perilous crossroads it would seem because radio coverage is getting harder to find (receive) these days and major network TV coverage has dwindled as well - not just in the playoffs but also in the regular season. There is also the lack of growth in youth interest in the sport too. I'm not saying baseball is dead, but of the four major sports I think it is safe to say baseball's popularity is trending downward and that has to be on the minds Rob Manfred and those around him.

 

[pedro47]

The Brewers are going home and will be watching The World Series from the sidelines. What happen to good pitching when the Brewers face a hot hitting Dodgers teams? That also have a good pitching staff. They lost in seven (7) games.

Can the hot hitting Dodgers play in Boston where the temperature can be lower than twenty degrees in California? Remember this they will only play three (3) games in California and four (4) games in Boston, Massachusetts with that green monster wall in left field.

 

[pedro47]

This Baseball World Series is the Los Angeles Dodgers vs the Boston Red Sox’s.
This is similar to the NBA basketball matchup The Los Angles Lakers to The Boston Celtics to the television network.

Television ratings will be up because this is LA vs Boston IMHO.

 

[pedro47]

Games three of the World Series Kudos to both teams and especially the men in Black that have been standing for over 7 hours. The score is 2 to 2 17fh innings.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Games three of the World Series Kudos to both teams and especially the men in Black that have been standing for over 7 hours. The score is 2 to 2 17fh innings.

Muncy just homered to win it for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 18th..

I 'm off to bed

Richard

 

[pedro47]

Excellent game it is pass my bed time. Good morning all.

 

[bogey21]

Today's baseball hitters are facing much more specialize pitchers IMHO. A starting pitcher today only need to pitch five (5) innings. Today you have a middle relief pitcher, a short inning pitcher and a closing pitcher that only need to pitch 1 1/2 innings or to three (3) to six (6) batters.

Another reason I don't watch baseball anymore are the delays (and commercials) every time they change a pitcher. The more pitchers, the more delays. The more delays, the more commercials...

I vaguely remember being at a Phillies/Dodgers double header when I was a kid. I think it was Don Newcombe pitching for the Dodgers. I was amazed when they took him out while ahead after the 7th inning of the first game. It just didn't happen like that in those days. Starters finished what they started. But the reason soon became apparent. He came back and pitched the second game of the double header. Now that is my kind of baseball, not this 7 pitchers in a game stuff...

George

 

[pedro47]

You much be a specialist at your position to play modern baseball. Example a starting pitcher must be able to pitch only 5 innings; with a pitch count under 100 pitches.. A third baseman must be able to play third base & shortstop. A second baseman must be able to play short stop and second base. The outfielder must be able to play left & right field. The centerfield must have speed to his left & right field.

The poor catcher is stuck catching and kneeling for nine innings are more.

 

[artringwald]

Last night broke the record for the longest World Series game. The previous record was first set in 1916 when Babe Ruth pitched all 14 innings for the Red Sox and won over the Dodgers.

Monday, October 9, 1916 2:00 pm (ET) at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E
Brooklyn 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 2
Boston 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 7 1
WP: Babe Ruth (1–0) LP: Sherry Smith (0–1)
Home runs:
BKN: Hy Myers (1)
BOS: None

 

[bogey21]

You much be a specialist at your position to play modern baseball. Example a starting pitcher must be able to pitch only 5 innings; with a pitch count under 100 pitches.. A third baseman must be able to play third base & shortstop. A second baseman must be able to play short stop and second base. The outfielder must be able to play left & right field. The centerfield must have speed to his left & right field.

 

[bogey21]

Unless you play for the Texas Rangers and your name is Isiah Kiner Falefa who plays 3rd Base, 2nd Base, Short Stop and Catches every third game. I don't think he has played in the outfield yet but there is no question in my mind that he could...

George