X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Statcast Hitter Risers/Fallers - Launch Angle

juan soto fantasy baseball rankings outfield MLB injury news

Launch angle is one of the most commonly referenced Statcast results these days. Some stadiums even display these statistics on each batted ball for the most casual fan to see during a ballgame. Taken in isolation, it doesn't tell the whole story of a batted ball's progress, but it can be a valuable tool to explore a hitter's ability to generate lift and, consequently, extra-base hits.

Many fantasy baseball owners are starting to see the value of MLB's Statcast advanced stats in order to help identify potential risers and sleepers. Just as we've done for pitchers, this weekly series will examine a handful of hitters who are performing surprisingly well or poorly according to sabermetrics.

Each week, we'll take a look at some key Statcast offensive metrics in order to assess risers and fallers. This time, we'll look again at launch angle in conjunction with exit velocity, focusing on different players than in the first iteration of this analysis several weeks ago. As we approach the All-Star break in a couple of short weeks, we'll increase the threshold for qualifiers to 100 plate appearances (PA).

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:

 

Surprising Chart Toppers

All stats current as of June 25, 2018 and display leaders among hitters with at least 100 PA

Brian McCann (C, HOU) - 23.9° Avg. Launch Angle

McCann is the leading angle-getter at this stage of the season, given our qualifications, although fellow backstop John Ryan Murphy would have him beat if he recorded a few more plate appearances. It's been a non-descript season for McCann, who missed some time early in June and has lost the occasional start to hotter-hitting Max Stassi. He's putting up a career-high 52.6% fly ball rate, but it isn't resulting in much other than fly ball outs. Despite the impressive launch angle, he's gone deep just once in June and has only four extra-base hits in the last two months. Still, McCann survives as a starter on the best team in baseball and has value given his position and penchant for power. He's been dropped to last in the batting order recently, but with a lineup that deep it shouldn't hurt his RBI potential too much. He's a bench stash for now and a must-hold in two-catcher leagues on the chance he regains his stroke.

Robinson Chirinos (C, TEX)20.9° Avg. Launch Angle

Another catcher, another survivor. The Rangers' attempt to replace him with Jonathan Lucroy last year proved to be an exercise in futility. Among catchers with at least 100 PA, Chirinos is tied for seventh with nine HR and tied for 10th with 25 RBI. Chirinos is enjoying an 18% HR/FB in conjunction with his 50.5% FB%, both numbers that are sustainable given his recent trends. Of course, that goes along with a .197 batting average and strikeout rate near 40%. The power is real, but so is the tradeoff.

Luis Valbuena (1B/3B, LAA) - 18.6° Avg. Launch Angle

At age 32, Valbuena has seen some big swings in historical trends regarding plate discipline, not for the better. Valbuena is walking half as much as last year, striking out 11% more than his career average, and has a 14.3% SwStr% that is a career-worst. His O-Swing% has also jumped up to 31.7%, seven points above last year, although his O-Contact% remains unimproved. With his free-swinging ways and newfound launch angle, he's gotta be generating Gallo-like numbers, right? Despite a respectable 89.6 mph exit velocity, his 0.80 GB/FB rate is lower than it has been the last two years and he has just 14 XBH in 205 at-bats. Valbuena has some pop, but his declining contact rate makes him someone to ignore.

Robbie Grossman (OF, MIN) - 18.3° Avg. Launch Angle

With no Byron Buxton, Grossman has been a fixture in the Twins lineup thanks to his solid glove and patience at the plate. Grossman is renowned for his walk rate, which exceeded 14% each of the last two seasons. What he is not known for is power. After posting a solid .443 SLG and .163 ISO in 2016, those numbers have dropped the last two seasons. This year, he has just three home runs in 61 games and a .335 SLG. While he manages to keep most of his batted balls airborne, it's telling that he has an average exit velocity of 87.1° thus far. This is a good example of a stat not necessarily being indicative of its implied correlation. The walks are nice, but with just nine doubles, three homers, and a .225 batting average, Grossman isn't even useful in points leagues.

