Line Drive Rate
Also known as: LD%, liner rate
Line drive rate (LD%) is the share of batted balls that are line drives, usually hard-hit at a 0–25° launch angle. Liners have the highest expected batting average.
Line drives carry the highest expected batting average of any batted-ball type. They are hit hard, stay in the air long enough to land safely, and are difficult to field. An elite LD% is generally considered 25% or above. Hitters can raise their LD% by keeping the barrel on the pitch plane longer and by reducing rollover (the wrists turning over too early). Matching attack angle to the pitch's downward path also helps. LD% is a more stable indicator of true contact quality than batting average over small samples.
During tee work, focus on hitting the back half of the ball. The part furthest from the pitcher — and drive it straight back through the imaginary pitcher's mound. This produces the contact geometry that generates the highest line drive rate.
Compare your LD% data across pitch velocity bands in your SwingVantage session reports. A significant LD% drop on high-velocity pitches confirms a timing cause. A consistent LD% decline across all pitch speeds confirms a barrel-path or contact-point cause that does not depend on timing.
Example
Her 28% line drive rate was the clearest indicator of her contact quality — she was reliably matching the pitch plane and squaring the ball.
Why it matters
Line drives come from a bat path that matches the pitch and meets it squarely. Motion Lab estimates your attack angle and path tilt from your arm movement, but it does not track batted balls, so judge the results yourself.
How it shows up on video
On video, line drive production is associated with a barrel that arrives at the contact point on a matching plane to the pitch trajectory. This makes contact at or slightly above the ball's equator. Common errors that suppress line drive rate include a barrel arriving below the pitch plane (undercutting. This produces pop-ups), a barrel arriving from above the pitch plane (chopping. This produces grounders), and a barrel arriving after the optimal contact zone with the arms still bent (producing weak, pull-side flares rather than hard-hit drives).
Common mistakes
- Confusing line drives with "contact hitting" and reducing swing aggressiveness in an attempt to make more contact — line drives require hard barrel contact, and pulling back swing intensity produces soft grounders and flares rather than true line drives
- Using a barrel path that is too flat or downward across all pitch heights rather than adjusting attack angle to match specific pitch locations — middle-height pitches need a flatter approach than low-in-the-zone pitches
- Treating LD% as a random outcome rather than a mechanical metric — over a sufficient sample, LD% is one of the most mechanically stable statistics available and should be used as a training target
- Neglecting the attack angle dimension of line drive production and working only on barrel path without also verifying that the approach angle at contact is in the 10–25 degree window that produces true line drives rather than flat grounders
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab does not track the ball, so it cannot estimate your line-drive rate. It estimates your attack angle and bat-path tilt from your arm movement, the swing shape behind line drives.
Related terms
- Ground Ball RateGround ball rate (GB%) is the percentage of batted balls that are grounders — usually a negative indicator for power hitters, though contact hitters may use it strategically.
- Pop-Up (Batting)A pop-up is a batted ball with extreme backspin and a very steep launch angle (above 50°). It goes nearly straight up and is almost always caught for an out.
- BarrelA barrel is a batted ball with both high exit velocity and an optimal launch angle. That combination is the one most likely to produce extra-base hits.
- Hard-Hit RateHard-hit rate is the percentage of batted balls struck above a set exit-velocity threshold — usually 95 mph in MLB, scaled lower for amateur levels. It measures contact quality independent of luck.
- Exit Velocity (EV)Exit velocity is how fast the ball comes off the bat, in mph. It is a ceiling metric — the harder you hit it, the farther it can go.
- Launch Angle (Batting)Launch angle in batting is the vertical angle the ball leaves the bat. Roughly 10–25° produces the hardest, most productive contact.
Available in other languages
Related guides & benchmarks
Put this into your swing
SwingVantage can spot this in your own swing — free to start.
See a sample Baseball report first