SwStr% (Swinging Strike Percentage): Swinging strikes divided by total pitches. > WeinsteinBaseball.com/Book, Major league pitchers throw approximately. This tells you how good a hitter is at laying off of bad pitches, a key to good discipline. None of those numbers is good. Next time, we move on to pitchers and dive into ERA estimators such as FIP and SIERA. So I can count the balls pitched, but I cant see how many pitches (including fouls) a particular at-bat took. I go a bit beyond that definition of a ground ball, in that I use the leading edge of the OF grass as a guide. But it's more than just that, too, because Molina is also following along with a different trend. I know that doesnt compliment the umpire crowd, but these people are not professionals, nor do they enjoy the best mix of those who understand what a strike zone is. A strike to the first hitter during the first pitch of an at-bat is a first-pitch strike. Like Dominance rate, Control (BB/9) rate is another indicator in our toolbox that has driven our pitching roster decisions for a long time. At that age, they dont have to hit the strike zone as much as keep the ball within a foot of it all the way around. Ive also always tracked 1st pitch strikes too. The average Z-Contact% is around 87%. Base On Balls Percentage = Walks / Official At Bats. Someone told me that girls needed at least a 70-75% strike percentage in order to play at a high level (high level being Varsity or A ball). MLB average is around 80%, with Joe Panik leading the league at 89.9% and (you guessed it) Joey Gallo posting the worst mark at a horrifying 59.1%. All of the intangibles youve listed off swinging, looking, foul ball, tip etc, etc. Ill track ptiches in more detail, but well start with ratio of balls to pitches thrown and work out way up from there. This is extreme, but if a big league pitching staff improved their first pitch strike percentage from 57% to 80%, it would translate into one 100 fewer runs allowed over the course of a season. Calculation: Harvey's walk rate is down to 2.2 per nine, and he entered Wednesday ranking 18th in the Majors with 66.9-percent first-pitch strikes, according to FanGraphs. A kids strike zone thats only 2 high is over 400 sqin in area. But out of 45 teams, 41 are above 53% and below 70%. Ultimately, if he throws less balls, the walks will take care of themselves anyway. The numbers are from this seasons HS team. Someone told me that girls needed at least a 70-75% strike percentage in order to play at a high level (high level being Varsity or A ball). Numbers dont lie. One of the obvious reasons is because a first pitch strike is a strike, so you already know the pitcher is starting with an 0-1 count. Any other suggestions welcome and thanks. Privacy Policy, 12 Factors Other Than Ability That Impact Playing Time, In Defense of the Baseball Dad Who Coaches His Kid, 7 Factors That Matter More Than You Think at Youth Baseball Tryouts, See this post for the Youth Hitting Stats that Matter Most.