How the 'K' became the most destructive letter in Major League Baseball
Solid article. Its a bit wordy in the beginning so skip down to the header that says "Velocity And What Comes Next".
1. To sum it up the average fastball in 2011 was 89 mph, in 2021 its 94 mph. You could sit on an offspead pitch and still catch up to an 89 mph fastball, you cannot sit on anything and catch up with a 94+ mph fastball. You may not think 6 mph isnt much but its night and day. I was a decent high school hitter and i remember the first time i saw a pitcher throwing over 90, no joke, until you adjust to it you cannot even see the ball.
2. Pitching has gotten so good through advanced science that there is no such thing as a fastball count, pitchers can locate breaking pitches during any count so hitters truly have no idea what to expect. Now combine that with point number 1.
3. Pitchers are able to get more spin on the ball through science and some legal sticky shyt the mlb lets pitchers use now, allowing them to throw essentially unhittable breaking pitches. Now combine that shyt with points 1 and 2.
4. Hitters only have one swing, a homerun swing. Once pitchers figure out your swing arc its easier to avoid it because batters are taught not to deviate. Analytics say its better to strike out than to do anything other than swing for the fences, so thats what hitters do.
