Top 5 Baseball Metrics Measured in SkillShark

Arm strength, fielding range, speed, power, swing path, balance.. the list of baseball metrics to evaluate goes on and on.

That’s why baseball evaluation apps like SkillShark exist. We not only assist coaches in making the shift from pen-and-paper forms to digital templates, our integrations and features measure a range of metrics to provide coaches with accurate results.

With over 900 baseball organizations using our evaluation software, we uncover the top 5 baseball metrics coaches use SkillShark for. More importantly, we provided tips & tricks for how you can measure these metrics just as easily within the app.

1) Velocity

Quantifying velocity accurately can be difficult; however, utilizing a radar gun proves invaluable for objectively measuring bat speed. With the SkillShark & Pocket Radar integration, this is now possible!

Coaches will need to download the SkillShark app and have a Pocket Radar device handy. After connecting the devices, hitting and pitching speed (in mph) can be collected using the radar gun.

Each time an athlete is scored on their pitching or hitting speed, scores are automatically stored in SkillShark. As a digital record of scores are collected, coaches can gauge a better understanding of how a player’s velocity has progressed throughout the season. This framework empowers each athlete to reach their full potential by providing detailed insights into areas that need improvement.

2) Speed

Put away your phone clock app or pocket-sized timer. With SkillShark, measure running speed and store times on one interface.

• Open the app and select which player you want to evaluate.
• Navigate to which speed metric you want to measure (i.e., Home to 1st or Home to 2nd).
• Click on the ‘Stop Watch button.
• Click the start button when you are ready to record.
• Click the stop button when done recording and hit close
• *Score will automatically be stored for that player in the app.

Video: Recording Speed in SkillShark

3) Mechanics

Mechanics will look different for a pitcher, hitter, and fielder. When assigning a mechanics score within SkillShark, here is what to look for across each position in terms of stance and glove work:

Pitching Mechanics

• Wind up: Pivot foot should be on the pitching rubber while both shoulders should be slightly facing the batter.
  
• Arm cocking: Arm should be raised to a cocked position where the elbow is higher than the shoulder at a 90-degree angle.
  
• Follow-through: After the ball is released, the throwing arm should continue moving across the body in a downward & outward arc.

Hitting Mechanics

• Rotation: Front leg should be strongly planted on the ground to allow for the hips to rotate forward and the shoulders to pull back slightly—generating efficient power in the swing.
  
• Alignment: As the hitter is making contact with the ball, the front leg should be firmly planted on the ground, and body weight should be shifted to the front foot.
  
• Follow-through: Weight should be transferred to the front leg, shoulders and arms should be relaxed, and head should remain still in the follow-through.

Fielding Mechanics

• Ground balls: Glove should be low to the ground so that the tip of the glove is touching the ground.
  • The glove foot should be slightly forward while fielders should be bending their knees.
  
  
• Fly balls: Glove should be above the head with fingers pointing upward, but should be in the line of sight with the ball.
  • Fielders should be in an athletic stance with their knees slightly bent, allowing for quick movements in any direction.
    
    
• Line Drives: Glove should be positioned at chest or waist level (wherever the height of the ball is).
  • Fielders should be in an athletic stance with their knees bent, allowing for quick movements in any direction.
    

If a fielder meets the mechanics proper criteria when catching fly balls, ground balls, and live drives, assign them a score closer to 10.

4) Accuracy

Pitcher

Strike to walkout ratio: Number of strikeouts divided by number of bases on balls (or walks)

Hitter

Batting average: Hits divided by number of at-bats

Fielder

Fielding %: Number of putouts + assists divided by total # of chances. *Varies by position.

5) Contact

We breakdown what to look for within contact when measuring athletes on both hitting and bunting.

Hitting Contact

• Launch angle: Pay close attention to the angle at which the ball leaves the bat. The launch angle indicates different types of hits. Ie., line drives, ground balls, and fly balls.
• Adjustments: Are hitters adjusting their body & bat positioning to different types of pitches in order to make good contact?
• Soft vs. hard contact: As a simple rule of thumb, the harder contact, the better the outcome.

Bunting Contact

The bat should meet the ball softly. The bunter wants to achieve a gentler ball contact, hitting the ball a short distance and causing the pitcher or third baseman to field the ball.

Wrapping Up

A comprehensive assessment of a baseball player should measure velocity, speed, mechanics, accuracy, and character. Rather than merely relying on professional training and personal experience, using a baseball evaluation app will provide you with reliable results essential for making important decisions.

Although these are the top five baseball metrics that coaches utilize SkillShark for, the app has the capability to seamlessly evaluate players on any baseball metric.