Launch Angles, Crooked Sticks and Baseball Bats _ A Rant

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

I realize you’re referring to the time in the moment, but don’t ignore that these are the best athletes in their sport who have spent years and countless hours on their craft, including barreling up a baseball. They make adjustments and decisions without even knowing because they’ve practiced for those moments.



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With the ever increasing number of whiffs (strike outs) in today's game perhaps they need to practice barreling up more. Worrying about your launch angle when failing to make contact seems fruitless.

[clydepepper]

Now that we've been introduced to 'spin rate', shouldn't the 'rinse cycle' be next? Hey, that would clean up the game, right?


...and I'm willing to wait a game or two to see a Joey Gallo homer...while enjoying the nice, refreshing breeze...

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

With the ever increasing number of whiffs (strike outs) in today's game perhaps they need to practice barreling up more. Worrying about your launch angle when failing to make contact seems fruitless.

I totally understand if this is not helping your (or anybody's) enjoyment of baseball. I do think that calling it fruitless is a bit of a poor choice of words - there have been a number of examples through recent years of players focusing on launch angle and with results being fruitful (Josh Donaldson is the poster boy of this). And also just how the game is trending, with more fly balls and strike outs, part of which can be attributed to launch angle data - and this is not just a few teams, but most teams are putting the data to use in this way. Again, if this stuff doesn't appeal to you, I get it, but players, coaches, front offices, etc. are certainly utilizing it (and probably other data the public is totally unaware of, too).

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

I totally understand if this is not helping your (or anybody's) enjoyment of baseball. I do think that calling it fruitless is a bit of a poor choice of words - there have been a number of examples through recent years of players focusing on launch angle and with results being fruitful (Josh Donaldson is the poster boy of this). And also just how the game is trending, with more fly balls and strike outs, part of which can be attributed to launch angle data - and this is not just a few teams, but most teams are putting the data to use in this way. Again, if this stuff doesn't appeal to you, I get it, but players, coaches, front offices, etc. are certainly utilizing it (and probably other data the public is totally unaware of, too).

You can call me a faux contrarian and you may be correct. To be honest I had similar feelings and arguments with respect to the introduction of similar technology years ago in the game of golf. On the driving range a respected golf ball maker measured my launch angle, spin and clubhead speed using my own balls and then with several of theirs. The inconsistencies in my swing resulted in superior results with my balls rather than theirs. They of course concluded independent of the results, that I would do better with their brand.

Whether or not the practical application of launch angles evolves in baseball remains to be seen in my opinion. I do have my doubts, but my mind remains open. Until then I shall remain focused on true analytics best exemplified by BABIP, BADABING & BADABOOM.

Long before the WAR, baseball was a statistical haven, which in large measure attracted me to the game in the 50s.

Where does the game go from here. If the ability to review plays improves to a matter of seconds, let’s review them all. Calling balls and strikes electronically seems entirely feasible as well. We don’t really need umpires, do we.

Perhaps the game will evolve and one day a game will be played in which the visiting team hits 9 home runs and strikes out 27 times (if leading the home team could only have 24 strikeouts). Precise launch angles and 100+ mph pitching will eliminate singles, doubles and triples. Improved pitching will virtually eliminate walks, except for intentional walks.

Obviously much of my input in this thread in said tongue in cheek. I leave it to the reader to decide which “cheek”.

[steve B]

Hitting a golf ball is easier?!

Maybe for some people.
For me, it's very hard.
I've played one game, and enjoyed it, but it wasn't at all easy.
I usually don't have any real idea how far or where the ball is actually going.
Typically it starts out straight and then goes well to the right. Even when I aim deliberately to the left, the ball ends up going to the right. Sometimes. If I could throw a ball like that I'd make millions.

Of course, that game I was getting some comments from the people I ended up playing with they asked to join my friend and I, which was cool. Told them I hadn't played and was expecting to be very bad. The first hole naturally curved to the right. Ended up behind a small shrub and figured on hitting the ball through it instead of relocating for a penalty. for some reason it worked! Ended up only +1 on the first hole. Second hole also bent right, no shrubs, Par 3 - made it Third hole - Par 5 some silly distance like 500 something. dead straight. Topped the ball and it went maybe 20 feet. "what will you do now" "Oh, I'll just rev up, hit it as hard as I can, and if I'm really lucky it'll turn right like always, hit a tree and bounce forward. (there was a wooded embankment all down the right side. )
That actually happened.
They weren't believing that I'd never played before.
Everything that happened after that showed them their suspicions had been wrong. I ended up at 200+ for 9 holes, Lost all the balls I'd brought and a few of my friends and a few of theirs.

[bn2cardz]

When I hear "launch angle" I always think of the scene in Major League.

Vaughn gives up a HR and the guys in the crowd says "its too high", and after it goes out his friend says to him "too high, what does that mean 'too high'?"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_wc...utu.be&t=1m40s

[AGuinness]

There's some good info in this story, including interesting stuff from Ted Williams almost 50 years ago on launch angle:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...=.e0481a7f4b5b

[steve B]

Behind a paywall, like so much today.