MLB The Show 26 Fielding's New 4-Way Direction Reaction Range Attribute.

[Bullit]

This sounds really interesting. Anything that adds to gameplay and is instituted well I am all for.

[Blzer]

Players don't run slower with back to the plate. It does take a split second for them to turn but by the time the make it to pro ball they have shagged enough fly balls to be able to turn and run to the spot. The determining factor is running speed and where the ball lands. Backpedaling they run slower.


Was SDS will do I can't say.

It's so much more than that, really.

Running backwards while tracking clouds you with a lot of uncertainty. You don't know when what's behind you will arrive (like walls, and yes I'm aware of warning tracks), you don't have a good frame of reference for the ball's flight as the stadium backdrop leaves your view and all you have is sky, and if you want to maintain any semblance of "baserunner-like sprinter speed" that I feel can be attained in the other directions much more feasibly, you sacrifice head stabilization and tracking ability. You're almost always more comfortable catching it on the run (or drifting, rather) than you are squaring up to it since you're headed its direction.

Now, that sounds more like the description of a high fly ball that is not just behind you but away from you, since you need to take time to close in on it. I was actually referring more to a ball that arrives at you quickly and is more so directly behind you. When I said "among other things" in my wishlist section with this, it was the game receiving an entire overhaul including player positioning and more varied spin types so not every ball hangs up as long. As it stands, SDS can't have their default pre-position package with outfielders closer to the walls and covering the gaps without losing most all extra base hits in the air in those directions. Any ball hit behind them will simply be caught. If they make the right adjustments, it can become a different possibility.

And you're right, it's the first steps that matter most and are lost when going back (because of backpedaling, which way to drop step, and lack of full commitment of body in that direction), it's that which causes many hits of said nature to instead be played like this:

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=74124406-4ab2-3dbd-b02f-2389bc72b6ff

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=8002a639-4947-3bc3-bef8-ff6fe1238e82

Whereas if it was hit to any other direction falling in the same landing proximity, it would yield a much higher catch probability.

The wall plays a bigger part in these, anyway. Maybe we should have an "aggressive modifier" where we can sacrifice body for a play instead of easing up when the going gets tough.

[rbiebighauser]

Statcast does have an Outs Above Average stat and it includes "in", "lateral toward 1B", "lateral toward 3B", and "back". It also has left handed and right handed stats. Statcast also has detailed Outs Above Average stats which breaks things down even more.

[tessl]

I'm normally skeptical of this data but this has the potential to make the game more realistic. If done correctly it's a major step forward and could punish a team for having a good bat/poor glove in the lineup.

[Ghost Of The Year]

Statcast does have an Outs Above Average stat and it includes "in", "lateral toward 1B", "lateral toward 3B", and "back". It also has left handed and right handed stats. Statcast also has detailed Outs Above Average stats which breaks things down even more.

Thanks, that's good to hear. I saw the JUMP stat and I didn't see if it was broken down into four directions , so I'm glad the OAA has the four directions data.

[tessl]

Thank you for starting the thread. I was wondering the same thing. Very informative.

[Gangrel]

I would assume there are Statcast numbers for the 4 directions that they will use. I also assume there are Statcast numbers not in the public domain that teams have access to. Maybe they "Subscribe". Maybe not.


For years I always have thought that when a fielder has their back to the ball, the spot on the ground should fade or shrink based on ratings until they get an eye on the ball again. Maybe not realistic but something to make Fielding more challenging.

[MiracleMet718]

For those curious about the Direction OAA stat on baseball savant:

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/outfield_directional_outs_above_average

I spend way too much time on this site because the amount of data is endless AND for pitch based outcomes, you can watch the actual clip that took place. Wish more sports had something similar but MLB really is the gold standard for data and stat tracking.

Also I highly recommend clicking on one of the players from the leaderboard and go look at the fielding metrics. You can go to the Statcast Fielding Breakdown and it shows all balls hit at the outfielder, the hang time, and the distance they had to run to catch it. If you click on one of them, it’ll take you to the actual highlight and you can watch on either the home or away broadcast. Like I said, you can easily get carried away with all that’s available on there.