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The Bradenton Marauders are one of the few minor league teams that have advanced metrics available for their players. This allows you to get a really good idea of how players are doing beyond the base numbers we usually follow.
For hitters, that includes exit velocity and launch angle, as finding the right medium in both only increases your chances of getting on base. On the pitching side, average velocity, spin rate, and break are among the things available through Baseball Savant for Bradenton.
No one is expecting players at the Single-A level to put up the same exit velocity as major leaguers, but gauging how they are doing in Bradenton can potentially project who may be able to develop major league power.
Here are three position players that are putting up numbers worth following at Bradenton right now.
Sergio Campana
A name that you probably didn’t expect to make it on a list about the offensive side of things, Campana (pictured) has been hitting the ball a lot better as of late and the metrics show. While his slash numbers aren’t great (.217/.316/.278), Campana is hitting the ball harder and squaring up, which has led to a better offensive output this month.
Campana’s average is over 100 points higher in May than it was in April, so too is his slugging percentage.
Part of that is due to his Hard Hit%, which is slightly below what is average at the major league level (35.6% in the majors, Campana’s is 35%). A ball is considered ‘hard hit’ if it has an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. Of the 57 batted balls Campana has had this year, 20 of them have been at 95 mph or higher.
On the Bradenton roster, no other batter has ‘barreled’ more balls at a better rate than Campana, with a 5.26% mark. The major league average currently is 6.7%. A ‘barreled’ ball must have an exit velocity of at least 98 mph, with the degree of the launch angle expanding depending on how the ball is hit.
Having the perfect blend of exit velocity and launch angle increases your opportunity of getting on base and hitting for power. So Campana’s strong May shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as nobody on Bradenton has a better blend currently than him.
Brenden Dixon
Maybe a more traditional pick, Dixon has performed above major league average in a couple of categories in the early goings of the season.
No player has a higher average exit velocity than Dixon (88.62-mph) and he is the only one that is above the major league average in the metric (88.4-mph).
A batted ball that has a launch angle between eight and 32 degrees is in the ‘sweet spot’. A line drive is looked at anything in between 10 and 25 degrees, just at the right angle that will avoid the infield and get down before anyone in the outfield can get there. Dixon has an average launch angle of 16.88.
With an above average exit velocity and launch angle right in the middle of the line drive mark, there isn’t much surprise that Dixon is second on the team in average and first in slugging percentage among qualified Bradenton hitters.
Brenden Dixon: Approach Leading To Success As Bradenton’s Table Setter
Rodolfo Nolasco
Another name that shouldn’t be a surprise, as Nolasco’s raw power was one of his most talked about tools. He joined Dixon has the only two players on Bradenton with an exit velocity at or above major league average.
When it comes to hitting the ball hard, no one does it at a higher rate than Nolasco. Of the 77 batted balls Nolasco has this year, 33 of hit the 95-mph threshold to be considered a ‘hard hit’. His 42.6 hard hit% is seven points higher than the major league average, and he’s also just over the ‘SweetSpot%’ medium as well at 33.7%.
He’s also hit the hardest ball on record this year for Bradenton, a 110.3-mph double, that also had a 13-degree launch angle.
Nolasco has been one of the many hitters struggling this year, as he is currently only hitting .210 on the season. He is hitting the ball hard, and if he can continue to do so, he should eventually start to see the ball drop in for hits.
Bonus Prospects
There are other players with notable Statcast numbers. Jase Bowen is among the team leaders in barrel rate (4.76%), but hasn’t quite figured out the launch angle side of things. Tsung-Che Cheng and Luke Brown are among the team leaders in SweetSpot%, and are both above major league average, but they lack the exit velocity at the time to get enough solid contact on the ball.
When used properly, these numbers can help you see the kind of contact you are making and compare it to those who are succeeding at the highest level, and make the small adjustments to put you on that right path.
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Williams: The Growing Pains of Single-A
Carlos Jimenez Has Emerged As One of the Pirates’ Best Lower Level Pitching Prospects
Anthony Solometo: High Changeup Usage Highlights Debut
Bradenton Statcast: Who Is Hitting The Ball Well?
Tsung-Che Cheng: “He’s the type of guy who has an elite level of focus, an elite level of drive”
Joelvis Del Rosario is Starting to Make a Name For Himself
Brenden Dixon: Approach Leading To Success As Bradenton’s Table Setter
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Bradenton Statcast: Who Is Hitting The Ball Well? – Pirates Prospects - Pirates Prospects
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