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 one third basemen in New York's 2022 class, Michael O'Shaughnessy.  

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

Michael O'Shaughnessy was no stranger to PBR during the 2020 campaign as he attended 3 events including the NYS Games and the Futures Games. We also had boots on the ground to watch a few of his tournaments this summer and to say we were impressed would put putting it lightly. Let's dive into the Trackman metrics to put some numbers to this big basher. 

Exit Velocity- Clocking in with a max exit velocity of 95.39 MPH, O'Shaughnessy possesses some real juice in that bat. His average exit velocity of just under 91 MPH showcases his ability to make consistent quality contact with the baseball. Although he did not reach the triple digit exit velocity mark this summer (though he should have no problem reaching that mark in the future), the ball off his bat sounded quite similar to those who did reach that mark and he was able to do plenty of damage nonetheless. 

Distance- O'Shaughnessy finished ahead of the entire NYS Games field with his  average distance at 304 ft. His 370 ft max distance was good for a tie of 8th place at the event, so he showed the ability to hit for some power. With his sweet, simple left-handed stroke, he produced one of the most impressive, if not the most impressive round of BP I got to watch all summer. He pounded shot after shot to the pull side and was the only player at the NYS Games to reach the pavilion well beyond the RF wall at Cortland's Gutchess Lumber Field. Balls just jumped off the barrel and he was able to put on a show. 

Batted Ball Percentages- Like I mentioned earlier, O'Shaughnessy was able to consistently hit the ball hard, doing so at an 80% clip. This is advanced stuff here from the lefty and he was not just a "5-o'clock hitter," when he got to game action, he was still able to do damage against some of the top arms the Empire State has to offer, pounding both gaps for extra-bases with regularity. Digging further, he has a swing catered for fly balls, so no surprises he hit 60% fly balls during his BP round. His present power allows him to find success with those balls launched in the air. He also added in line drives 30% of the time, which caters to success for hitters in any exit velocity range.

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. 

Some of the Blast metrics that stuck out to me when evaluating O'Shaughnessy were his bat speed and his on-plane efficiency %. When looking at high school players, bat speed tends to have a bigger range for averages than some other metrics, but generally, for high school players the upper end of that range is around the low 70's (MPH). In O'Shaughnessy's case, we saw a peak bat speed of 75.8 MPH and an average of 72.31 MPH. We're looking at someone who shows the ability to swing it at advanced level and when you combine that with the physicality in his 6-foot-2, 206 pound frame, it leaves few wondering how he is able to generate the power and the advanced exit velocities. Moving to his on-plane efficiency %, he is at 68% currently, just below the ideal mark of 70% in that metric. Higher numbers in this metric correlate with the old time scouting phrase of "he keeps his bat in the zone a long time." That's exactly what this metric measures, so players who are able to be around or above that 70% mark is a benefit to them as they are able to stay on balls longer.

CONCLUSION

It was no surprise when we heard about Michael O'Shaughnessy's commitment to Davidson College after his strong performances this summer. He put on a show in BP, blasting majestic shots over the RF wall with ease. Players, the information is out there to get better. This is just a quick look into the numbers behind a Division I bat, so do your best to try to replicate these numbers and it could be you, too, who finds themselves committed to play Division I baseball.  

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