 

Alarming Bottom Dwellers

Michael Taylor (OF, WAS) - 4.9° Avg. Launch Angle

In this case, you could probably care less what Taylor's launch angle or power numbers are since he's stealing bases at a prolific clip. Taylor was supposed to be a 20/20 candidate, but that's looking more like 10/40 now. If you're interested, Taylor has one of the lowest launch angles of all regular outfielders and his 85.9 mph exit velocity ranks 227th overall. His slugging percentage is almost 100 points lower than last year, partly due to a HR/FB rate that has been cut in half. There could be some regression, but it looks like last year's 19 HR might wind up being the outlier on his resume. Taylor probably won't surpass 15 HR this year, which is perfectly fine as long as he's swiping bags.

David Peralta (OF, ARI)6.7° Avg. Launch Angle

Peralta has already matched last year's home run total at 14 and is among the league leaders in exit velocity and hard hit rate. How is it possible that he is among the worst at launch angle, then? Peralta has consistently been a ground ball hitter and his 50.5% GB% is actually five points lower than last year. Peralta is due for HR regression at some point, as his inflated 21.9% HR/FB is the thing that jumps out most on the back of his virtual baseball card. Peralta owners don't need to be alarmed, however, as he'll continue to be a solid, if not spectacular, contributor across four categories. His fantasy value has likely peaked, however.

Juan Soto (OF, WAS) - 6.8° Avg. Launch Angle

Here's the Nats outfielder we really want to know about. Soto has been a godsend, slashing .323/.422/.596 in his first 30 games with six homers and nine doubles. We have almost nothing to compare this to, as he never stayed more than one place long enough in the minors and barely even played at the Double-A level before being promoted. He's shown amazing plate discipline for a 19-year old, registering a 0.85 BB/K and swinging at just 25% of pitches outside the zone. While not predominantly a power hitter, Soto's raw power grades out at 60 and he's shown plenty of it so far. His lack of launch angle can be ignored because, much like Nomar Mazara and Eric Hosmer, he can generate plenty of long balls and extra-base hits despite a low flyball rate.

Jake Lamb (3B, ARI) - 7.2° Avg. Launch Angle

I'll give it to you straight - Lamb can't hit lefties. He's posting a .200 SLG and .050 ISO versus LHP, compared to .408 SLG and .175 ISO versus RHP. His groundball rate is still too low in general, but it's 12 points higher at 57% against lefties and his hard hit rate is a full 20 points lower. Injuries are to blame for his slow start, but Lamb will still need to make some adjustments in order to lift the ball more. Given his background and relatively favorable home park, humidor or not, Lamb should be considered a buy-low candidate for power.

 

More Statcast & Fantasy Baseball Strategy




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jordan Clarkson3 hours ago

Out At Least A Week
Kyle Kuzma3 hours ago

Out Again On Saturday
Jamal Murray3 hours ago

Won't Return On Friday Night
Giannis Antetokounmpo3 hours ago

Anticipated To Play Versus Cleveland
Puka Nacua4 hours ago

Shot To Play Week 9
Jordan Love4 hours ago

Tracking To Play In Week 9
Stephen Curry7 hours ago

Unavailable Saturday
Yves Missi7 hours ago

Expected To Take The Court Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns7 hours ago

Available On Friday
Eric Comrie7 hours ago

Faces Blue Jackets Friday
Daniel Theis7 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Friday
David Savard7 hours ago

Sits Out Practice For Maintenance Purposes
De'Anthony Melton7 hours ago

Unavailable Saturday
Jordan Hawkins8 hours ago

Expected To Play Friday
Alexander Romanov8 hours ago

Ready To Play Friday
Al Horford8 hours ago

Resting Against Charlotte
Evgeni Malkin8 hours ago

Takes Maintenance Day On Friday
Andrew Wiggins8 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Matchup With Houston
Rose Namajunas8 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
D'Angelo Russell8 hours ago

Will Suit Up Versus Toronto
Devon Levi8 hours ago

Returns To Sabres Crease
Clayton Kershaw8 hours ago

To Undergo Two Surgeries
Anthony Davis8 hours ago

Available Against Toronto
Erin Blanchfield8 hours ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Lowe8 hours ago

Rays Pick Up Club Option On Brandon Lowe
Ryan Hartman8 hours ago

Rejoins Wild Lineup Friday
Zach LaVine8 hours ago

Will Play Against Brooklyn
8 hours ago

Nick Martinez Headed To Free Agency
Erik Cernak8 hours ago

Available On Friday
Marc-Andre Barriault8 hours ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Brent Suter8 hours ago

Inks Extension With Cincinnati
Immanuel Quickley8 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
CJ McCollum8 hours ago

