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Originally Posted by Jerm
Cool…I just used launch angle as a way to rail against analytics lol…interesting what you say though, for sure.
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I just think the emphasis on blaming 'analytics' is backwards is all.
The game isn't suffering because offenses saw through numbers that HRs and walks were the way to win games by using analytics. Analytics simply provided the information and it's information that simply wouldn't have come out that way 25 years ago.
The game is suffering because pitching has become so overpowered that it MADE HRs and walks the way to win games. Especially when defensive shifts can cover for defensive deficiencies of power-forward hitters. And when smaller parks and increased nutrition means there's more power in the game than ever before.
I mean g'damn, look at a guy like Tyler O'Neill. That guy is a literal bodybuilder who is in the top 3% sprint speed in baseball. He's a freakin' monster. 30 years go Bo Jackson was a national phenomenon for being a guy just like O'Neill, now O'Neill is another face in the crowd.
Analytics didn't change the game - they simply told us that the game had changed.
And as it relates specifically to something like launch angle, I think the common fan simply misunderstands what the concept means. They're not always talking about how the ball comes off the bat (though that's part of it). They're talking about exactly what Williams is talking about there. It's about matching your swing to the path of the pitch so that your bat stays in the hitting zone longer to create more contact. THEN they'll start talking about mostly timing mechanisms that can address how the ball comes off the bat.
But it still all starts with the hit tool. If you can't put the barrel on the ball, all the raw power in the world doesn't mean anything but a fast grounder or high popup. So hitting coaches aren't teaching guys to try to hit up for loft. They're teaching guys to stay in the hitting zone by changing their attack angle THEN change their timing and their hands to do more damage at impact.
I'll probably never find it, but I saw an article about a guy who 'discovered' the Barry Bonds 'loop' in his swing by watching the knob of the bat. He thought he'd uncovered a holy grail. Nope - Williams was teaching THAT as well and any video of his swing back in the day demonstrates it.