Quote:
Originally Posted by BCauley
I don’t know when they actually started talking about and highlighting the exit velocity or launch angle but every time I see it I say to myself “Why does this even matter? It’s a home run regardless.”
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For the exact same reason they do things like clock a pitcher to see how fast he throws...........to be better able to find, sign, and develop the talent that will hopefully lead to them becoming a great MLB player.
Scouts hear about two supposedly great high school pitching prospects and run out to see them. They clock them both and find one of them has a fastball that tops out at 82 MPH, while the other's tops out at 90 MPH. Guess which prospect they are more likely to continue looking at and pursue. Now switch out "pitching prospects" and substitute in "hitting prospects", for whom they'll clock the exit velocities on balls they hit.
And then combine that with the naturally competitive and inquisitive nature of most people who not only want their team to be the best, but they also want their pitcher to be the one to throw the fastest, or their clean-up slugger to be the one to hit the hardest. These are simply more measures that people have developed to be able to compare one player against another, and allow them to supposedly determine who is better then.
Think of it like this. When collecting pioneers like Burdick and Carter were in their heyday, they were more concerned with identifying and acquiring examples of every card, and completing every set, they could. Nowadays that isn't always enough for many people. They need to have their cards/sets measured (grading) and compared (Registry) so they can say my card/set is better than yours, and be able to brag about it. Not necessarily the case, or need, for everyone, but certainly for enough people where it becomes "a thing".