Welcome back to the hitting side of Trackman Traits. In this series we will spotlight one player each week who stood out during this 2020 season and take a deeper dive into their numbers and take a look at some that really stand out. Since the implementation of the Trackman technology to our showcases this summer we have been fortunate enough to have seen a great deal of talent come through the system. Today, we will be taking a look at the number two outfielder in New York's 2022 class, Matthew Canizares.

Before we get started, we'll go over and define some of the terminology being used in the piece. 

Exit Velocity-  this one's pretty simple but this metric measures the speed of the ball off the bat, measured in miles per hour (MPH).

Distance- another simple one, this metric measures how far the ball traveled or would travel if it was not obstructed, measured in feet.

Launch Angle- measures the vertical angle of the ball as it leaves the bat. Positive numbers represent balls traveling upward off of the bat and negative numbers mean the ball is traveling downward off of the bat. 

Fly Ball %-  Percentage of fly balls hit during a given set of batted ball events. Trackman defines a fly ball as any batted ball with a launch angle between 25 degrees and 49.9 degrees. 

Line Drive%-  Percentage of line drives hit during a given set of batted ball events. Trackman defines a line drive as any batted ball with a launch angle between 10 degrees and 24.9 degrees.

Ground Ball %- Percentage of ground balls hit during a given set of batted ball events. Trackman defines a ground ball as any batted ball with a launch angle below 9.9 degrees. 

Hard Hit%-  Percentage of batted balls with an exit velocity of 90 MPH or higher. 

Bat Speed- The speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact, measured in MPH. The sweet spot is measured 6 inches from the tip of the bat. - Blast Motion

Hand Speed-  The speed of the handle of the bat just before impact, measured in MPH. The handle us measured 6 inches from the knob of the bat. - Blast Motion

Rotational Acceleration- A measure of how quickly the hitter gets from launch position to being on plane. This is measured in G-Force (g).  - Blast Motion 

On Plane Efficiency %-   A measure of the percentage of your swing that was on the swing plane. -Blast Motion 

 

TRACKMAN DATA ANALYSIS

We got a chance to get our eyes and technology on Canizares a few times over the summer and were impressed each time. He oozes athleticism and has legit two-way potential as he's been up to 87 on the mound with a feel for spinning both his fastball and curveball. But this is a hitting article, so we'll focus on the bat of Canizares today, which is equally impressive. Let's dive into the numbers. 

Exit Velocity- Canizares topped out at just under 91 MPH in his BP round at the NY State Games in July, but by September for the Team Beast Scout Day, he was up to 95.89 MPH. Not only did he improve his max exit velocity, but his average saw a jump from 77.57 MPH in July to 86.65 in September. Those jumps did him well, as he found himself within the top three for both categories at the Team Beast Scout Day. He's able to generate easy pop without having to swing out of his shoes to generate advanced exit velocity numbers, and with such an easy swing, it should play well against increased velocity.

Distance- Canizares also found himself in the top three in both average and max distance in September, coming in with an average distance of 246 ft and a max of 376 ft. Without some of those ground balls he hit, the average distance would definitely see a tick up. Regardless, the max distance of 376 ft shows the easy pop he has, and he liked to turn on balls in and launch them to the pull side. 

Batted Ball Percentages- First off, we'll look at the hard hit percentage. At 60%, Canizares was able to hit the ball above 90 MPH more than half the time during his BP round, and the average exit velocity at about 87 MPH suggests when he didn't hit it above 90 MPH, it wasn't too far off. He hit fly balls most frequently at a 40% clip and hit equal parts line drives and fly balls in the rest of his round. A 6.62 runner in the 60, Canizares has the type of speed to turn routine ground-outs into base hits and turn doubles into triples. He's got game-changing speed, so he should have no problem finding success no matter the type of contact he's getting.

BLAST CONNECTION

Trackman does a great job showing the outcomes of players swings and their batted ball events. Its data is results based, the best numbers come when you get off your best swing and make your best contact. Blast Motion technology, also implemented at the same time this summer as the Trackman, tracks the swing data of a player and can shine a light into what a player does well in their swing. When paired with Trackman data, it can paint a more complete picture of a hitter and help explain why a player is able to hit the ball harder, farther, and more consistently than others. 

Though the swing looks effortless, Canizares still swings the bat incredibly quickly. His max bat speed reached 81 MPH, nearly 10 MPH faster than an average high schooler, and he was able to maintain that elite bat speed with an average bat speed of 78.59 MPH. To be able to generate that type of bat speed so effortlessly is quite impressive. That impressive bat speed is generated, in part, by his quick hands. Canizares had a peak hand speed of 24.2 MPH and an average hand speed of about 22 MPH. This combination of hand and bat speed should only continue to help him generate big exit velo numbers,

CONCLUSION

Canizares is a really exciting prospect in a number of ways. He's one of only six players in our top twenty in the 2022 rankings that remains uncommitted, and that should be changing soon. With his blend of athleticism, speed, and arm strength, he should be able to man any of the three OF spots and is also quite intriguing on the mound. Couple that with his ability to hit the ball hard, and you've got yourself one toolsy prospect who should only continue to get better. 

Recent Trackman Traits

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/07	MOSH Performance Center
2021 Northeast ProCase (2021 Grads Only)	NY	02/13	Liberty Sports Arena
2021 Preseason All-State - Southern Tier (AM Session)	NY	02/15	434 Sportsplex
2021 Preseason All-State - Southern Tier (PM Session)	NY	02/15	434 Sportsplex
2021 Preseason All-State - Downstate (12PM Session)	NY	02/16	Warriors Baseball Academy
2021 Preseason All-State - Downstate (3PM Session)	NY	02/16	Warriors Baseball Academy
2021 Preseason All-State - Downstate (9AM Session)	NY	02/16	Warriors Baseball Academy
2021 Preseason All-State - Central (12PM Session)	NY	02/17	Accelerate Sports Complex
2021 Preseason All-State - Central (3PM Session)	NY	02/17	Accelerate Sports Complex
2021 Preseason All-State - Central (9AM Session)	NY	02/17	Accelerate Sports Complex
2021 Preseason All-State - West (12PM Session)	NY	02/18	Total Sports Experience
2021 Preseason All-State - West (3PM Session)	NY	02/18	Total Sports Experience
2021 Preseason All-State - West (9AM Session)	NY	02/18	Total Sports Experience
2021 Preseason All-State - Long Island (12PM Session)	NY	02/19	Long Island Sports Complex
2021 Preseason All-State - Long Island (9AM Sessions)	NY	02/19	Long Island Sports Complex
2021 JR NYS Games Trials - Central	NY	03/21	434 Sportsplex
2021 Preseason All-State Pitching - Central	NY	03/21	434 Sportsplex
2021 JR NYS Games Trials - East	NY	03/27	All-Stars Academy
2021 Preseason All-State Pitching - East	NY	03/27	All Stars Academy
2021 JR NYS Games Trials - Downstate	NY	03/28	Warriors Baseball Academy
2021 Preseason All-State Pitching - Downstate	NY	03/28	Warriors Baseball Academy
2021 Preseason All-State Pitching - Long Island	NY	04/01	Common Sense Baseball
2021 JR NYS Games Trials - West	NY	04/03	Salhen Sports Park
2021 Preseason All-State Pitching - West	NY	04/03	Sahlen Sports Park