Bo Bichette is a ton of enjoyable to look at on the plate, and that’s particularly the case in two-strike counts. He takes on the old-fashioned method of bodily altering his swing to keep away from placing out. There’s something aesthetically pleasing a couple of participant who refuses to strike out; it’s admirable, even. It will also be rewarding.
Bichette has used a no-stride two-strike method his complete profession, however again in 2022, he began standing a bit taller, together with his weight pre-shifted into his rear hip to go together with his no-stride load. In 2021, his .212 wOBA with two strikes was properly behind the league-wide mark of .236. As a hitter with an above-average hit software and a knack for making good contact on pitches off the plate, that efficiency merely wasn’t ok. Certainly, it’s the precise type of factor that will power most hitters to attempt one thing else, which is what Bichette did. Whereas his wOBA and xwOBA in two-strike counts confirmed no tangible enchancment, 2022 was (and nonetheless is) his finest full season by wRC+ (130). Regardless of the outcomes have been, Bichette’s general offensive sport was thriving, so as an alternative of reverting again to the extra crouched setup, he constructed upon his new two-strike stance to enhance it.
In 2023, Bichette’s .233 two-strike wOBA was in step with the league common (.232), whereas his .250 xwOBA was .018 factors larger than league common. He decreased his whiff price with two strikes by about 4 proportion factors from 2022, and his strikeout price dropped three proportion factors because of this. That’s notable, in fact, however keep in mind: Extra contact isn’t at all times higher for a chase-prone participant like Bichette, as a batter’s high quality of contact on pitches exterior the zone is often worse than on these over the plate. The important thing right here is that Bichette’s discount in whiffs got here with higher contact; final yr he had the perfect xwOBACON with two strikes (.389) of his profession.
Regardless of the continued enchancment in his two-strike method this season (.283 wOBA), Bichette’s 2024 has been tough general. After 261 plate appearances, he sits at a 83 wRC+ and grim .322 xwOBA. The basis of his points appears to be together with his method. His SEAGER mark, which measures selectivity and price of hittable pitches taken, dropped from 16.7 in 2023 to eight this yr. That’s a drop from the 74th percentile to the twenty third. For some purpose, that hasn’t carried over into hurting his two-strike method, however it’s nonetheless regarding for his general offensive profile.
That mentioned, Bichette’s two-strike enchancment has stored him afloat. Altogether, these enhancements not solely signify a major growth for him going ahead, however they’ve additionally confirmed important for saving his 2024 season. However why is Bichette’s two-strike method working and persevering with to enhance? What did the taller posture and shifted weight truly do for his swing? For that, we’ll have to take a look at some video.
2021 Two-Strike Swings
2024 Two-Strike Swings
Whereas this may be a lot simpler to see from a side-facing angle, it’s nonetheless evident how Bichette has cleaned up the small issues in his swing. His palms and hips are in a greater place to fireplace than they have been in 2021. Previously, he created an over-rotation together with his hips and torso when he obtained his swing going. Every thing obtained spinny, and he would typically find yourself off steadiness or together with his head thwacking towards the third base on-deck circle. From the pitcher’s perspective, it was clear he was wrapping his bat means an excessive amount of. The letters on the again of his jersey have been nearly dealing with the second baseman! Now, his toes are securely on the bottom and his physique isn’t dancing within the batter’s field even when he’s off steadiness within the higher half. This has resulted in the perfect begin to his profession with two strikes. (As an apart, Bichette nonetheless makes use of a leg kick every so often with two strikes. I’m unsure why, however I believed it’d be vital to make clear. Now, again to his method.)
Previously, this was about the place an evaluation of a two-strike method would finish. Fortunately, we are able to now put Bichette’s method within the context of Statcast’s new bat monitoring knowledge. A pair weeks again, Mike Petriello explored the general two-strike method within the majors and located some attention-grabbing issues. On common, hitters gradual their swings down by 1.6 mph in two-strike counts. However like something in baseball, two-strike approaches exist on a spectrum. Hitters like José Caballero and Nolan Arenado gradual their swings down as a lot as 4 mph on common, whereas Jesse Winker speeds his up.
