https://plate-discipline.com Data-driven visual essays about baseball. Spin rates, swing decisions, and probability shifts, designed to be felt, not just read. en-us Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:43:27 +0000 https://plate-discipline.com/the-dead-ball-is-back https://plate-discipline.com/the-dead-ball-is-back League-wide home run rates dropped 12% between 2023 and 2025. The ball changed. Again. Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://plate-discipline.com/the-closer-is-a-myth https://plate-discipline.com/the-closer-is-a-myth Save percentage tells you almost nothing about reliever quality. The best reliever on most teams doesn't pitch the 9th inning. The closer role costs teams wins. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://plate-discipline.com/pitch-clock-and-the-rhythm-of-the-game https://plate-discipline.com/pitch-clock-and-the-rhythm-of-the-game The clock cut 26 minutes off an average game. It also changed strikeout rates, walk rates, stolen base attempts, and how pitchers sequence their arsenals. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://plate-discipline.com/how-spring-training-stats-lie https://plate-discipline.com/how-spring-training-stats-lie The correlation between a hitter's spring training batting average and his regular season batting average is 0.07. That is almost zero. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000