Woodrum: Offensive batted-ball stats and their optimal uses

From Bradley Woodrum at The Hardball Times on August 10, 2015:

So far, 2015 has been a good year for batted ball statistics. FanGraphs unveiled Baseball Info Solution’s (BIS) contact strength ratings data, baseballsavant.com began sharing batted ball velocities, and Statcast data has begun to populate national broadcasts—bringing the average fan into greater familiarity with these kinds of stats.

Just as when line drive percentage (LD%) and ground ball percentage (GB%) appeared on FanGraphs thereabouts of 2010, we might have a tendency to look at a player’s shiny new stats and declare big and bold things. But let’s pause a moment and find a good home and role for each of these batted ball stats:

  • the Soft, Med, Hard% data from BIS
  • the hit velo data from baseballsavant.com
  • line drive, ground ball, fly ball, and infield fly rates

Each of these babies gives us a special and specific insight into a hitter’s ability, tendencies and performance. But sussing out those specifics can be tricky. So let’s get tricky.

Read the full article here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/offensive-batted-ball-statistics-and-their-optimal-uses/



Originally published: August 11, 2015. Last Updated: August 11, 2015.