The average swing length is 7.3 feet, and the seasonal average spread goes from just under six feet to more than eight-and-a-half feet – or more than 40 inches from most to least.
While there is some overlap between swing speed and swing length, it’s hardly a perfect one. For example, in the first month of 2024, Oneil Cruz and Paul Goldschmidt had the same swing length (7.7 feet), but Cruz’s swing was nearly 5 MPH faster.
For a visual example, compare these two swings. This Luis Arraez swing [link] looks like he is quick and short to the ball, and the data says: 4.4 feet of swing length. This Giancarlo Stanton swing [link] looks far longer, and it is – more than twice as long, in fact, at 9.7 feet.
Example:
In the first month of 2024, shorter swings were – as expected – more likely to make contact and less likely to hit for power.
Shorter than average swings
.258 BA / .359 SLG / .268 wOBA / 19% whiff rate
Longer than average swings
.235 BA / .422 SLG / .282 wOBA / 30% whiff rate