Welcome back to the hitting side of Trackman Traits. In this series we will spotlight one player each week who stood out during this 2020 season and take a deeper dive into their numbers and take a look at some that really stand out. Since the implementation of the Trackman technology to our showcases this summer we have been fortunate enough to have seen a great deal of talent come through the system. Today, we will be taking a look at the number eight shortstop in Pennsylvania's 2023 class, James Kunst.

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

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

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 Kunst a few times during the 2020 season as he was at the PA State Games and the PA Unsigned Senior Night. At both events, he put up impressive numbers, especially considering his age, but we'll focus strictly on his performance at the State Games. Let's take a look at the Trackman numbers and dive in. 

Exit Velocity-  Checking it at just under 94 MPH, Kunst showed an impressive max exit velocity during his BP round. He is a big, strong kid which help generate those big numbers. He averaged an exit speed of 82.33 MPH, which are both very strong showings for his class. For some perspective, he ranked 6th among all 2023 grads in max exit velocity and 15th in average exit speed during the PA State Games. 

Distance- This is where Kunst showed some pop, his furthest hit ball traveled 345 ft. His average ball hit during BP went 250 ft. While some previous features had more eye-popping numbers in these categories, perspective again is important. When comparing against other 2023 grads at the PA State Games, he finished third in max distance and sixth in average distance.

Batted Ball Percentages-  Kunst, like 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 12.5% ground balls. In the case of Kunst, a younger player 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 Kunst, it would make the most sense to hit more line drives. To compare the differences and back that claim up, we'll go back to the Statcast Exit Velocity & Launch Angle Field Breakdown. This tool, for those unfamiliar, allows you to input a combination of exit velocity and launch angle and it displays all the times that exact combination has happened in an MLB game. We'll use his average exit velocity, 82 MPH and compare the results of line drives hit with a 15 degree launch angle and the results of fly balls hit with a 30 degree launch angle.

Quite a difference there, huh? The top plot shows the results of hitting line drives, the bottom plot shows the results of hitting fly balls. The batting average on those line drives hit at 82 MPH with a 15 degree launch angle go for hits 97% of the time and the fly balls hit at 82 MPH and a 30 degree launch angle end up as hits 4.5% of the time. Need I explain more?

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, Kunst is still a young player who 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 effieciency % stands out first and foremost to me. For this metric, numbers at or above 70% are considered ideal, so 87% really jumps out at me. Another metric that pops is his rotational acceleration. Driveline considers a high rotational acceleration as anything above 15, so he is clearly above average here as well. Both of those numbers help work together to create a swing with more adjustability. If you are better equipped to make adjustments, the more success you will find. 

CONCLUSION

The 2023 PA Class is loaded with talent, and James Kunst is no exception to that. We look forward to catching back up with Kunst during the 2021 season.