Vertical Approach Angle (VAA) and Horizontal Approach Angle (HAA) are both metrics that describe the angle at which the ball crosses home plate. VAA is the angle of the ball’s vertical trajectory as it crosses home plate relative to the pitcher’s release point, while HAA is the angle of the ball’s horizontal descent.
Simply put, VAA measures the steepness of a ball’s descent while HAA measures the amount of its side-to-side motion.
Measurement
Vertical and Horizontal Approach Angles can be directly measured by ball tracking technology like Trackman and Hawkeye. Pitchers in the MLB can have a HAA range from -3 degrees to +1 degrees.
A negative value indicates the ball taking a horizontal angle glove side, while a positive angle means the ball moves toward the arm side.
Typical VAA for pitchers in the MLB range from -3.7 to -7.7 degrees for fastballs, while curveballs range from around -9 to -15 degrees. A negative value indicates the pitch crosses the plate at a lower height than it was released, and almost all pitches thrown have a negative value because the pitch crosses the plate at a lower point than it was released due to the raised mound and gravity.
Here are some Pitch factors that can directly impact VAA and HAA:
Understanding these factors and how they affect your VAA/HAA can help you better recognize how to evaluate your arsenal and determine how to maximize its effectiveness.
Like extension, this metric might be more of an indicator rather than a goal you should focus on improving. Specifically, it’s a metric that evaluates how the ball moves in flight so that you can fully understand and utilize the effectiveness of the arsenal that a pitcher currently has.
For example, fastballs with a VAA closer to 0, around -3 to -4 degrees, will tend to give the illusion of rise. Knowing how this pitch travels toward the plate can help you understand the characteristics of a pitch better.
Pitches with a VAA around -7 degrees travel with more of a steeper slope. You’ll usually find sinkers with lower VAA’s since they’re the type of pitch that travels with less vertical movement and may drop out of the zone more often.
Summary
Overall, VAA and HAA can measure the trajectory of a pitch as it crosses home plate and it’s a great data point that gives further insight as to how pitches move in flight.
Related Link
https://prospects365.com/2020/08/11/examining-pitching-approach-angles/
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/where-vertical-approach-angle-seems-to-matter-most/
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