5 MLB Teams Stand Out With New Bat Speed Metrics
Sportsgrid Staff
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Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have the lowest squared-up rate in MLB, measured as a percentage of all swings, and the gap is significant. They only square up the baseball on 21.8% of their swings, which is 1.4 percentage points lower than the 29th-ranked Pittsburgh Pirates—a larger margin than that between the Pirates and the 22nd-ranked Tampa Bay Rays.
A key issue for the Rockies is their high rate of missing the ball. They lead the league in total missed swings and have the second-highest whiff rate across MLB.
Furthermore, even when the Rockies do make contact, they still rank last in how often they square up the ball. Given these struggles with making effective contact, it's not surprising that Colorado is among the bottom five teams in runs scored, despite playing in the most favorable stadium for hitters in the league.
This post by Leo Morgenstern appeared first on Just Baseball.
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New York Yankees
It was inevitable that we'd discuss the New York Yankees, home to sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto. No advanced bat-tracking data is needed to see that these players swing with serious power.
The numbers indeed back up what we see: the Yankees boast three of the top ten hitters in average bat speed among qualified batters. Stanton leads with an impressive 80.6 mph, followed by Judge in seventh place at 76.5 mph, and Soto rounding out the top ten at 76.1 mph. These three also top the charts among AL batters in both fast swing rate and contact blast rate.
Surprisingly, though, the Yankees rank only 11th in MLB for average bat speed at 71.7 mph. Despite this, they still place within the top four for fast swing rate, squared-up rate, and blast rate. This discrepancy is largely due to the slower swingers on the team, who significantly lower the overall team bat speed, showing that even their elite hitters can't completely offset the impact of their slower teammates. The vast difference in fast swing rate between the team's best and worst hitters highlights the challenge, yet the Yankees still manage to lead the AL in fast swings, making their achievement all the more notable.
This post by Leo Morgenstern appeared first on Just Baseball.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves might not be displaying the powerhouse offense they were known for in 2023, but they haven't lost their edge in terms of talent. This season, over one-third of their swings (36.9%) have been recorded at speeds of 75 mph or faster, a rate that no other team surpasses even the 30% mark. This represents a significant advantage.
While swing speed alone doesn't dictate success—as evidenced by the Braves ranking only eighth in MLB with a 110 wRC+ this season—it's generally beneficial to have a faster bat speed.
Conversely, the Braves are in the lower quartile among teams for both measures of squared-up rate. Essentially, they are opting for powerful swings over precision in hitting the ball squarely, which isn't necessarily detrimental.
Due to their leading position in fast swing rate, the Braves are also first in the NL in both measures of blast rate. Despite a lower squared-up rate, their ability to hit more squared-up balls with fast swings than any other team in the National League underscores their effective use of power.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Nine out of 30 MLB teams have squared up 100% of their hard-hit balls, and 28 out of 30 have achieved at least 99%. The Atlanta Braves are nearly there as well, having squared up 98.8% of their hard-hit balls this season, just shy of 99% due to a minor rounding discrepancy.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, however, are in a unique position. They have managed a significant number of hard contacts—defined as hits with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher—without fully squaring up the ball.
This means that many of their hits have reached speeds of 95 mph or more without achieving 80% of their potential maximum exit velocity. For example, several Pirates batters have produced hard-hit balls that could theoretically reach a maximum exit velocity of 119 mph or more.
The implications of this are mixed. On one hand, it demonstrates that some Pirates players possess remarkable strength, capable of generating considerable power without perfectly barreling the ball. On the other hand, it also indicates that the team is not fully capitalizing on their potential exit velocity. Key examples of players underperforming in this regard include Oneil Cruz, Rowdy Tellez, and Jack Suwinski, who have not maximized their power at the plate this season.
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Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays were expected to be a dominant offensive team. However, they currently sit 11th in the AL in wRC+ and 14th in runs per game. Their relative strengths have been a high walk rate (9.2%) and a low strikeout rate (20.2%), but their performance when making contact has been disappointing. Bat-tracking data helps clarify the situation.
The Blue Jays are at the bottom of the MLB in average bat speed, recording just 70.1 mph. They perform slightly better in fast swing rate at 16.2%, but only the White Sox (72 wRC+), Reds (83 wRC+), and Nationals (94 wRC+)—all notably poor offensive teams—rank lower.
Compounding the issue, the Blue Jays are not effectively trading off bat speed for precision in hitting the ball squarely. This approach, if intended, isn't yielding results. They rank 22nd in MLB in contact square-up rate, leading to their position at the very bottom in contact blast rate.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have the lowest squared-up rate in MLB, measured as a percentage of all swings, and the gap is significant. They only square up the baseball on 21.8% of their swings, which is 1.4 percentage points lower than the 29th-ranked Pittsburgh Pirates—a larger margin than that between the Pirates and the 22nd-ranked Tampa Bay Rays.
A key issue for the Rockies is their high rate of missing the ball. They lead the league in total missed swings and have the second-highest whiff rate across MLB.
Furthermore, even when the Rockies do make contact, they still rank last in how often they square up the ball. Given these struggles with making effective contact, it's not surprising that Colorado is among the bottom five teams in runs scored, despite playing in the most favorable stadium for hitters in the league.
This post by Leo Morgenstern appeared first on Just Baseball.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
New York Yankees
It was inevitable that we'd discuss the New York Yankees, home to sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto. No advanced bat-tracking data is needed to see that these players swing with serious power.
The numbers indeed back up what we see: the Yankees boast three of the top ten hitters in average bat speed among qualified batters. Stanton leads with an impressive 80.6 mph, followed by Judge in seventh place at 76.5 mph, and Soto rounding out the top ten at 76.1 mph. These three also top the charts among AL batters in both fast swing rate and contact blast rate.
Surprisingly, though, the Yankees rank only 11th in MLB for average bat speed at 71.7 mph. Despite this, they still place within the top four for fast swing rate, squared-up rate, and blast rate. This discrepancy is largely due to the slower swingers on the team, who significantly lower the overall team bat speed, showing that even their elite hitters can't completely offset the impact of their slower teammates. The vast difference in fast swing rate between the team's best and worst hitters highlights the challenge, yet the Yankees still manage to lead the AL in fast swings, making their achievement all the more notable.
This post by Leo Morgenstern appeared first on Just Baseball.
