Mets star sluggers issue takes on MLB’s new bat speed metric

Sweet spot percentage takes into account the rate of batted balls a player hits with a launch angle between eight and 32 degrees. Balls hit at this angle travel farther at higher exit velocities.

This is paramount for power hitters like Alonso, who are looking to reach the stands, and hitters for average, who are looking to breach the infield wall of defense and register doubles and triples in between the cracks. Swing speed does not directly impact where the ball comes off of the bat.

Though Alonso’s 33.9 percent sweet spot percentage places him in the 46th percentile among all hitters, and his 88.1 mph average exit velocity ranks in the 35th percentile. However, his 75.1 mph bat speed is one of the fastest in the Majors in the 90th percentile, so it may be more indicative of his success than he gives it credit for.

Francisco Lindor acknowledged the big potential for the MLB’s newest advanced stat

Mets star Francisco Lindor also spoke on the stat, saying this:

“I’m sure now that it’s a new stat, all the hitting gurus are going to be all over it. I think it’s going to be a new moneymaker for hitting gurus, and I think it’s going to be a way for some players maybe losing money because front offices might use it,” Lindor said.

“Or some players might make money off it. I just think it’s going to be a moneymaker and a money loser. We’ll see how it goes.”

Baseball thrives off of advanced analytics more than any of the other four major American team sports. The new average swing speed stat will likely be used to determine if older sluggers’ agility is diminishing, which will give teams a heads-up on whether to move on from players before dealing with irreversible downward trajectories at the plate.