Welcome to Hitters Hit Deep Dive. I've been with the PBR Nebraska team since it's inception in 2016 and accepted an expanded role in 2020. With a full year under my belt, I've gotten to take a deeper look at the hitters throughout the state. 

In this series we will spotlight players who stand out and take a deeper dive into their numbers. Since the implementation of the Trackman & Blast technology to our showcases in the summer of 2020 we have been fortunate enough to have seen a great deal of talent come through the system. Today, we will take a look at the #4 prospect in the 2022 class, Nebraska recruit Hayden Lewis. 

Before we get started, we'll go over and define some of the terminology being used in the piece. 

Exit Speed-  this one's pretty simple but this metric measures the speed of the ball off the bat, measured in miles per hour (mph) during batting practice.

Distance- another simple one, this metric measures how far the ball traveled or would travel if it was not obstructed, measured in feet.

Launch Angle- measures the vertical angle of the ball as it leaves the bat. Positive numbers represent balls traveling upward off of the bat and negative numbers mean the ball is traveling downward off of the bat. 

Fly Ball %-  Percentage of fly balls hit during a given set of batted ball events. Trackman defines a fly ball as any batted ball with a launch angle between 25 degrees and 49.9 degrees. 

Line Drive%-  Percentage of line drives hit during a given set of batted ball events. Trackman defines a line drive as any batted ball with a launch angle between 10 degrees and 24.9 degrees.

Hard Hit%-  Percentage of batted balls with an exit velocity of 90 MPH or higher. 

Bat Speed- The speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact, measured in MPH. The sweet spot is measured 6 inches from the tip of the bat. - Blast Motion

Hand Speed-  The speed of the handle of the bat just before impact, measured in MPH. The handle of the bat is measured 6 inches from the knob of the bat. -Blast Motion 

Rotational Acceleration- A measure of how quickly the hitter gets from the launch position to being on plane. This is measured in G-Force (g). - Blast Motion

On Plane Efficiency %- A measure of the percentage of your swing that was on the swing plane. - Blast Motion

 

TRACKMAN DATA ANALYSIS

We caught up with Lewis for the first time in 2020 at the Nebraska Fall Review. At the event, he put up impressive numbers. We first saw him as one of the only freshman invited to the 2019 Elite 50, he did more than hold his own that day against some of the better arms in the Nebraska 2020 class. Lets take a deeper dive into the numbers from October 2020. 

 

Exit Speed-  Checking it at just over 97 MPH, Lewis showed an impressive max exit velocity during his BP round. He is an athletic, strong kid which help generate those big numbers. He averaged an exit speed of 89.42 MPH, which are both very strong showings for his class. For some perspective, he would rank in the top 5 for all prospects recorded between Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota in 2020. 

Distance- This is where Lewis showed some pop, his furthest hit ball traveled 339 ft. His average ball hit during BP went 188 ft. While some other prospects had more eye-popping numbers in this category, perspective again is important. During BP, Lewis peppered the back walls with line drives continuously during his round. 

Batted Ball Percentages-  Lewis, unlike most players these days sees a majority of his batted balls being launched in the air as his fly ball % is right at 50%. He mixed in 37.5% line drives and 37.5% ground balls and 25% fly balls. In the case of Lewis, who is still far from a finished product, hitting fly balls might be beneficial to him in the future as he continues to get stronger. But at the moment, hitting fly balls does a disservice to his chance of success. At this stage for Lewis, it would make the most sense to hit more line drives. 

 

BLAST CONNECTION

Trackman does a great job showing the outcomes of players swings and their batted ball events. Its data is results based, the best numbers come when you get off your best swing and make your best contact. Blast Motion technology, also implemented at the same time this summer as the Trackman, tracks the swing data of a player and can shine a light into what a player does well in their swing. When paired with Trackman data, it can paint a more complete picture of a hitter and help explain why a player is able to hit the ball harder, farther, and more consistently than others. 

Like I mentioned earlier, Lewis is still far from a finished product. There will be plenty of time for refinement as he gets older, but there are some encouraging signs for his bat already. He was a Blast darling through and through, measuring above average in all of these Blast metrics. 

 

While all of these numbers are good, a few stand out in particular to me. His on plane efficiency % stands out first and foremost to me. For this metric, numbers at or above 70% are considered ideal, so 75% jumps out at me. Another metric that pops is his bat speed, the top average bat speeds at the 2020 Super 60 ranged from 74.6-75.6 mph, Lewis already is in this range at 72.33 mph and with another full year of development should see these number increase. 

 

Prep Baseball Report Nebraska is the No. 1 resource for high school baseball in the state through our variety of events, boots-on-the-ground scouting staff, daily coverage, and multimedia platforms. Our multimedia platforms and events work in tandem, ultimately creating the most powerful source of high school baseball promotion.

Interested in attending a PBR Nebraska event? Click Here.
Interested in subscribing to Prep Baseball Report? Click Here.
Follow PBR Nebraska on Twitter @PBR_Nebraska and on Facebook at Prep Baseball Report