Latest Statcast metric highlights key to breakout SF Giants rookie's success in 2024

SF Giants rookie Tyler Fitzgerald had a breakout rookie campaign in 2024. Baseball Savant published a new metric highlighting the key to his success: his ability to pull the ball in the air. The righty bat was 16th among qualified hitters in that metric, as he pulled the ball in the air in 27.5 percent of batted-ball events.

Latest Statcast metric highlights key to breakout SF Giants rookie's success in 2024

Baseball Savant continues to update its metrics to quantify what takes place on the field. With the latest metric, they have combined the type and direction of batted-ball events. That was not an easy number to find in the past, but this makes it quite a bit easier.

Pulling the ball in the air is the best batted-ball event in baseball. To some degree, it can make up for a lack of raw power. For some hitters, it does not matter what direction they hit the ball if they have the raw power, the game power will translate.

Fitzgerald did it better than most hitters, leading to an improbable stretch in July where he hit a home run in five straight games. Players just do not do that often, but Fitzgerald is one of the rare hitters to achieve that.

If you look at the right-handed bat's Baseball Savant page, his numbers do not jump off of the page. In fact, he has a lot of blue in his percentile rankings, especially in terms of hard contact and expected stats. If you do not use the site regularly, blue is an indicator for a below-average metric from a percentile standpoint.

For example, Fitzgerald's average exit velocity sat at 87.7 MPH, which was in the lower quarter of average exit velocities around baseball. That, along with many other numbers, would not lend itself to a hitter who posted an .831 OPS with 15 home runs in 341 plate appearances last season.

The key for the young middle infielder was being able to pull the ball in the air. Major league hitters slashed .545/.537/1.221 (390 wRC+) with a .677 ISO when they pulled the ball in the air last season. No, that is not a typo for the slugging percentage. Fitzgerald was even better as he registered a .636/.636/1.491 line (491 wRC+) with an .855 ISO on those types of batted-ball events.

The key for some hitters is to pull the ball in the air again and again. To a large degree, their success at the plate depends on it. Fitzgerald's highest rate of pulling the ball in the air by month was in July, which was when he blasted eight home runs in 59 plate appearances.

The tough part is adjusting to a new approach from pitchers. That rate trended downward as the season wore on. Pitchers targeted the top of the zone for swinging strikes against Fitzgerald and the outer half to minimize his ability to pull the ball. That corresponded with a slump, as he posted a .592 OPS in the final six weeks of the year.

The Giants hope that he can make the necessary adjustments at the plate. Regardless, the key for him will be how frequently he pulls the ball in the air, and he did it better than most hitters in baseball in 2024.