Out At Least Two Weeks
8 hours ago

Yankees, Mets Among Teams In Battle For Juan Soto
Anthony Black8 hours ago

Starting Versus Cleveland
Franz Wagner9 hours ago

Cleared For Friday Night
Herbert Jones9 hours ago

To Miss A Significant Amount Of Time With Shoulder Injury
Marc-Andre Barriault9 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Blake Snell9 hours ago

Opts Out Of Deal With San Francisco
Desmond Bane9 hours ago

Won't Face The 76ers
Josh Jacobs9 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday
Drake Maye9 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
Tyler Boyd9 hours ago

Tony Pollard, Tyler Boyd Listed As Questionable
Tyjae Spears10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Calvin Ridley10 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
Trevin Giles10 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Noah Fant10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Brian Robinson Jr.10 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
Mike Malott10 hours ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Dallas Goedert10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
DK Metcalf10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Zach Benson10 hours ago

Could Play Next Week
Jani Hakanpaa11 hours ago

And Connor Dewar Sent On Conditioning Stint
Dmitri Voronkov11 hours ago

Ready For Season Debut Friday
Jordan Love11 hours ago

Questionable Vs. Lions
Mathew Barzal11 hours ago

Getting Tests Done For Upper-Body Injury
Vladimir Tarasenko11 hours ago

Ready To Go For Saturday
Mark Stone11 hours ago

Misses Practice Due To Birth Of Child
Puka Nacua12 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Week 9
Will Levis12 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
David Njoku13 hours ago

Good To Go For Week 9
Bucky Irving13 hours ago

Absent During Friday's Practice
David Njoku13 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
Adam Thielen13 hours ago

Doubtful For Week 9
Jonathon Brooks13 hours ago

Not Expected To Play In Week 9
Tee Higgins13 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Sunday
Tyreek Hill13 hours ago

Expected To Play In Week 9
Tomás Nosek16 hours ago

Tomas Nosek Ready For Panthers Debut On Friday
Leon Draisaitl17 hours ago

Leads Oilers To Victory With Three-Point Effort
Martin Necas17 hours ago

Registers Four Points In Dominant Win
Alex Ovechkin17 hours ago

Bags Three Points In Thursday's Win
17 hours ago

Royals Decline Option On Adam Frazier
Sidney Crosby17 hours ago

Drags Penguins Back On Track
17 hours ago

Manuel Margot, Kyle Farmer Headed To Free Agency
William Nylander17 hours ago

Pots Two Goals Versus Seattle
17 hours ago

Milwaukee Declines Option On Wade Miley
NHL17 hours ago

Will Smith Scores First Career Goals
Lucas Giolito17 hours ago

Staying In Boston
Chris Stratton17 hours ago

Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton Returning To Kansas City
Jordan Montgomery17 hours ago

Staying In Arizona
1 day ago

Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn Headed For Free Agency
Roansy Contreras1 day ago

Claimed By Texas
1 day ago

Alex Kirilloff Announces Retirement
Jorge Soler1 day ago

Traded To Los Angeles
Curtis Lazar1 day ago

Out Indefinitely Following Knee Procedure
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado1 day ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz1 day ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton
Derrick Lewis1 day ago

Faces An Unranked Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Ends Layoff At UFC Edmonton
2 days ago

Daniel Hudson Retires After World Series Victory
Freddie Freeman2 days ago

Drives In Two More Runs, Earns World Series MVP Honors
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Comes Up Short at Homestead
William Byron4 days ago

Rallies to Sixth at Homestead
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Tire Issue at Homestead Could Doom Kyle Larson's Championship Hopes
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Charges To A Thrilling Victory At Homestead
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Loses At Homestead On The Final Corner To Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Quietly Nabs A Top-5 Finish At Homestead
Khamzat Chimaev5 days ago

Remains Undefeated
Robert Whittaker5 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 308
Aleksandar Rakic5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 308
Armen Petrosyan5 days ago

Knocked Out At UFC 308
Shara Magomedov5 days ago

Gets Highlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC 308
Joey Logano5 days ago

Intentionally Sleepwalked Through Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Advances to Championship 4 as Owner but Not as Driver
Dan Ige5 days ago

