Chase Contact

Chase contact is a secondary layer on top of chase rate (how often a hitter swings at pitches out of the zone). A hitter can chase a pitch outside the zone and still foul it off or put it in play rather than whiffing. That outcome is captured by chase contact rate. It is calculated as contact made on out-of-zone swings divided by total swings at out-of-zone pitches. A high chase contact rate paired with a high overall chase rate describes a hitter who expands the zone often. That hitter has enough bat control to survive it. A low chase contact rate paired with a high chase rate describes a much more exploitable hitter. That hitter both expands the zone and misses frequently when doing so.

Coaches use chase contact together with chase rate and zone contact rate to get a fuller picture of a hitter's swing decisions and bat control. They avoid judging plate discipline off any single number. A hitter working to cut down empty swings will usually target chase rate first, simply offering at fewer bad pitches. Improving contact on pitches that shouldn't have been swung at in the first place is a less direct fix. The more direct fix is not swinging at them at all.