Exit velocity

Last updated
Giancarlo Stanton held the MLB record for highest exit velocity at 122.2 miles per hour (196.7 km/h) from 2015 to 2022 Giancarlo Stanton 2018.jpg
Giancarlo Stanton held the MLB record for highest exit velocity at 122.2 miles per hour (196.7 km/h) from 2015 to 2022

In baseball statistics, exit velocity (EV) is the estimated speed at which a batted ball is travelling as it is coming off the player's bat. Batters generally aim for a higher exit velocity in order to give opposing fielders less time to react and attempt a defensive play; however, many batters are still able to accrue hits without a high exit velocity. A pitcher will attempt to limit the exit velocity on the opposing batter's contact in order to allow the fielders or themself a better chance at making an out.

Contents

Exit velocity was first tracked by Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2015 with the introduction of Statcast. In MLB and many other North American baseball leagues, exit velocity is measured and presented in miles per hour.

Origins

For most of baseball's history, there were no commonplace methods to quantify how hard-hit a batted ball was — the only aspect of the ball's speed being tracked was how fast the pitcher threw it, measured using various evolutions of radar guns. In 2015, MLB introduced Statcast technology to all 30 of its ballparks, in part to track exit velocity. The league released its initial data the following year in a summary of the 2015 season's statistical notabilities. Throughout the 2016 season, more aspects of exit velocity were gradually rolled out to fans. MLB launched Baseball Savant in 2016 to provide fans easy access to exit velocity and other Statcast-recorded data. [1]

External factors

Ballparks

Since every MLB stadium has its own unique set of dimensions and intricacies, there has been an observed ballpark-to-ballpark difference in exit velocity stats despite attempts to curtail it. MLB originally installed TrackMan radar technology but switched to the optical-based Hawk-Eye system in 2020 — with both systems, the league was unable to avoid variances in data collection based on each ballpark. When Statcast is unable to accurately record exit velocity data for a batted ball, either because of ballpark factors or some other reason, it imputes a value in its place. [2]

Equipment

Exit velocity can vary based on whether or not the ball is moisturized with a humidor. From April 7 to May 22, 2021, the average exit velocity was 91.8 miles per hour (147.7 km/h) with a humidor and 92.8 miles per hour (149.3 km/h) without a humidor. During the same span of days in 2022, the average with a humidor was 91.2 miles per hour (146.8 km/h) and 92.2 miles per hour (148.4 km/h) without a humidor. [3]

Uses

Since its introduction, MLB teams have used the exit velocity stat to gauge a batter's abilities. Transversely, exit velocity can be analyzed to improve a pitcher's results, especially those prone to giving up hard contact. Statcast technology in MLB ballparks allows teams to analyze exit velocity data points in real-time during games and make adjustments accordingly. [4]

The use of exit velocity stats has been criticized by some. In 2018, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon expressed his thoughts on advanced stats, stating: "Keep your launch angles, keep your exit velocities, give me a good at-bat." Maddon added that exit velocity and similar stats should instead be used to analyze potential player acquisitions. [5] In 2023, a former New York Yankees prospect criticized the organization for an alleged over-reliance on analytics, specifically citing a training game called "pitchers vs. hitters" that required a batter to hit a ball 95 miles per hour (153 km/h) or draw a walk to win. [6]

According to Rotoballer, exit velocity can be used by fantasy baseball players to predict various outcomes and make roster decisions. [7]

Related Research Articles

Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coors Field</span> Baseball stadium in Denver, Colorado

Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The stadium has a capacity of 50,144 people for baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baseball rules</span> Overview of the rules of baseball at different levels and in different countries

Throughout the history of baseball, the rules have frequently changed as the game has continued to evolve. The rules of baseball can vary slightly from league to league, with there being dozens of leagues worldwide. A few common rules most professional leagues have in common is that four balls is a base on balls, three strikes is a strikeout, and three outs end a half-inning. One example of differing rules in professional leagues is the use of a pitch clock, which in Major League Baseball (MLB) is in place to speed up the pace of the game by forcing pitchers to pitch in a 15–20 second window, while in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) no such rule exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batting (baseball)</span> Baseball offensive act of facing the pitcher and attempting to hit the ball into play

In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher. The three main goals of batters are to become a baserunner, to drive runners home or to advance runners along the bases for others to drive home, but the techniques and strategies they use to do so vary. Hitting uses a motion that is virtually unique to baseball and its fellow bat-and-ball sports, one that is rarely used in other sports. Hitting is unique because it involves rotating in the horizontal plane of movement, unlike most sports movements which occur in the vertical plane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batted ball</span> In baseball and softball, a pitched ball that is contacted by the batters bat

