Getting up to speed on MLB launch angles, exit velocity

Batting averages are still well and good, but fans steeped in sabermetrics seem to be more fixated on BABIP.

For the uniformed, or uninterested, that's an acronym for batting average on balls in play.

Wins, losses and ERA are seemingly still well and good, too, but FIP (fielding independent pitching) is a popular sabermetric stat which estimates a pitcher's run prevention independent of the performance of their defense.

Home runs are certainly still well and good in today's major-league era, but distance is no longer the lone measuring stick.

Launch angle and exit velocity were introduced in 2015 by MLB's Statcast, which gathers up data in every major-league ballpark using high-resolution cameras and radar equipment.

Launch angles are calculated by the vertical angle at which the baseball leaves a hitter's bat.

According to Statcast, launch angles of less than 10 degrees produce ground balls. Launch angles of 10-25 degrees produce line drives. Launch angles of 25-50 degrees produce fly balls. Lastly, launch angles that are 50 degrees or higher result in popups.

Exit velocity is much easier to decipher - it's the speed of the ball after it leaves the bat measured in miles per hour.

Curious about the growing interest in launch angles and exit velocities, I started checking around in the Chicago White Sox's clubhouse late last season.

One player, Matt Davidson, offered a blank stare after I asked him about the two new hitting calculations.

Davidson finally said, "Go ask (Adam) Engle, he keeps up with that kind of stuff."

When I asked Engle, he admitted to being aware of launch angles and exit velocities, but said it was more for fans looking for expanded ways to consume the game.

Davidson is likely going to face more questions about launch angles and exit velocities after he tied a major-league record with 3 home runs against the Royals on Opening Day.

Davidson's first homer on Thursday, which traveled 435 feet, had a 22-degree launch angle and 115.1 mph exit velocity.

The second home run traveled 426 feet with a 21-degree launch angle and 114 mph exit velocity.

Davidson's third HR traveled 376 feet with a 20-degree launch angle and 113.9 mph exit velocity.

Last season, when there were a record 6,105 home runs hit in major-league baseball, the Yankees' Aaron Judge had the highest exit velocity clearing the fences, 121.1 mph with a 24.6 launch angle.

As White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson accurately noted, hitters that stay on top of the pitch and hit the ball on the ground and generally going to have higher exit velocities.

In 2017, the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton was clocked with the hardest hit ball of the season, a 122.2 mph single.