Launch angle refers to the angle at which a batted ball leaves the bat and is inclusive of the trajectory the ball then follows. The laws of physics establish that a ball with a thirty-degree trajectory off the bat, all things equal, travels the furthest. MLB and its fans love the homerun.
Based on this observation, baseball metrics and analytics advocates have used their upper-management influence to pervert the science of hitting, insisting that all hitters seek to produce a thirty-degree launch angle. To do so, hitting coaches engage their hitters in drills that reinforce an upper-cut swing.
An upper-cut swing is one in which the barrel of the bat begins beneath the trajectory of the pitched ball, then comes up to the contact point and extends through contact in a continuous upward trajectory.
Simple logic dictates that if the pitched ball is on a downward trajectory and is connected squarely on the barrel of a bat traveling in an upward trajectory, one which ostensibly matches that of the pitched ball, that the launch angle of the ball off the bat will produce the desired result, which is a trajectory of flight with a high likelihood of leaving the confines of the field or, at least, beating the outfielders.
But the concept of getting the ball in the air is nothing new, nor is the three-run homerun. Baseballs have been climbing into the air off bats since the inception of the game. Advanced technology and data analysis aren’t needed to establish nor to reinforce the physics of a ball in flight, whether it be in the approaching pitch or the exiting contact. In that regard, nothing has changed.
There is an accepted “law” that events that can be measured can be changed. Measurement provides a means of breaking down and quantifying the individual events that make up the swing. As these events are sequential, each can be observed and quantified in isolation. Then an overall assessment can be made as to how a preceding event influences the one to follow, and how the whole is ultimately affected.
In terms of launch angle, the hitter is encouraged to initiate the swing–the launch of the barrel–by dropping the bat head to a horizontal point beneath that of the approaching pitch, then come up to contact point, thereby “squaring contact” below the equator of the ball and lifting it.
While theoretically this approach is sound, in reality it is flawed.
If MLB was arc-pitch softball, there’d be no argument. But it isn’t. MLB pitchers are trained to and practiced at producing movement, particularly change in plane, both horizontally and vertically: run, cut and sink.
Why is this a problem for hitters, and especially those who focus on producing the “ideal” launch angle?
Primarily, velocity and late and sharp movement.
A MLB hitter has somewhat less than .04 seconds to react to a pitched ball, the average MLB velocity of which is a tick below 93 mph, and against pitchers who commonly throw 95+. (See: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fastball-velocities-are-already-up/). Then, MLB pitchers, especially starters, have a mix of secondary pitches, each designed to move in plane and/or travel off-speed.
The hitter finds himself in a state of contradiction. He must be quick to start his swing and at the same time keep his hands back until he recognizes the pitch and can predict with some degree of certainty what it is going to do.
The “launch angle” approach requires a longer pathway to the ball. The barrel of the bat has to first drop down deep in the load before it begins to come forward to the intended contact point. This means the hitter, to time the fastball, has to start early. Which is the primary reason why so many ill-advised swings are observed batter to batter, swings at pitches that bounce before the plate, wind up in the opposite batter’s box, or leave the impression that the hitter otherwise had his eyes closed.
Next, the hitter makes himself susceptible to pitches up in the zone. Unlike fielding, it is significantly easier to bring the barrel of the bat down to contact than up to it, especially when the pitch is traveling in the upper 90s. But even at lower speeds, those more in line with amateur ball, starting low and moving up to contact suggests more length to the swing: distance equates to time. And in this case, too much of it.
Perhaps you’ve heard the expression “dropping the bat head on the ball.” It’s exactly what it sounds like and requires minimal effort, since the action is technically assisted by gravity. Well, going up to get the pitch is simply the opposite and requires an adjustment that adds to the swing sequence. Watching the Shriners Games, I saw three batters in a row strike out, all with multiple swings starting below the plane of the pitch. By the time each could get the bat head to the contact point, the ball was already past. Had they been on plane to begin with, contact would have been inevitable.
Launch angle, in combination with increased pitcher velocity, has led to hitters reinforcing a particular swing path, which is done through repetition, primarily on soft-toss and tee drills. It’s a muscle-memory thing. The body “memorizes” a firing sequence, in terms of the swing path, which it produces automatically, a stimulus-response pattern without operation–the absence of pitch recognition and adjustment to that swing path. It is this inability to adjust that has led to the marked increase in strikeouts and a lack of balls put into play.
While the emphasis on launch angle has produced an increase in homeruns, it has also marginalized those hitters who are not by nature power hitters. Instead of focusing on contact by letting the ball get deeper, barrel awareness and using all parts of the field, thereby hitting for average, they are encouraged/coached to lift and pull, the result of which, more often than not, is weak groundballs (contact on top of the ball) and warning-track flyouts (contact beneath the ball). Neither effective nor entertaining, these players are readily dismissed by both team management and fans.
Developing a launch angle that is initiated with the hands high at the launch point, the hips pre-set to contact, and the barrel of the bat either straight up and down or slightly cocked maximizes not only the potential for contact, but also that the bat’s path to contact will be short and powerful. Contact slightly beneath the equator of the ball will produce the desired backspin and launch angle. Backspin creates a cushion of air beneath the ball that maximizes its time in the air, and the launch angle provides a trajectory favorable to distance.
Focus on launch angle, in terms of pulling and lifting the ball, is not the way to go about things if a young hitter has aspirations of playing at the higher levels of the game. Instead, first develop barrel awareness, pitch recognition and to master the launch point. If the homerun is to come, it will come of its own.
Baseball and Fiction 