Why the K Rise?

Strikeouts are increasing because batters are swinging and missing more:

1. Behind the historical rise in strikeout rates is a rise in the rate of strikes in a plate appearance.

2. Although the rates of both called strikes and swinging strikes have generally been increasing over time, the rate of called strikes in the last two seasons has dropped.

3. Batters are more likely to swing in a plate appearance, and the rate of missing a pitch in a swing has also increased.

4. Since batters are more likely to swing and miss, the rate of balls in play on swings is dramatically decreasing.

My hypothesis is that pitchers got better at catching the edges of the strike zone, with called strikes going up. Since it’s probably better to swing at those pitches than not, batters started trading called strikes for swings, with the hope that the swing meets the ball. All-in-all, probably a good trade-off against better pitching.

There are some very nice graphs at the link.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2vUdlhI