Looking at Statcast stats and how some Orioles fared in the numbers

It is starting to become more prevalent in baseball. Some fans no doubt will love it and embrace it while others will say, "Enough already."

It is Statcast technology. It can now measure and tell us the exit speed of the ball off the bat. It can measure in miles per hour how fast a player runs and in route efficiency how efficient a fielder was in tracking a ball hit to the outfield. It can measure the spin rate of a curveball or slider, or the quickness of someone's first step. It can measure and provide a lot of information.

Again, some will find this interesting, even fascinating, and want to know more. Others will be happy with the so-called traditional stats and show little interest. At the least it could enhance how we watch and evaluate players. At the most it might revolutionize statistics providing us more than ever.

For a very good primer on what Statcast is and how it is being used, click here for a story with several excellent videos that explain much more.

Some Statcast numbers:

* The Cubs' Kris Bryant hit the longest Statcast-measured homer this year at 495.3 feet. The Nationals' Michael A. Taylor was second with a blast measured at 492.8 feet. Guess who was third? Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles. On Aug. 26, he homered off Johnny Cueto and it was measured at 484.5 feet. Schoop's homer represents the only longball by an Oriole on a list of the top 50 longest hit this year.

* When it comes to exit velocity of the ball off the bat, Miami's Giancarlo Stanton holds eight of the top 10 speeds this year with No. 1 at 120.3 mph. Perhaps surprisingly, of the top 10, six came on singles, not home runs. On the exit speed list, the Orioles' Chris Davis ranked No. 15. He hit a double on Oct. 3 off the Yankees' Ivan Nova at 116.6 mph.

* When it comes to average exit velocity, Stanton was first at 99.1 mph. But two Orioles were among the top 50. Manny Machado was 26th at 93.3 mph and Davis was 28th at 93.1 mph.

Click here to see how Statcast tracked a big Machado homer in September against the Nationals and Max Scherzer. Click here as Statcast measured arm strength on two O's fielders cutting down a runner at the plate on a relay play.

* Here is something pretty remarkable: Of the top 50 recorded fastest pitch speeds in the major leagues this year, all 50 pitches were thrown by the Reds Aroldis Chapman, in speeds ranging from 102.5 to 103.9 mph.

Chapman led Major League Baseball in average pitch velocity with a remarkable 100.0 mph for the year. Former Oriole Tommy Hunter ranked 26th at 97.1 mph and the O's Zach Britton was 37th at 96.9 mph.

To see the numbers, go to MLB.com, click on stats and then onto Statcast stats.

The top five in average pitch velocity:
100.0 - Aroldis Chapman, Reds
98.4 - Erik Cordier, Marlins and Kelvin Herrera, Royals
98.3 - Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals
98.2 - Arquimedes Caminero, Pirates

Is Statcast technology good for the game? Will it become more commonplace in usage by fans and become a bigger part of the fan experience?