In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a foul ball counts as a strike against the batter, unless there are already two strikes on the batter, with special rules applying to foul tips and foul bunts. Fly balls are those hit in an arcing manner, with pop-ups being a subset of foul balls that do not travel far. Line drives are batted balls hit on a straight line trajectory, while ground balls are hit at a low trajectory, contact the ground shortly after being hit, and then either roll or bounce. Batted balls, especially line drives, can present a hazard to players, umpires, and spectators, as people have been seriously injured or killed after being struck by batted balls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giancarlo Stanton</span> American baseball player (born 1989)

Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton, formerly known as Mike Stanton, is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2010 as a member of the then-Florida Marlins, with whom he played until the end of the 2017 season. Stanton has twice led the National League (NL) in home runs; he hit 59 home runs in 2017, the most in 16 years. Known for his prodigious physical strength and ability to regularly hit long home runs, Stanton stands 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) tall and weighs 245 pounds (111 kg). He bats and throws right-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aroldis Chapman</span> Cuban-American baseball pitcher (born 1988)

Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Kansas City Royals and in the Cuban National Series for Holguín. Chapman bats and throws left-handed, and is nicknamed the "Cuban Missile" or the "Cuban Flame Thrower".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1990)</span> American baseball player

Billy R. Hamilton is an American professional baseball center fielder in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox. The Reds selected Hamilton in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Kemp (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1991)

Anthony Allen Kemp is an American professional baseball second baseman and left fielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Vanderbilt University. The Houston Astros selected Kemp in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He has previously played in MLB for the Astros and Chicago Cubs. Kemp won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Bassitt</span> American baseball player (born 1989)

Christopher Michael Bassitt is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2014 and played for the Oakland Athletics from 2015 to 2021 and New York Mets in 2022. Prior to playing professionally, he starred for his basketball and baseball teams at Genoa Area High School and the University of Akron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowdy Tellez</span> American baseball player (born 1995)

Ryan John "Rowdy" Tellez is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has played for the Mexico national baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan Cease</span> American baseball player (born 1995)

Dylan Edward Cease is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Chicago Cubs selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statcast</span> Statistical analysis tool developed for and used by Major League Baseball

Statcast is a high-speed, high-accuracy, automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah Bananas</span> Baseball team in Savannah, Georgia

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2016 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. Until 2022, the Bananas competed as a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League's (CPL) West division, where they won three Petitt Cup championships. However, after the growth of their alternate "Banana Ball" format, the team transitioned entirely to exhibition games against their partner touring team, the Party Animals, and other "challenger" professional teams, similar to the decades-long format of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters and their partner touring team, the Washington Generals. The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, and Sports Illustrated because of its on-field hijinks and viral videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Hicks (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1996)

Jordan McKinley Hicks is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seranthony Domínguez</span> Dominican baseball player (born 1994)

Seranthony Ambioris Domínguez Taveras is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the Phillies as an international free agent, in 2011. Domínguez made his MLB debut in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pablo López (baseball)</span> Venezuelan baseball player (born 1996)

Pablo José López Serra is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Miami Marlins. In the 2023 offseason, he was traded to the Twins.

Camilo Doval is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the Giants as a free agent in 2015, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021. His fastball has reached 104.5 miles per hour (168.2 km/h).

Pop time, also known as POP, is a baseball statistic that measures the time it takes for a catcher to make a throw from home plate to second base during a stolen base attempt. The measure combines catcher's footwork, exchange time, and arm strength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Effross</span> American baseball player (born 1993)

Scott Benjamin-Morton Effross is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for Indiana University. He was selected in the 15th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021.

References

  1. ↑ Arthur, Rob (13 April 2016). "The New Science Of Hitting". FiveThirtyEight . Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Judge, Johnathan (17 June 2019). "Statcast Exit Velocity: A Statistical Assessment of Park Effects". Baseball Prospectus . Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Zola, Todd (24 May 2022). "Humidors, seams and exit velocity: Here's what we know about MLB's new ball and why scoring has dropped" . ESPN . Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Wittenberg, Max (28 October 2021). "Moneyball 2.0: Real-time Decision Making With MLB's Statcast Data". Databricks . Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Mooney, Patrick (April 25, 2018). "Joe Maddon on stat nerds, hitting trends and the shape of the Cubs' offense" . The Athletic. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  6. ↑ Nivison, Austin (August 17, 2023). "Ex-Yankees prospect slams organization for overreliance on analytics, says 'no baseball being taught'". CBSSports.com. Paramount Global. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ Lucks, Rick. "Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Statcast Exit Velocity". Rotoballer. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.