How about we hire energetic, competent, hard working coaches that have the ability to sign really good players and develop them into great players. Relentless on the recruiting trail and unparalleled as developers. I don’t know if Jarrett is that man. But I do know that that is what we need
could help with both. Technology could help (if not be critical to) our ability to fully develop our players. And if we are able to better develop our players and expose them to many of the tools and concepts utilized at the professional level, it will—along with improving our results on the field—help us compete on the recruiting trail.
In order to recruit great players from the southern and western states, we need to be able to sell more than a great education—they can get a great education at Rice, Vanderbilt, Stanford, etc. And those schools have both better baseball traditions and weather conducive to the sport. If we can become better at developing players and helping them transition to professional baseball, by teaching skills that can be honed indoors with modern technology, we would have a lot more to sell to our potential recruits.
Granted, we have done reasonably well recently in attracting or developing the occasional star player who has found success in the majors (e.g. Biggio and Mancini). But we should be using every feasible resource to remain competitive on the field and in recruiting. In my view, that includes technology and analytics.
A baseball swing. I truly am. Enlighten me
For example, it could reveal patterns in the way pitchers typically approach certain hitters or profiles of hitters, or the pitches and locations a hitter is likely to face situationally. If, for example, a hitter were to learn that a particular pitcher throws a fastball down and away 90% of the time when faced with a 2-2 count, that would be extremely useful for the hitter.
It also can help players develop better plate discipline by learning the expected results associated with pitches they frequently face in a particular zone. It’s one thing to tell a hitter you have noticed he struggles with pitches up and in, and he should try to avoid swinging at those pitches unless faced with two strikes. It’s another to be able to provide irrefutable data showing the likelihood of an unsuccessful plate appearance if he swings at pitches in that zone. Moreover, being able to identify and distill patterns based on data can help identify specific areas for improvement, and perhaps suggest drills or mechanical adjustments that might address those weaknesses.
In addition, technology and analytics can help hitters develop a better understanding of the strike zone while practicing, as well as provide useful information about hitting mechanics. For example, what is the frequency with which the hitter makes contact out in front of the plate? What are the expected outcomes in those cases? In other words, maybe the hitter’s swing is fine, but perhaps he’s struggling with timing. Technology can also help you explore and identify issues with balance, efficient weight transfer, swing-angle, etc.
Again, I’m not suggesting technology and analytics should replace good coaching; I’m suggesting technology and analytics can help facilitate good coaching.
patterns, plate discipline, strike zone knowledge, and suggests areas where a player might improve. None of these things help a player's swing. They help his/hers approach.
The biggest difficulty we have with newly drafted players is the love affair with "launch angle". Every single one of our players attempts, incorrectly, to "get on plane" and swing "up" at the baseball. This requires length in the swing and thus takes more time. Invariably when the player is hitting .172 after a month of play we attempt to fix the problem. Pro baseball has done a great disservice to the amateur ranks, in my view, by not calling out amateur coaches and programs for this problem. It is one thing for Juan Soto to attempt to hit more long line drives than ground balls because he is incredibly skilled, has a repeatable swing, and merely needs to tweek his approach rather than his swing. It's what all big league hitters do. Christian Yelich has the measurably flattest swing in the Majors. Anthony Rendon has hands not seen since Paul Molitor - he just needs drills that keep him interested. Then wind him up and let him go.
Our analytic guys highlighted one of our players whose swing was measurably the "most on plane" and measurably the "most in sync". He hit below .150 and his swing sucks.
Amateur (and pro) coaches need to coach players to have a great set-up and a great approach. From those two baselines one can effectively work on the swing mechanics - not before. And though I agree with all of your post you have yet to identify how analytics helps a SWING.
That needs to be dug out of the dirt from childhood. Things like stickball, wiffle ball, and the like help dramatically in the formative years. But things like "launch angle" in the hands of inexperienced coaches has killed more swings than anything I know.
Sorry for the long rant...
