8 MLB Hitters Who Are Racking Up Home Runs Despite a Ton of Ground Balls
George Springer, Houston Astros
The performance of the Houston Astros began taking a turn for the better in 2016 once outfielder George Springer settled into the leadoff spot, and it's been more of the same this season. He, along with a number of other hitters, have given a whole new (and powerful) definition to what it means for a hitter to occupy the top of their squad's lineup.
After needing 744 plate appearances to hit 29 homers and post a .196 ISO last season, Springer is well on his way to a career year -- he already has 28 bombs off the strength of a .267 ISO through his first 456 plate appearances in 2017. In many ways, his 2016 campaign could be considered his breakout performance, and when we look at his batted-ball profile between then and now, they look awfully similar.
| Year | LD% | GB% | FB% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 20.3% | 48.2% | 31.5% |
| 2017 | 20.1% | 47.5% | 32.5% |
The biggest difference between these two campaigns would be his hard-hit rate, which is currently sitting at 38.9% (it was 33.6% last year). His performance on fly balls has taken a huge leap, too.
Last season, he posted 246 wRC+ and .530 wOBA on fly balls off the strength of a 21.8% pull rate and 47.6% hard-hit rate. So far in 2017, those numbers have drastically improved to 352, .687, 25.5%, and 52.9%, respectively.
As we've said previously, if a player isn't going to hit a lot of fly balls and still expects to rack up home runs, they'd better make the most of the ones they get up in the air. What Springer has done this year down in Houston is perhaps one of the best examples of that.
