RESEARCH: Homers are here to stay
Nov 13 2018
It should come as no surprise that home runs have increased since 2014. That year, there were 4,186 home runs hit, while in 2018, there were 5,585 (a 33% increase). The trend began in 2015 and continued through 2018. Most of us have now accepted that this is a “new normal,” but is it? Before we can declare it so, we need to understand the why behind the increase.
Using basic BaseballHQ.com metrics sheds some light. It’s not more fly balls: the league FB% was 34.8% in 2014 and 35.6% in 2018. That’s an increase, sure, but one that would have only increased home runs by about 2%. However, the league hr/f was 9.5% in 2014 vs. 12.7% in 2018 (and was right around 13% in 2016 and 2017 as well). Something else is going on here.
Thanks to...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Research
The pitching landscape has shifted yet again, and our Pure Quality Start metric undergoes a minor shift to level-set the results.
Nov 28 2023 1:01am
Nov 28 2023 1:01am
With the new pitch clock we examine who the clock may impact and how the clock may or may not impact pitcher performance.
Feb 23 2023 1:05am
Feb 23 2023 1:05am
Several years have passed since the original article. It's time for an update and a look at the initial 2021 list.
Jun 17 2021 12:04am
Jun 17 2021 12:04am
The elite rate at which Dansby Swanson produced 95+ mph exit velocity in 2019 suggests that he's an overlooked breakout target.
Jun 15 2020 1:05am
Jun 15 2020 1:05am
Nick Pivetta gave up less very hard contact in 2019 than you might think. Could it be a precursor to a rebound season?
Jun 9 2020 1:05am
Jun 9 2020 1:05am
