GO/AO stat in game changer.

[tomorrow]

I see game changer (under pitcher advanced) has a Ground Out/Air Out stat that it keeps up with for pitchers.
Do you have any thoughts on interpreting this stat?
Can we say with any certainty that riseball(up in the zone) pitchers will always have more Air outs than ground outs?
From what I can tell most of the best pitchers have alot more ground outs than air outs but there are a few exceptional pitchers that have more air outs than ground outs.

I am just trying to understand if any value from this stat can be derived for anyone interested. (pitchers, coaches or opposing coaches)

 

[CoachCeetar]

Assuming the data is accurate and not including pop-ups.. Generally speaking aren't most batters trying to hit the ball in the air to the outfield (or further?) A pitcher can't meaningfully control whether a fly ball is to an outfielder or in a gap. Lots of air-outs is a red flag that very well might normalize to doubles/HRs.

 

[cnardone]

I believe the stat includes pop ups. As a coach or parent I am not sure the stat tells you anything you don’t already see.

It might be interesting to look at that in conjunction with the GB, LD, FB rates.

Looking at my dd and another pitcher on her team, the pitcher who has a higher FB rate has a lower % of outs in the air. Makes no sense. So I’ve been no help here.

 

[CoachCeetar]

I believe the stat includes pop ups. As a coach or parent I am not sure the stat tells you anything you don’t already see.

Might give you a hint if you have a good outfield defense.

 

[RADcatcher]

I see game changer (under pitcher advanced) has a Ground Out/Air Out stat that it keeps up with for pitchers.
Do you have any thoughts on interpreting this stat?
Can we say with any certainty that riseball(up in the zone) pitchers will always have more Air outs than ground outs?
From what I can tell most of the best pitchers have alot more ground outs than air outs but there are a few exceptional pitchers that have more air outs than ground outs.

I am just trying to understand if any value from this stat can be derived for anyone interested. (pitchers, coaches or opposing coaches)

It's also hard to determine/reflect because of what the Batters are doing
aka the affect of those swings.
Swinging down.
Swinging up.

Maybe it's usefulness can be when playing against the same team again.
However it doesn't include pitch charting so we won't know where the pitch location was in relation to where the ball went

The clue to pitch locations would be as you mentioned a rise ball pitcher pitching up or a drop pitcher pitching down. But location of contacted pitch still not included in each of those contacts at bat.

 

[Nuwin]

Are you accurately consistently tracking hard hit ball percentage?

I say consistently because I learned how to interpret our team stats because I knew how the one person ruled things, whether I agreed or not. HA! Much harder if GC/Book is passed around and you get different interpretations each game.

An individual stat is just one piece to the puzzle. You need other data points to help interpret it.

I'd prefer ground balls on general premise, but would take lazy fly balls over rocket shot grounders.

 

[daywalkerdad]

I do not know, what usefulness it is. Maybe one of those stats that are easy to calculate?
You could roughly back calculate BA fly ball vs ground ball but that should be easily generated.
For what it is worth DD
Spring ratio 1.5 gb% 62%. 62/38 1.6
Fall (only 4.5 games) 2.7 gb% 70%. 70/30 2.3
So in the spring ba on fly balls and ground balls about the same. Fall more likely to get hit on fly ball.
I never understood why it does not generate slg% or slg% in balls in play, much more useful.

 

[canyonjoe]

The best pitchers (outside of the ones who K everyone) get people to not square up the ball. Rise ball pitchers will get more popups than drop ball pitchers in theory. This stat doesn't mean a lot to me in comparing pitchers. It's only use to me would be as a trend over time to see if a certain pitcher is getting a higher percentage of ground outs versus the year before. It could mean that their drop ball is getting better or that they aren't getting the "rise" they used to get. In Youth it's almost meaningless but I guess in college with enough games it might be useful.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Pitchers need only 3 pitches. Rise, drop and change. You want weak ground balls and weak flyballs about equally.

 

[CoachCeetar]

The best pitchers (outside of the ones who K everyone) get people to not square up the ball. Rise ball pitchers will get more popups than drop ball pitchers in theory. This stat doesn't mean a lot to me in comparing pitchers. It's only use to me would be as a trend over time to see if a certain pitcher is getting a higher percentage of ground outs versus the year before. It could mean that their drop ball is getting better or that they aren't getting the "rise" they used to get. In Youth it's almost meaningless but I guess in college with enough games it might be useful.

Does softball lend itself to weak contact more than baseball? I understand the sabermetrics of baseball, in that a pitcher has very little control, if any, over weak contact. But perhaps a bigger ball and shorter time to break means more foul tips than straight misses. Makes me wonder if foul tip % is more meaningful, in the ways swinging strike % is in baseball.