Who exits fastest? Phils on board with Statcast

PHILADELPHIA — The only thing Cameron Rupp knows is that he has hit the ball hard.

Rupp does not know the velocity of the baseball as it leaves his bat. He does not particularly care that he is 39th out of more than 300 hitters in average exit velocity at 92.1 mph, according to Statcast™. But he likes to know that his average exit velocity confirms what he is feeling at the plate — he is making solid contact more often than not.

“There’s no need to change anything if I’m hitting the ball hard,” Rupp said.

Major League Baseball’s Statcast™ system is in its second full season, and more and more players are becoming aware of the numbers as they appear on TV and online in stories. Sports Illustrated just featured one about Statcast™, reporting that Tampa Bay Rays players are told on the first day of Spring Training that they are measured by exit velocity, not batting average.

“It’s a term they use exclusively, like nothing else matters,” a Rays player told SI.

It also reported these interesting tidbits: In 2014, the Mets’ front office chose Lucas Duda over Ike Davis as the club’s first baseman largely because Duda had a far better exit velocity. One front office reportedly balked at trying to acquire Royals closer Wade Davis before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline because it noticed a drop in the spin rate on his pitches. Davis landed on the disabled list with an elbow injury a short time later, although he is pitching again.

Teams clearly are using the information, including the Phillies.

“If there is information available to us that can help to improve our decision making, then we will absolutely incorporate it,” Phillies general …

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