And to a good coach, technology and analytics may not offer as much in terms of mechanical improvement. Although, I’d argue that technology may be able to identify mechanical flaws that are less perceptible, even to a trained eye. While some of a hitter’s success is doubtless a result of natural talent, I do believe it is possible (although perhaps difficult) to develop new mechanical habits. As you ably point out, however, focusing on launch angle alone is highly detrimental. I would hope that wouldn’t be what we would get from the coaches at ND.
Nevertheless, even if just for the benefits it can provide for developing our pitchers and our hitters’ approaches to their at-bats, I think ND should seek to find coaches who can correctly incorporate these tools.
Thanks for your insight! I appreciate your obviously well-informed perspective.
Which leads me to conclude that ND wasn't make decisions guided by data.
And not the whole solution. There are many more applications in regards to pitching than to hitting in my view. The Edgertronic camera is invaluable. Launch angle is dangerous for amateur hitters. Nothing can replace good coaching - of which analytics is only a part.
If my car breaks down the dealer will use advanced diagnostics to tell me exactly what’s wrong. A mechanic still has to fix the car.
We need coaches, above all, that can fix the car.
To follow your analogy - all the analytics in the world won't turn a Dodge Neon into a Ferrari. Until we get back to recruiting lights out starting pitching, meaning guys who can dominate with a heater and a good off speed pitch, it doesn't really matter.
I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Is that your quote? I love it.
Out here in CA there are dozens of Baseball Training Complex places that use all this tech, but they...
1. Don’t understand it
2. Focus on the flaws or shortcomings
3. Simply don’t put enough thought or honest thought into the actual talent potential of the player.
There are some really good hitting/pitching instructors that use the tech...but if we’re being honest the promise of technology gets parents to pay.
But my 5’7 CF that runs a 6.3 - 60 (no joke) has to put the ball in play if he’s going to play for me. He is NOT a D1 talent, and never will be.
But he goes to a guru, with HitTrax and Blast (both potentially great tools) and is told to increase his launch angle (which itself doesn’t make sense if you know what launch angle is)
What they really mean is that he needs to increase his attack angle...but the kid is a dumb 17 year old and just nods his head and tries to hit fly balls.
Sorry if I’m venting...but this tech revolution is dangerous in the hands of someone that doesn’t know what the numbers mean.
everytime he hits one in the air. I would embed the Willie Mays Hayes video form Major League if I knew how.
That has to be frustrating as his high school coach - the kid has elite speed and needs to pound the ball in the ground
so much of the private lesson “game” is focused of the mythical next level.
Can’t we just enjoy the team we’re on?
I think you can still have goals/dreams of playing at the next level, but those dreams are squashed when you don’t experience success.
the hands of those who either know or are willing to learn how to use it. Moreover, it’s a tool that allows those who might be at a disadvantage in some areas (i.e. geography) to obtain a competitive advantage over those who still cling to old-fashioned (and demonstrably incorrect) teaching methods.
I agree with you that good coaches are critical. As you say, focusing on launch angle alone, especially without an understanding of other more critical aspects of proper mechanics, is dangerous. We need good coaches who can teach the fundamentals. But I am highly suspicious of any coach who refuses to at least consider the knowledge and advantages that can be gained from analytics and development technologies.
And it isn’t as if Notre Dame would have a lot to lose by seeking to better understand how, say, Vanderbilt might be getting the most out of its players. In Missouri’s case, my understanding is that they used technology to help hitters gain a better understanding of the strike zone and develop better approaches to at-bats. I see very little downside in bringing this technology to Notre Dame—assuming we can hire coaches capable of incorporating the technology correctly. And if our current coaches are unable or unwilling, that would be a big strike against them in my eyes.
Well said.
Simplifying the game should be the goal of every coach. Tech can either make that possible or impossible...depending on the reliance of it all.
with fundamentals - like base running, closing batters out when ahead in the count etc. Seems to me if ND applied analytics to areas that we've been deficient in as a team, we'd see improvement in a way that effects our W/L record immediately.