Barrel

In baseball, a ball that--when hit by a batter--achieves a velocity of at least 98 mph while being launched at an angle within the 26 degree and 30 degree range. The angle range necessary for Barrel classification increases by 2 to 3 degrees for every 1 additional mph, until maxing out at 116 mph and an angle range of 8 to 50 degrees. Though a ball hit at speeds above 116 mph may still be classified as a Barrel, it must still maintain a launch angle within the 8 to 50 degree range. The purpose of the Barrel classification is to define balls hit by batters that tend to produce exceptionally favorable batting averages for the offensive player.