This week’s leaderboard comes from the 2012 leaders in IFFB% or infield fly ball rate. Which qualified pitchers and hitters force and hit the most popups?

Starting Pitchers – Most

1. Bruce Chen, 17.6%

2. Rick Porcello, 15.8%

3. Phil Hughes, 15.6%

4. Justin Verlander, 15.4%

5. Jon Lester, 14.4%

Starting Pitchers – Fewest

1. Edwin Jackson, 3.6 %

2. Tim Lincecum, 3.8%

3. Jeff Samardzija, 3.8%

4. Yovani Gallardo, 4.0%

5. Scott Diamond, 4.0%

Hitters – Most

1. Jimmy Rollins, 19.0%

2. Erick Aybar, 18.4%

3. Desmond Jennings, 18.1%

4. Mike Moustakas, 17.6%

5. Dan Uggla, 16.9%

Hitters – Fewest

1. Chris Johnson, 0.8%

2. Joe Mauer, 1.0%

3. Austin Jackson, 1.4%

4. Jose Altuve, 1.5%

5. Ben Revere, 1.6%

In a very lose sense, IFFB% tends to have a negative correlation with groundball rate. In other words, people who hit/throw groundballs tend to have lower IFFB%. Except there are two glaring exceptions on these lists (at least in the top fives).

Rick Porcello is a groundballer (>50%) but one of the top IFFB% pitchers. This would lend some strong evidence that Porcello is a lot better than his ERA indicates. He gets groundballs and infield popups. Imagine him with a good defense. What’s interesting about Porcello is that his GB% is consistent in his four year career (50-55%), but his IFFB% is increasing consistently every season (5%, 7%, 10%, 15%).

Chris Johnson has a GB% below 40%, but somehow has almost no infield popups. 60% of his balls are in the air, but less than 1% are in the air to the infield. That is crazy! His career numbers show this same trend, so it isn’t a fluke.

Take from this what you will, but at the very least these leaderboards highlight some players with strange tendencies.