Tracking Batting Practice

Hitting a baseball is widely regarded as one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. The famous quote, “Getting a hit three out of every ten at-bats can land you in the Hall of Fame,” perfectly encapsulates the difficulty of achieving success in a game defined by failure.

Throughout a season, hitters encounter numerous adversities. Whether it’s the grind of a 162-game Major League schedule, the 50+ games played at the collegiate level, or a 25-game high school season, all hitters face inevitable slumps and periods of inconsistency.

The challenge becomes:

• How can we minimize the duration and impact of these slumps?

• How can we collect actionable data to guide adjustments and promote consistent performance?

• And importantly — how do we provide information without overwhelming the athlete and disrupting their process?

  
  

The reality is, there is no single, universal solution.Each hitter’s mind and body operate in uniquely methodical ways. While individualized development is essential, organizations can also establish structured systems and feedback loops to support hitters proactively from the start.

How Should We Be Tracking Batting Practice?

What does it truly mean to “track” BP?

These are critical questions. The answers have the potential not only to enhance individual player development but also to strengthen the team’s overall offensive approach. Effective BP tracking can reveal trends in timing, contact quality, zone discipline, and swing decisions — helping both coaches and players make informed, timely adjustments.

I believe there are many different levels you can break this down to. Below I have added a screen shot of an excel document that was shared to me by a professional hitting coach.

This may feel overwhelming at first, as there’s a large amount of information presented in one area. However, the goal is to simplify the tracking process and help you understand how to extract actionable insights from the report.

Let’s start with the left side of the grey box, which contains some of the baseline contextual data:

• Were you facing a left-handed pitcher (LHP) or a right-handed pitcher (RHP)?

• Were you hitting at home or on the road?

• Was this during on-field batting practice or cage work?

• What type of BP did you take? (Arm, Machine, or Combo)

• What were the Horizontal Approach Angle (HAA) and Vertical Approach Angle (VAA)?

  
  

These variables are critical for identifying patterns — both in performance outcomes and in how players may have felt physically and mentally. Tracking this information can help reveal tendencies, highlight areas of success or struggle, and ultimately guide more informed development decisions.

The right side of the grey table contains data that may initially seem complex or unfamiliar to some coaches — and that’s perfectly okay.

This portion of the report reflects metrics we’ve identified as valuable through the pivot tables and analytical models we’ve developed. It’s important to note that this data is intended to be team-oriented, rather than strictly individualized. The goal here is to identify collective trends and systemic issues that may be affecting overall offensive performance.

Among the metrics presented, the most critical ones to focus on include:

• HeartSwing%

• Chase%

• Chase2K%

• In-Zone Whiff% (IzWhiff%)

• Strikeouts (K#)

  
  

These are the metrics I personally monitor on a daily basis with all of my hitters. They provide a clear picture of plate discipline, decision-making quality, and swing efficiency.

Our ongoing focus is on reducing strikeouts and minimizing chase rates. We want our hitters to have a clear understanding of pitch shapes, zones, and tendencies — along with the confidence to attack pitches in-zone during advantage counts.

This is the reason we separate Chase% from Chase2K%. As coaches, we understand that the at-bat evolves once a hitter reaches two strikes, and the zone naturally expands. However, even with two strikes, we want to avoid swinging at pitches that should be natural takes — pitches outside the zone that do not offer quality contact opportunities.

Below, I’ve included a visual to help illustrate our approach to zone expansion — and what we consider appropriate vs. inappropriate swing decisions based on the count and pitch location.

Table Outputs

With all of this information collected, the next step is making it visually actionable for the coaching staff.

We use daily trend graphs to monitor consistency and identify regression across key offensive areas. These visuals help us establish internal standards and adjust our batting practice environments to mirror what the data is telling us — whether that’s increased swing-and-miss in certain zones, approach inconsistencies, or declining quality of contact.

For example, if a player’s chase rate begins to trend upward over a stretch of games, we might introduce specific constraints or repurpose batting practice to focus on zone discipline. Similarly, if team-wide exit velocity is dipping, we can tailor training to prioritize intent and bat speed without waiting weeks for results to stabilize.

Understanding the opposing pitcher is another key aspect. Every pitcher brings unique characteristics — velocity profiles, pitch mix, spin, approach angles — and these visuals help us identify which hitter types may be affected and how we can prepare them more effectively. This kind of data helps the staff align individualized plans with upcoming matchups, ensuring we’re not reactive, but proactive in our preparation.

It’s important to note: these graphs are not intended to be shared directly with players. They are internal tools for staff to track trends and make informed, objective adjustments based on real-time data. The goal is not to overwhelm athletes with numbers but to translate those insights into smarter, more targeted development work.

The image below provides a basic example of the types of visualizations we use to support this process — from daily percentage tracking to multi-week trend lines.

This chart offers a simple yet effective way to track day-to-day offensive performance over the course of a season.

The X-axis shows the total number of games played (in increments of 10), while the Y-axis reflects daily percentage outputs tied to specific offensive metrics. This setup allows player development staff to quickly identify trends, hot streaks, or areas of concern as the season progresses. You can also build out bar or line graphs over longer periods to evaluate consistency and growth.

While the format is intentionally straightforward, it serves as a valuable tool for monitoring key indicators without needing advanced tech.

Although systems like TrackMan offer in-depth data, this type of daily tracking allows coaches and coordinators to stay engaged with core developmental goals using accessible information. Even with limited resources, it’s possible to generate meaningful insights that support individual player plans and team-wide offensive strategies.