What do Howie Kendrick and Christian Yelich have in common?
This should be common sense, but I’ll reiterate it just in case: ground balls are less likely to result in hits than fly balls or line drives. In fact, Fangraphs calculates line drives produce 1.26 runs per out, whereas fly balls produce 0.13 runs per out and ground balls 0.05 runs per out. Now, it is possible to find success as a groundball hitter; it’s just not as likely. To demonstrate my point, here are the top-ten groundball hitters in the league this season, and their offensive production.
MLB Average: 44.9 GB%, .701 OPS, 96 wRC+
1.) Ben Revere (64.9 GB%)- 586 PA (plate appearances), .694 OPS, 94 wRC+
2.) Derek Jeter (62.4 GB%)- 599 PA, .603 OPS, 69 wRC+
3.) Norichika Aoki (62.3 GB%)- 510 PA, .701 OPS, 102 wRC+
4.) Christian Yelich (61.8 GB%)- 617 PA, .786 OPS, 122 wRC+
5.) Dee Gordon (60.4 GB%)- 620 PA, .712 OPS, 103 wRC+
6.) Howie Kendrick (60.2 GB%)- 647 PA, .738 OPS, 113 wRC+
7.) Adam Eaton (59.8 GB%)- 505 PA, .764 OPS, 115 wRC+
8.) Jean Segura (59.0 GB%)- 530 PA, .592 OPS, 60 wRC+
9.) Elvis Andrus (57.9 GB%)- 651 PA, .651 OPS, 79 wRC+
10.) D.J. LeMahieu (57 GB%)- 515 PA, .665 OPS, 67 wRC+
Half of these players are well below-average offensive players, while, conversely, five are above-average hitters. They combine to average a .691 OPS and 92 wRC+, which isn’t horrible, but is still downright mediocre.
Some of the guys on this list, Gordon, Revere, Aoki, and Eaton specifically, have tremendous foot-speed that allows them to turn a routine ground ball into a base hit. My question, though, was how players like Yelich and Kendrick — both of whom have below-average infield-hit percentages — still remain productive despite their unusually-high ground ball rates.
Immediately, the infamous ‘luck’ factor comes to mind, and given their respective .370 (Yelich) and .345 (Kendrick) BABIPs to this point, there may be some veracity behind that. However, there’s something else that is striking about these two men. And that, my friends, would be the fact both have 0.0 infield fly ball percentages.
Yes, you heard that right. Howie Kendrick and Christian Yelich have hit a total of ZERO infield fly balls this season. I mean, a lower infield fly ball rate is to be expected with a grounball hitter, as they typically hit the ball with the bottom of the bat, yet this is atypical. So atypical, in fact, that in the entirety of Pitch F/X data’s history, which began in 2002, there has never been a player who finished in the top-ten in ground ball percentage who also had a zero infield fly ball percentage.
While everyone is obsessively focusing on the Derek Jeter farewell tour, there may be something more historic going on. Not just one, but two players are threatening to become the first ever to finish in the top-ten in ground ball frequency, and hit zero infield flies in a season! Unless something goes dramatically wrong the next few days, history will be made.
Oh, and before this end, I implore you to check out Jeff Sullivan’s article on Fangraphs about Christian Yelich’s odd tendency to never hit a freakin’ infield fly ball! Also, just for clarification, I was kidding when I said it’s more historic than Jeter’s farewell tour…. after all, that’s been what the whole season has been about, anyway.