LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — No one has a definitive answer as to why another power surge took place in Major League Baseball in 2017.
Some speculate that baseballs have changed in recent years, particularly the seams. Others theorize the amount of data available to hitters has created less margin of error for pitchers. But the trend was quite startling to both executives and players.
There were 6,104 home runs hit in the regular season, breaking the single-season record from 2000 — the height of the Steroids Era. As a result, statistics and analytics for many pitchers were quite ugly.
Like others across the league, the Pirates' players are using the offseason to adjust to how the sport has changed. Some hitters are focusing on lifting the ball more. Pitchers are trying to learn from their mistakes.
However, the power surge has not changed how the front office evaluates and targets players available via free agency or trade.
"Good pitchers get good hitters out," Neal Huntington said Monday from his suite at the Winter Meetings, held at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. "There are a lot more mistakes in the game. ... Good pitching still gets good hitting out. Action, command, sequencing. We’re still looking for pitchers who can do those things."
Huntington said the front office is evaluating pitchers on the market by eliminating the "variables." That can be difficult though.
The margin for error is quite thin for a pitcher, as Gerrit Cole told reporters repeatedly throughout the season. The 27-year-old allowed a career-high 33 home runs, and a rough outing was often followed by frustration because he couldn't quite point to how an opposing hitter was able to make hard contact on a certain pitch.
The trend was evident in the World Series, when it seemed as if every run scored by the Dodgers and Astros came from a home run. The two teams broke the record for most homers hit in a World Series.
It made for great theater.
The Dodgers' Yasiel Puig hit a home run in Game 5 with only one hand on the bat handle. Todd Frazier hit a similar home run in Game 3 with an unassuming swing.
Jameson Taillon compared the games to the World Baseball Classic with how fleeting emotions were on both sides. However, it had a negative effect on pace of play. Game 5, a 13-12 victory for the Astros, ended at 1:38 a.m. EST and lasted more than five hours.
The game had an average 12.8 overnight household television rating in the nation's metered markets. But it wasn't exactly well-received by players, and it's been one of the topics of conversations at the Winter Meetings.
"It got kind of ridiculous in the World Series," Adam Frazier said Saturday at PiratesFest. "It seemed like every run they scored was a home run. That's not fun. It is what it is."
In addition to utilizing analytics, the Pirates are taking a proactive approach to helping their young pitchers. They promoted Justin Maccage, who Clint Hurdle described as "cutting edge," from minor league pitching coordinator to assistant major league pitching coach.
Maccage has extensive experience working with Cole, Taillon, Chad Kuhl, Trevor Williams and a few members of the Pirates' bullpen. Their starters combined for a 4.47 ERA, which ranked seventh in the National League.
"Hitters have a lot of information," Taillon said. "Hitters are very good. I don’t know if anything happened to the balls or not, but balls are flying. Guys are stronger. I think for me, specifically, some guys that I faced a lot have a better idea of what I do, what I bring to the table. I just had to grind through some outings more than I did the year before. I think it’s time for me to adjust back to that. Pitch in more. Throw my sinker aggressively more. Get ahead in counts. That sort of thing."
Average likely won't be enough to reach the postseason. However, the Pirates' philosophy on pitching has not changed. They aren't seeking any different traits from pitchers on the free agent market. They aren't emphasizing any uncommon adjustments to the pitchers on their roster, either.
"Hitters are going up with different intent now than they did in the past," Hurdle said. "We’re trying to pitch, in some various cases, with different intent than pitching has happened in the past. We still need to keep our core mindset in play as far as fastball usage, inner part of the plate for strikes, in-off, moving people, pitching away when effective, reverse patterns, spinning the ball, changing speeds, secondary pitches for strikes."
There has always been a premium on starting pitching, so the prices in free agency are no different than last offseason. Sure, the bullpens often take over in the playoffs, as evidenced again by the Astros and Dodgers, but both teams made their ascent with rotations that ranked sixth or higher in both ERA and WHIP.
But many teams across MLB are actively searching for more power and there is an increasing focus on launch angle, a measurement of a ball’s vertical trajectory. Many players who have adjusted their swing to hit the ball higher are having more success.
Some Pirates have taken notice. According to Hurdle, some of his players spent the latter portion of the season working on adjustments to get more lift on the ball. After all, the Pirates missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season with an offense that ranked 27th in batting average, 28th in runs, 29th in home runs and 28th in OPS.
Sure, power doesn't always translate to success. The White Sox and Reds ranked in the top three in MLB in home runs in 2017. But runs do and higher launch angle often leads to more hits.
"Looking for hitters that can get the ball in the air with some regularity, yeah, it’s a real part," Hurdle said. "That part of the game is in transition. I think our hitters are aware of it. We’ve had multiple conversations with hitters about what they want to do, how they want to do it, what are their mindsets moving forward. We’ve actually had some individuals look to make some tweaks the last couple months of the season as far as getting the ball in the air with some regularity, with some consistency."
Creating power isn't as simple as lifting the ball more, though. The art of hitting is still about timing, and yes, strength. A higher launch angle won't suddenly transform a player into a power hitter. In fact, the approach was at the root of Frazier's struggles from the end of May to the All-Star break.
As much as some players and executives are focused on the trend, others think the game is far less complicated.
"If you’re barreling the ball up then the home runs will come, but whatever works for someone, it works for them," Frazier said. "It’s all mental, really. ‘Oh, I’m going to launch this ball 12 degrees instead of 10.’ Well, good luck trying to do it against 95-100 mph. If you can every at-bat then good for you. I’m not trying to do that."