Interview with UNC Pitching Coach Bryant Gaines
May 10, 2021
Analytics in Pitching
May 12, 2021
The Analytics Game
By: Brendan Dougherty
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Baseball is a game of numbers! Always has been and always will be. The game now has changed slightly. It is still the same game for the most part but how we use the numbers has changed. We have access to more information than we ever have, and it is how we use that information that will allow us to be successful. Analytics are especially important they allow coaches to formulate a plan for each individual hitter. The data will typically back up what we are seeing. If you are consistently hitting balls hard in batting practice, then there is a good chance your exit velocity will be extremely high.
The goal for hitter is to make hard contact consistently. If that is happening, then you will most likely be having success in the box. As a hitter the last thing that you should be hearing is “old school” or “new school”. You should be hearing “how can you get better school”! We need analytics and it is a particularly important part of becoming a better player and being a good coach. Players need to understand what helps them to be successful. What numbers or analytics are good for you as a hitter and help you have success? Understand the numbers. There is no such thing as a launch angle swing or trying to hit the ball in the air.
FOR AS LONG AS THE GAME HAS BEEN PLAYED A LINE DRIVE UP THE MIDDLE IS A BALL IN THE AIR! When you get in the box you should have 3 things that you are doing. 1. COMPETE WITH BAT SPEED 2. BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR MOVEMENTS AND COMPETE WITH BAT SPEED 3. ADJUST AND COMPETE WITH BAT SPEED. We have used analytics in baseball since the very beginning. Like I have said before the way we look at the numbers has evolved but only for the better. We know and understand what a good hitter looks like and typically the numbers and analytics will match what the eyes are telling us. The only thing you can control as a hitter is to compete every pitch and work to get your barrel to every hittable pitch. You cannot control if it is a hit or not. Control what you can control, stick to your routine, and compete. The numbers will take care of themselves!