Cage Sessions: Building a Hitting Approach with Rapsodo
Rapsodo enables the hitter and instructor to really dial in the ins and outs of their swing. Rapsodo’s data driven technology transmits many of the key ingredients to help the hitter be successful such as exit velocity, launch angle, and spin rate. All of these data sets allow the coach to formulate an effective training session in the cage that can be translated to the game. Furthermore, according to Rapsodo, “Our hitting tool lets you know more than just that you hit the back of the cage. Get insight into how each batted ball would perform in a fame, and transform your batting practices into data-driven, interactive hitting sessions” (Rapsodo, 2023).
One of the common misconceptions in hitting inside a cage is that a batted ball lined to the back wall of the cage is a desired outcome. Looking at the data on a ball such as that, the likelihood of it carrying the infield is relatively low, and the change for extra-bases is minimal. OPS is king in baseball from a metrics standpoint presently, and slugging the baseball with authority is the best way to increase your value as a hitter. In reference to the MLB “slugging percentage is still one of the best evaluators of power, because it accounts for more than just home runs” (MLB, 2023). But how do we create a good opportunity for a higher slugging percentage? The answer when looking at Rapsodo, is to hit the ball within a certain set of parameters that train the hitter for success. These include hitting the baseball between a 20–30-degree launch angle, and creating over 1500 spin rate on contact. Add these two to exit velocity and you have a prolific striker of the baseball.
Obviously, hitting in baseball is not just about being able to strike the baseball with authority, you also need to actually hit the ball to succeed. Rapsodo assists coaches and players in determining what the ideal results are for balls in play which in turn adapts the nature of the coaching sessions. By working the ball all over the hitting plane (inside, outside, high, low), we are able to determine areas of strength and weakness for the hitter. Mechanically speaking, if the hitter is struggling with an area of the plate, usually in younger hitters that is balls away, we will see a decline in the desirable variables in our Rapsodo. From there, we will continue to use Rapsodo to track the progress of our adjustments made through instruction and coaching.
The one thing that Rapsodo cannot do is simulate the feeling of having a real at-bat, against a real pitcher in a real game. It is hard to simulate the game nature in a cage session with a player. As coaches, it is up to us to find ways to challenge the hitter to correctly simulate a game scenario. This may be achieved by having a pitcher throw live to them in the cage, having game-like at-bats, using a machine to pitch to a hitter, mixing pitches and locations, or using the Rapsodo’s tracking data to determine hits and outs. Rapsodo is a tool like any other we have available to us to develop the hitter to have the most chance for success. Rapsodo does this by relaying the ideal targets each hitter should attain to, regardless of whether they are a power hitter or not. The launch angle targets and spin rate increase the balls flight and with some fine tuning, a gap type hitter can become a power threat, and a singles hitter can put the baseball into the gap with authority and increase their slugging percentages.
At DREAM Team Sports Center, we utilize Rapsodo's Hitting Technology to help develop sustainable hitting technique and help hitters develop a well-rounded approach to hitting that will help them translate success in the cage to success in the batter's box.