Cubs Quick Hits: Kris Bryant’s Flatter Swing Resulted in Fewer High Flies

With an eye on improving his contact, Kris Bryant made a concerted effort to flatten his swing last year. A less loopy swing, in theory, should translate to fewer high flies and more hard-hit line drives. That’s exactly what happened.

In 2015, 27% of Bryant’s batted balls were launched at angles greater than 36 degrees. But last season, only 16% of the balls he put in play had such steep launch angles. Check out the donut graphs — mmmm, donuts — for more comprehensive data on Bryant’s batted-ball trajectories over the past two years (warning: colors of donuts do not correspond with one another).

If you like this kind of thing, it’s just one of the cool tools you can find at the new xStats.org.

Back to top button