Does the "Batted Ball Profile" Mean Anything?

[DrRicherdKimble]

Some people say this information in a player's ratings page is just cosmetic. They say it doesn't matter if a player has 70 POW and Groundball profile, he will hit the same number of home runs as a Flyball profile.

I have a hard time believing that - anyone know for sure? Thanks in advance, floks

[Matt Arnold]

It does obviously correlate with where they hit the balls, so it's not meaningless. But more or less 2 players with 70 POW should have similar HR rates, even if one is a GB player and another is a FB player.

[DrRicherdKimble]

I appreciate the fast reply Matt, thank you

[Ratbelly]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

It does obviously correlate with where they hit the balls, so it's not meaningless. But more or less 2 players with 70 POW should have similar HR rates, even if one is a GB player and another is a FB player.

Is a line drive hitter the most desirable option, all other things being equal, when you consider all of the profiles? I would assume that it would be, but not sure if the engine considers that.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Ratbelly

Is a line drive hitter the most desirable option, all other things being equal, when you consider all of the profiles? I would assume that it would be, but not sure if the engine considers that.

It does but the way it does is probably considered backwards to some. If a hitter is a fly ball hitter but improves their BABIP, such as with a TCR bump, they will also sometimes turn into a line drive hitter. Otherwise, that profile is correlated with BABIP on creation, along with speed. If you just go into the editor and change a guy’s BABIP, however, their profile will not change.

[liberty-ca]

Amazing info, Syd Thrift, thanks!