Howie Kendrick is having a weird year for the Washington Nationals. It’s an abnormal year that is featuring quite a power surge. Throughout his career, he has been a solid contact guy who hits for a high average with limited power. Now, as we close in on the All-Star break, he’s on pace to fly right on by his career high in home runs (18 in 2011). In his first 13 seasons, Kendrick has had double-digit home runs just four times and an OPS of .756 during those years. He has 12 homers and a .984 OPS in 201 plate appearances thus far.
New Age of Baseball
In today’s era, StatCast and advanced analytics are highly prevalent. Exit velocity, launch angle, hard-hit rate, and others are all becoming significantly more important to many, while batting average and other standard statistics seem to become less and less meaningful. The 34-year-old right-handed utility man has seen drastic increases in all of the aforementioned stats since StatCast was introduced to all MLB stadiums in 2015.
In 2019, Howie Kendrick has highs in hard-hit rate (51.0%), average exit velocity (92.2 mph), and average launch angle (9.9 degrees). His previous highs in each category were all last season. His hard-hit rate puts him in the top 3% in the league and exit velocity has him in the top 7%.
According to MLB.com, “To be Barreled, a batted ball requires an exit velocity of at least 98 mph. At that speed, balls struck with a launch angle between 26-30 degrees always garner Barreled classification. For every mph over 98, the range of launch angles expands.” Kendrick is barreling the ball at a 10.4% clip per plate appearance this year. That currently ranks him 17th in the league among qualified players who have at least 100 batted balls.
Breaking Balls
Per StatCast, Kendrick is seeing breaking balls 5.5% more often than he was last season. On those breaking balls, he is slugging .673 with five of his 12 home runs. His exit velocity, launch angle, and walk rate are up against those pitches, while his strikeout rate is significantly lower. Every major league batter can hit a fastball, but to adjust and become a better hitter against breaking balls at this stage in a career is truly astounding.
While he has improved his hitting in the analytical world, Kendrick has some pretty interesting splits as well. On two strike counts, he’s slashing .311/.370/.522 with five home runs. His slugging percentage is .500 when behind in the count and just .395 when ahead in the count. He also seems to enjoy hitting at Nationals Park, where he has a 1.165 OPS and seven of his home runs.
The Washington Nationals signed Kendrick to a two-year deal prior to the 2018 season for $7 million. It has proven to be a valuable signing, even with an Achilles injury he suffered in May of last season. If he sustains his current pace, he will garner a lot of attention as a free agent next offseason.
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