Bichette falls in step with the remainder of the league. He drops his common bat velocity from 71.1 mph in counts with fewer than two strikes to 69.3 mph in counts with two strikes. General, Bichette is within the thirtieth percentile in common bat velocity at 70.6 mph. The truth that he slows his bat in two-strike counts isn’t the shock – Petriello’s analysis has made that clear. What I’m excited by is whether or not a participant who adjustments his mechanics in tandem with slowing down his swing is doing so successfully, and if not, what we should always take away from that. Whereas it’s the norm for hitters to gradual their swings down with two strikes, not all people is doing so with success. Simply since you gradual your swing down doesn’t imply you routinely have a greater alternative to place the ball in play or – extra importantly – sq. the ball up. For some guys, it could actually result in mechanical deficiencies.
Bichette’s mechanics and method are an attention-grabbing place to begin to this dialog as a result of the adjustment he makes is so visually apparent, which isn’t essentially the case with different hitters. With the brand new bat monitoring knowledge and metrics, we are able to assess the standard of his swings and decide if his method results in shorter swings that produce stable contact. Usually talking, the idea of shortening and slowing your swing down with two strikes has two targets: to keep away from whiffing and to present your self a greater likelihood to sq. the ball up, even when it gained’t result in huge time contact. For Bichette, that appears to be working higher than ever.
He makes use of a shorter swing in two-strike counts (7.4 toes vs. 7.3 toes), similar to the remainder of the league. Whereas we might not be capable of affirm that for earlier years, we now have knowledge that say so for this season. Shortening up has additionally helped him whiff considerably much less with two strikes than the league common (19.3% vs. 24.3%). It’d be best if his whiffing much less led to quite a lot of stable contact. With the assistance of Statcast’s new squared-up and blasts metrics, we are able to get an concept of how Bichette has fared.
A squared-up ball is outlined as a batted ball the place a hitter attains at the least 80% of the utmost exit velocity based mostly on their swing velocity and pitch velocity. In two-strike counts, the league common price is 26.5% of all swings. Bichette’s price is 25.4%. It’s fluctuated above and under the league common price all season. So based mostly on flush contact alone, he’s been near the league common hitter. What helps him is his potential to spray the ball at a perfect launch angle, and that results in his excellent wOBACON in two-strike counts up to now in 2024.
The place Bichette has actually excelled relative to the league has been with blasts. A blast is often when a batter squares a ball up when swinging the bat at the least 82 mph, although there are different elements that might make a batted ball qualify as a blast with a swing velocity under 82 mph. It’s way more tough for a hitter with below-average bat velocity to provide blasts, because it takes nearer to their peak bat velocity to provide one of these swing. Bichette has produced blasts in two-strikes counts with 13.2% of his swings, whereas the league common is a mere 9.7%. That places him within the seventy fifth percentile out of 214 certified hitters. Fairly darn good for a hitter with thirtieth percentile common bat velocity! Principally, regardless of his shortening up, he’s nonetheless in a position to swing quick and affect the ball if the state of affairs requires it. Having the ability to crush a mistake whereas additionally not whiffing on well-executed pitches is a incredible mix for a two-strike method.
The mixture of video, efficiency, and bat monitoring info helps inform a pleasant story a couple of hitter’s two-strike method. For Bichette, his no-stride and pre-set rotation helps him create above-average contact whereas additionally avoiding too many whiffs. As we get a greater understanding of find out how to apply the bat tacking knowledge, I’ll proceed to pay eager consideration to hitters with clear two-strike approaches. We’ve recognized that hitters have at all times employed these methods, however seeing how they go about doing so is an thrilling growth in public evaluation.