GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How do squared-up contact and Statcast blasts classify different parts of a swing?
Squared-up describes how much of the maximum possible exit velocity a swing produces, given swing speed and pitch speed. Statcast calls a swing at least 80 percent squared-up. A Blast requires that efficient contact plus a qualifying bat speed under a rolling combined threshold.
For Bettors and cappers learning to read baseball records · Updated
Squared-up measures realized versus possible exit speed
MLB describes Squared-up Rate as the observed exit velocity divided by the maximum possible exit velocity associated with that swing speed and pitch speed. It measures contact efficiency, not absolute bat speed. A swing at 80 percent or higher is considered squared-up for Statcast purposes.
A Blast combines efficiency with bat speed
A Blast is a more selective combination of squared-up contact and high bat speed. MLB’s strict threshold is the normalized squared-up percentage multiplied by 100, plus bat speed in miles per hour, reaching at least 164. The shorthand is that the average of the numerical squared-up percentage and bat speed must be at least 82.
This rolling threshold means a high squared-up value alone does not ensure a Blast. The statistic labels a swing’s contact-and-speed combination; it does not guarantee a particular ball result.
Two fictional tracked swings
Hypothetical tracking inputs: for Swing A, assume an 89 mph pitch and 70 mph bat speed produce a measured 90 percent squared-up value. It clears the 80 percent squared-up cutoff, but 90 + 70 = 160, below the Blast threshold of 164. For Swing B, assume an 89 mph pitch, 76 mph bat speed and a measured 90 percent squared-up value; 90 + 76 = 166, so it qualifies as a Blast. The pitch speeds, bat speeds and measured percentages are invented inputs; no actual exit velocity or outcome is claimed.
Related questions
Can a swing be squared-up without being a Blast?
Yes. A swing can meet the 80 percent squared-up cutoff but miss the Blast’s combined squared-up-and-bat-speed threshold.