Loses Second-Straight Fight At UFC 308
Lerone Murphy5 days ago

Remains Undefeated At UFC 308
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Wins Lackluster Decision Win At UFC 308
Max Holloway5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out For First Time At UFC 308
NASCAR6 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Earns Best Qualifying Run in Over a Year at Homestead
Zane Smith6 days ago

Expect Zane Smith's Steady Consistency to Continue at Homestead
Ryan Preece6 days ago

Both Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing Seem Ill-Suited to Intermediates
Michael McDowell6 days ago

Couldn't Overcome Ford's Intermediate Speed Deficit in Homestead Qualifying
Joey Logano6 days ago

Team Likely to Ignore Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Carson Hocevar6 days ago

Looks to Clinch Rookie of the Year Award
Daniel Hemric6 days ago

Qualifies Ninth for Best Start of the Year
Denny Hamlin6 days ago

Is Strong at Homestead, but Sometimes Struggles in the Clutch
Justin Haley6 days ago

Benefits in Qualifying From Spire Motorsports Speed
Austin Cindric6 days ago

Slowest Ford Regular in Homestead Qualifying
Chris Buescher6 days ago

Lacks Intermediate Track Consistency
Josh Berry6 days ago

Hopes to Stay Alive in Rookie Race at Homestead

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Jalen Hurts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Week 9 Targets and Avoids (2024)

Welcome to our NFL Survivor Pool Picks for Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season! There are so many different pools, fantasy leagues, weekly bets, and futures bets that it's hard to decide what to do with these choices. But survivor pools are the oldest and simplest leagues out there. All you have to do […]


Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 9 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Jalen Hurts, Chase Brown, Evan Engram, and more

After raiding my daughter's trick-or-treat bag leftovers, I'm battling a Halloween hangover. It's probably a similar feeling to what lots of DFS players were experiencing after last week's Main Slate, as injuries and muted outputs from several popular players were hallmarks of Week 8. That said, we're on to a Week 9 slate that features […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 9 (Friday Updates): Puka Nacua, DK Metcalf, Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love, more

We have now hit the halfway point of the NFL season, but over halfway for most fantasy football seasons. As has been the norm this season, there are plenty of injuries to top fantasy players at every position. Some remain out for the foreseeable future, some are potentially playing through injury, and some are returning […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Pick'em Pool Picks (Week 9) - Targets, Avoids, Predictions for Pick'em Contests (2024)

Just two teams will be on a bye during Week 9, leaving a busy slate across the NFL. Injuries will once again impact the slate, as well as some teams making changes at quarterback. Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 9 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 9 - Top Lineup Plays Include Bijan Robinson, A.J. Brown, T.J. Hockenson

Like a backup quarterback patiently holding the clipboard with his hat on backward, I've been summoned into action to help give you some helpful NFL DFS advice for Week 9. My good friend Dennis Clausen, who usually pens this piece, asked me to help him out this week. Don't worry - Dennis is fine, other […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Josh Jacobs, Zay Flowers, Tank Bigsby, Rachaad White, Nick Chubb, Bucky Irving

Welcome to Week 9, the midway point of the 2024 fantasy football season. It's arrived quickly for most, but there's still plenty of season left! Injuries to wide receivers have left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers, therefore propping up running backs. However, some running backs may have a rough week while […]


Michael Pittman Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 9 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 9 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 9 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 9! With the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers on bye this week, fantasy managers will have to replace George Pickens, Najee Harris, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle in their lineups. This Week 9 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em piece will help you make the right lineup decisions […]


Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati Bengals Defense - Fantasy Football DST Streamers, Rankings, Pickups

Top Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings (Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12) - Defense Streamers and Starts

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our fantasy football D/ST streamers and starts for Weeks 9, 10, 11, and 12 -- looking at the next four weeks and identifying the best D/ST matchups. If you like to stream defenses weeks in advance or are looking for a defense to pick up and play this week, you have come to […]


Video: Week 9 Must-Start Running Backs - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

Week 9 of the NFL season is upon us! There are some interesting decisions at the RB position on this slate. Don't miss our notable fantasy football running back starts and sits for Week 9! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" running backs that will have a fantasy football impact in Week 9, […]


CeeDee Lamb - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Breakouts for Fantasy Football - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends for Week 9 (2024)

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 9 by Kevin Tompkins Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

The King's Week 9 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel delivers his Week 9 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league formats. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to confirm that your must-start players have a good chance of posting winning fantasy […]