Launch angle is a hitting metric that measures the vertical angle of a batted ball’s flight path after the ball makes contact with the bat.
This metric is measured in degrees and can have both positive and negative values. Ground balls will normally contain a negative launch angle, while line drives may be between 10 and 20 degrees and fly balls having even larger positive values.
Launch Angle is accounted for in every batted ball whether it results in a foul, out, or hit, and does not refer to a particular style of swing type or offensive approach.
Measurement
The most accurate way you can measure Launch Angle is through ball tracking systems. Technologies like Hawkeye, Trackman, and Rapsodo are all effective at directly measuring LA.
Launch Angle is useful for categorizing batted balls into different types of hits, which ultimately helps you determine a hitter’s batted ball profile.
Batted balls can be roughly categorized into one of four different hit outcomes based on their LA:
Ground Ball (<10 degrees)
Line Drive (10-25 degrees)
Fly Ball (25-50 degrees)
Pop Up (>50 degrees)
By consistently tracking your Launch Angle, you can evaluate trends in your hitting and determine what types of batted balls you hit most often.
Application
Launch Angle is routinely talked about in relation to exit velocity. Exit Velocity measures the speed of the ball off the bat, and when compared with Launch Angle and other metrics you can estimate a batted ball’s distance.
Simply put, a positive Launch Angle with a high Exit Velocity can be desirable because those two outcomes often produce extra-base hits. Additionally, the optimal point for home runs is a Launch Angle between 25-35 degrees when paired with an Exit Velocity of 95 mph or higher.
Power hitters strive to drive the ball out of the park, which requires both a high exit velocity and positive launch angle degree. Typically, contact hitters aim to hit more line drives which consistently have lower positive launch angles. As you can see, Launch Angle is completely individualized, and the optimal outcome can be contingent upon your goals.
You can find Launch Angle values of current MLB players on the Statcast leaderboards at baseballsavant.mlb.com.
Summary
In conclusion, having a strong understanding of Launch Angle is one of the keys to forming a strategic approach at the plate to consistently produce the best results on the field.
Related Links
https://www.mlb.com/glossary/statcast/launch-angle
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/mlb-launch-angles-story/
https://v1sports.com/blog/launch-angle-the-most-misunderstood-term-in-hitting/
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