Batting Stance
Definition
Batting stance data shows where the hitter is positioned in the batter's box, and the type of batting stance he has.
A player's batting stance is reported with four components:
- Depth in the batter's box -- measured as the distance from the front of home plate to the batter's center of mass (defined as the midpoint of the batter's hips)
- Distance off the plate -- measured as the horizontal distance from the inside edge of home plate to the batter's center of mass
- Distance between feet -- how wide or narrow a player's batting stance is
- Stance angle -- how *"open"* or *"closed"* the batter is, measured as the angle of a line connecting the batter's feet, relative to a line going straight toward the pitcher
The hitter's batting stance is measured before the pitcher's delivery (one second prior to pitch release). The position of the batter's feet is also tracked at pitch release, and at the point the batter makes contact with the pitch.
Depth in box / Distance off plate
These two metrics show which hitters stand toward the front or the back of the batter¡¯s box, and which hitters stand closest to or farthest from home plate.
For example, in the 2024 season, Jose Altuve stood the farthest up in the batter¡¯s box (just 11.2 inches behind the front of the plate), while Matt Vierling stood the deepest in the box (37.2 inches). Ozzie Albies stood the closest to the plate (just 20.9 inches off the inside edge of home plate when batting right-handed), while Paul Goldschmidt was the farthest off the plate (34.5 inches).
Distance between feet / Stance angle
These two metrics reflect the wide variety of batting stances used by players around the Major Leagues. A hitter can have a wide or narrow stance, and an open, closed or square stance.
A hitter with an ¡°open¡± stance stands with his front foot farther toward the outside edge of the batter¡¯s box than his back foot, while a hitter with a ¡°closed¡± stance stands with his front foot closer to the inside edge of the batter¡¯s box than his back foot. A hitter with a ¡°square¡± stance stands with his feet even -- meaning his feet form a line that points straight toward the pitcher.
The hitter with the narrowest batting stance in 2024 was Steven Kwan, who stood with his feet just 8.8 inches apart. The hitter with the widest batting stance was Ryan McMahon, who stood with his feet 45.3 inches apart.
The hitter with the most extreme open stance in 2024 was Rafael Devers, at 67 degrees open. The hitter with the most extreme closed stance was Giancarlo Stanton, at 12 degrees closed. Hitters with a square stance (0 degrees) included Jarren Duran and J.D. Martinez.
Statcast batting stance leaderboard
Batter positioning data is available starting with the second half of the 2023 season. The leaderboard for the current season, which also includes batter contact point data, is viewable here.