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Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

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Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#21

Post by nissimk »

Lukeas14 wrote: post #7

>"The increase in frequency and efficiency of defensive shifts. According to FanGraphs, teams are shifting at a rate nearly 10 times greater than six years ago" This should be more prominent and is likely the root cause of guys swinging for homeruns more often. Every hitter will eventually fall into a pattern where they're hitting certain pitches to only a certain part of the field. With the increase in data it's muc…

It is awesome how the tactics keep changing to respond to strategic changes. There will also be a shift towards training to hit towards both sides of the infield. Not everyone can be a power hitter, and classic baseball includes a lot of "small-ball" hitting.

The increase in power hitting is also cyclical in baseball. Remember last time it dropped it was due to changes in drug testing policies and procedures which may also be a cat and mouse game.

I found this:

http://www.highheatstats.com/2013/01/reliving-the-hits-how-h...

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#22

Post by habosa »

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense.

It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A home run is still 400 feet.

Consider basketball which has had to dramatically rebalance the rules over time. Restrictions on time in the paint, the 3 point line, perimeter defense, etc. Or how hockey changed all the rules after the lockout. Or how football has totally re worked pass defense and special teams.

Baseball is just baseball.

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#23

Post by ufo »

habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

What kind of changes happened to the hockey rules?

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#24

Post by kodablah »

ufo wrote: post #23
habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

What kind of changes happened to the hockey rules?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005%E2%80%9306_NHL_season#Rul...

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#25

Post by barking »

habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

Wasn't there something about the infield fly rule? :) But the same goes for soccer which has altered very little since the rules were laid down in the 19th century.

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#26

Post by saghm »

Lukeas14 wrote: post #19
bryanbuckley wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it suggest that leadoff guys will be cheaper in the future? The next moneyball trend will be fast guys who can accurately place hits?

Possibly. My guess is that only the exceptionally good leadoff guys will make it to a team, making them more expensive. Other teams might rather have a slugger hitting first than an average fast guy. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

> Other teams might rather have a slugger hitting first than an average fast guy.

I remember seeing a Red Sox-Blue Jays game at Fenway Park last year where the Blue Jays had Jose Bautista hitting first, which definitely fits this description.

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#27

Post by nkozyra »

habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

Keep in mind a lot of various and regional changes happened early in baseball's history and that baseball as a professional sport is much older than football or basketball.

Ground rule doubles were briefly home runs in some leagues, foul balls once didn't count as strikes, then you could strike out on a foul ball, intentional walk changes, spitballs outlawed, balk rules ...

Baseball was probably just as fluid in its first thirty-forty years as basketball, it was just a long time ago.

Edit: Another big one was the pitching changes in the 1960s after a wave of pitching dominance: http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/History_of_basebal...

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#28

Post by Twirrim »

habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

Rugby has remained Rugby, pretty much.

There's been various changes over the years, juggling points for tries and penalties, introducing sin bins, and so on, but it isn't really anything fundamental.

Where you do see changes has been in the physique of players, and to some extent it's cyclical. Teams adapt to circumstances, player sizes and types change, and then some outlier will come along and with a visionary coach shake things up again.

Wings used to be lighter sprinters, then Jonah Lomu came along and proved that wings could be big (at 6' 5" he towered over most players, average height for the time was 6' 1") and still fast.

People just didn't have the strength or weight to stop him, especially out on the wings. Players of sufficient size would typically be one of the forwards, the bigger players that dominate a scrum.

Teams adapted to the new paradigm though, wingers started getting bigger and stronger as tactics changed, and we've seen size and weight fluctuate back and forth a bit, sometimes internationals favour lighter faster, sometimes slightly slower but stronger.

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#29

Post by Woofles »

habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

Probably the largest (and most controversial) change in baseball was the adoption of the DH by the AL in the 70s.

For a full history of rule changes in baseball: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/rulechng.shtml

Re: Why MLB hitters are suddenly obsessed with launch angles

#30

Post by radicalbyte »

barking wrote: post #25
habosa wrote: post #22

As many have said this is a tactical reaction to changes in pitching and defense. It always amazes me how balanced the game of baseball is compared to other sports. It's been around for more than a century and people have become so much stronger and faster on both sides of the ball. Still, offense and defense remain so perfectly matched. The bases remain 90 feet apart and the pitcher still throws from 60 feet away. A…

Wasn't there something about the infield fly rule? :) But the same goes for soccer which has altered very little since the rules were laid down in the 19th century.

The game changed completely after the (first) war when the offside rule was introduced. But that was almost 100 years ago. Since then the rule changes have essentially been tweaks.
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