=== Rising Line Drives ===

We noted already that Franklin hits lots of fly balls, yet with very few infield popups.  For example, in June he hit 46% fly balls and only 2% popups, from both sides.  And 26% line drives.

For the season, his ratio is 44% fly balls and 5% popups.  Which is, of course, the opposite of what the pitcher is trying to make happen.  Pitchers lower their on-field ERA's by inducing ground balls, not fly balls.  And they do want to get as many infield pops as they can.

Go through the Fangraphs batted-ball-type leaders and find the [FB% guys] who [do not hit popups].  In general, you'll find the guys who square the ball up with rising swings. 

These are extremely dangerous hitters.  Evan Longoria is one of these (the best one of these).  Paul Konerko, Nick Swisher, Adam Dunn, and Russell Branyan have this skill set -- and it is because they swing upward, yet catch the ball slightly on the top half of it.   

.................

You might ask, don't all hitters swing up?  Why don't all hitters do this -- 45% flyballs and 5% popups?  For one thing, it's a batspeed issue.  If the pitcher drives one in there 2 feet deeper than you were ready for, and you snap the bat around to defend the strike zone, you wind up catching the bottom half of the ball.

Any hitter will tell you.  "The key to hitting Stephen Strasburg's heater?  Get on top of the ball."

So Nick Franklin's popup % tells you, right then and there, that he is VERY quick with the bat.  I mean, come on.  No way he has figured out, at his age, what's coming.  He's got to be surprised all the time.  And yet here he is, always getting the bat over everything?

Any batter can take an uppercut.  The problem is that you'll top it or sky it.

................

The eye confirms.  Run round the net and catch the Franklin vids.  Despite his power stroke, he's very quick to the ball.

You wonder what scouts are talking about, when they say a kid's special?   Here's what they mean.  A kid with (A) a longer swing who is (B) quicker to the ball.  Y'feel me?  It's just talent.

..................

We had a good amigo come on and state that he was Franklin's HS coach.  That Franklin had hit six different balls, in HS, over the batter's eye in CF, 410 feet away.

Mays and Aaron only weighed 180.  They had wrists. 

.

=== Don't Know What This Has To Do With Anything, But Just Thought I'd Mention It Dept. ===

Bill James, asked by the Sox his opinion as to Adrian Beltre, advised the Sox to sign him at that $$$.  But not to expect big things with the bat, just due to the fact that he was moving to Fenway.

Bill studied AB's fly ball trajectories and calculated that his fly balls would be off the Monster, not over it.

As we now know, the actual principle that mattered was [relaxing into your swing].  Life is complicated.

..............

Point here?  Don't worry about the shape of Franklin's swing in Safeco, one way or the other.  The principle that matters is:  we need good hitters.

.

Next article

.