DLoc+ is the descriptive command grade. It does not ask who will command the ball best in the future. It asks whether this specific pitch landed in one of the best available target regions after choosing the right target map for the pitch type, count, matchup side, and live context.
DLoc+ stands for Descriptive Location+. It grades how well a pitcher actually located the pitches he already threw. The job is retrospective: choose the right map, adjust that map for context, then grade the real location against the final map.
The metric is about realized pitch execution, not generic strike throwing and not future command projection.
Every pitch starts from a pitch-type-by-count-by-matchup-side target surface instead of a single bullseye.
The actual plate location is graded against the context-adjusted surface that was appropriate for that exact pitch.
Not the same contract as public Location+: older public Location+ references on the site
can still mean the legacy residualized XGBoost track. DLoc+ is the new descriptive surface-grade name.
DLoc+ does not treat every pitch as if it shares one universal command target. A sinker at 0-2 to the same side wants a different map than a cutter at 3-1 to the glove-side matchup. The first job is choosing the right baseline surface.
The baseline map is only step one. DLoc+ can alter the final target surface when the context changes what the right miss or right edge should be.
If the hitter is more likely to expand, the fringe just off the plate can gain value. If he rarely chases, the same fringe can lose value.
Game situation matters. In some states, conceding a walk is less harmful than a mistake in the zone; in others, the opposite is true.
Promoted pitch families SI_flat and FC_flat can route to a different surface before scoring when their shape calls for it.
Conceptually, DLoc+ follows a simple sequence. The sophistication is in choosing and adjusting the map correctly before the grade is assigned.
Pick the pitch-type × count × matchup-side target map for this pitch.
If the pitch falls into a live routed family such as SI_flat or FC_flat, swap to that shape-specific surface.
Shift fringe values for batter chase tendency and for how acceptable a walk is in the current game situation.
Compare the pitch’s real location to the final adjusted surface and assign the plus-grade score.
The quick summary: choose the right target map, adjust it for context, then grade the actual location against that final map.