Sports | July 10, 2017 9:32 am

Baseball’s New Fly Ball Hitting Trend Doesn’t Score With All Players

Launch-angle data play not so helpful for non-power hitters, New York Times reports.

Baseball's Fly Ball Trend Doesn't Work for All Hitters

Dee Gordon #9 of the Miami Marlins grounds out in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on June 30, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

By Will Levith

Yes, chicks do dig the long ball.

And as RCL recently reported, this season in Major League Baseball, there’s been an upward trend in hitters trying to induce fly balls—based on the launch angle of hits—versus grounders in order to better hit more multi-base hits (the data doesn’t lie).

The philosophy behind the trend, which has been successful for several star players including Josh Donaldson and Yonder Alonso, is to increase doubles, triples and home runs…as long as the balls aren’t fielded.

But as The New York Times reports not all non-power-hitters are going to be able to start poking fly balls into the outfield successfully. In short, you have to have the bat speed of Aaron Judge or Cody Bellinger—and therefore, hit the ball hard enough—to actually hit those fly balls that may or may not land as hits or extra-base hits.

Then, of course, there are the exceptions to the rule like the Miami Marlins’ Dee Gordon, who has a low launch angle of hits and the lowest exit velocity of any player, and still manages to bat .336 on balls in play.