Fangraphs: What's required for a Paul Konerko infield hit?

[LittleHurt05 324]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/w...ko-infield-hit/

[southsider2k5 12,379]

My version involves a meteorite burst taking out the Tigers infield.

[Jake 320]

What's required for a Paul Konerko infield hit?

 

An outfield hit.

[Cali 0]

I can't remember off the top of my head, but has Paulie ever been thrown out at first from the outfield? I'd have to think its happened once.

[Rooftop Shots 9]

I know that he has always looked like he is pulling a truck rounding the bases, but is there any video of the footage when Paulie hit the inside the park home run (April 11, 2000)? I remember the guys hanging over the dugout yelling like crazy as he rounded 3rd.

[WilliamTell 115]

A very generous call that probably should've been an error of some sort.

[YASNY 14]

A wind blown pop up. Didn't ADA get a windblown infield double last year?

[Swingandalongonetoleft 116]

Edited March 7, 2013 by Swingandalongonetoleft

[Rooftop Shots 9]

A wind blown pop up. Didn't ADA get a windblown infield double last year?

 

yeah was at that game laughed my head off. was a muggy day. Beckham hit a home run and the fireworks smoke LINGERED in the air. I remember telling my brother what a great time for a fly ball. and BANG DeAza hits a pop up that landed by the pitchers mound . NOBODY saw it anywhere because of all of the smoke and he got a double. Sometimes ya gotta love home field advantage. What a great basbeall moment. Will probaly never see that again.

[balfanman 0]

yeah was at that game laughed my head off. was a muggy day. Beckham hit a home run and the fireworks smoke LINGERED in the air. I remember telling my brother what a great time for a fly ball. and BANG DeAza hits a pop up that landed by the pitchers mound . NOBODY saw it anywhere because of all of the smoke and he got a double. Sometimes ya gotta love home field advantage. What a great basbeall moment. Will probaly never see that again.

 

Actually, it happens every so often. Just a couple of years ago or so the Sox had hit back to back homeruns and the next hitter hit a fly ball that was lost in the smoke. I remember instances of pop ups being lost in the fog as well.

[ChiSox_Sonix 0]

Didn't someone once hit an infield home run way back in the day? Or is that just a legend?

[TomSeaverFan 0]

Anybody worried Paulie's hitting too well this spring? Is he wasting the power in meaningless spring games? My dad used to worry about stuff like that so I guess it's been passed on to me.

[Balta1701 5,446]

Anybody worried Paulie's hitting too well this spring? Is he wasting the power in meaningless spring games? My dad used to worry about stuff like that so I guess it's been passed on to me.

I think his wrist is feeling better.

[Soxfest 794]

I think his wrist is feeling better.

+1

[TomSeaverFan 0]

When he's healthy he's been pretty darn consistent. He's been quite a ballplayer through the years.

[Eminor3rd 1,140]

Anybody worried Paulie's hitting too well this spring? Is he wasting the power in meaningless spring games? My dad used to worry about stuff like that so I guess it's been passed on to me.

 

Wasting his power?

[Quin 4,601]

Wasting his power?

 

Baseball players have a finite amount of power throughout the year before they can recharge in the winter via hibernation.

[ScottyDo 1]

Anybody worried Paulie's hitting too well this spring? Is he wasting the power in meaningless spring games? My dad used to worry about stuff like that so I guess it's been passed on to me.

This is the best

[bmags 9,277]

yeah was at that game laughed my head off. was a muggy day. Beckham hit a home run and the fireworks smoke LINGERED in the air. I remember telling my brother what a great time for a fly ball. and BANG DeAza hits a pop up that landed by the pitchers mound . NOBODY saw it anywhere because of all of the smoke and he got a double. Sometimes ya gotta love home field advantage. What a great basbeall moment. Will probaly never see that again.

 

I was there too, and it was one of my favorite sox memories. They were actually lucky, it happened twice but the second time wasn't infield fly called? That was the best inning. It was crazy being there because the combo of smoke and lights, the cloud was really impenetrable to look through.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside 3,960]

Didn't someone once hit an infield home run way back in the day? Or is that just a legend?

It was in the Babe Ruth movie starring John Goodman but really seems nearly impossible to hit a popup so high that one would be able to round the bases. But that is the stuff of legends which is the point.

[ScottyDo 1]

It was in the Babe Ruth movie starring John Goodman but really seems nearly impossible to hit a popup so high that one would be able to round the bases. But that is the stuff of legends which is the point.

Because I am on a nerd streak on this site lately: for a pretty fast player to round the bases on a ball hit straight up in the air before it hits the ground, he'd have to hit it ~6500 feet in the air and the ball would have to leave his bat at about 675 mph

Edited March 14, 2013 by ScottyDo

[Balta1701 5,446]

Because I am on a nerd streak on this site lately: for a pretty fast player to round the bases on a ball hit straight up in the air before it hits the ground, he'd have to hit it ~2000 feet in the air and the ball would have to leave his bat at about 675 mph

(hug).

[Eminor3rd 1,140]

Anybody worried Paulie's hitting too well this spring? Is he wasting the power in meaningless spring games? My dad used to worry about stuff like that so I guess it's been passed on to me.

 

I definitely had a video game where this was a concern. But, if I remember correctly, the power boost bonus isn't that costly. The teleporting ball pitch and the line drive missile where the ones you had to use sparingly.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside 3,960]

Because I am on a nerd streak on this site lately: for a pretty fast player to round the bases on a ball hit straight up in the air before it hits the ground, he'd have to hit it ~6500 feet in the air and the ball would have to leave his bat at about 675 mph

The runner could theoretically be maybe 1/2 way between 3rd and home when the ball lands and go the rest of the way home by the time a fielder picks it up and gets the throw home. What would that do to the numbers ? I'm just encouraging your nerd streak by asking.

[ScottyDo 1]

The runner could theoretically be maybe 1/2 way between 3rd and home when the ball lands and go the rest of the way home by the time a fielder picks it up and gets the throw home. What would that do to the numbers ? I'm just encouraging your nerd streak by asking.

So first off, I completely botched the first set of numbers. I know you're all very disappointed in me. I am going to turn in my physics badge and potato gun immediately. I don't know where I went wrong -- probably trying to use my phone's calculator -- but the true answer to my first attempt was:

 

Ball speed: 131.5 mph

Height: 578 feet

 

Not nearly as implausible.

 

Given Q's parameters, that should shave ~1.5 seconds off the required hang-time if they're a sprinter-caliber runner...so that would give us:

 

Ball speed: 115 mph

Height: 443 feet

 

Still not possible because a) air resistance selectively dissipates energy from the beginning of the ball's flight path and b) even Albert Pujols' best HR exit speed in 2009 was 119 mph, and you can't replicate that type of swing straight up.

 

Anyway, the point is that Balta should rescind his hug and you should all be terribly ashamed of me.