BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Birmingham Open was held on Wednesday, June 21st at Spain Park HS in Birmingham, AL. This was an open event that consisted of prospects in the 2024-2026 classes. These players went through a pro-style workout and took batting practice using Trackman to record hitting metrics. Pitchers were able to throw in simulated bullpens and were able to get numbers and metrics off of our Trackman unit, such as pitch velocity, spin rate, horizontal & vertical movement & much more. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing on Wednesday.

Continuing off our post-event coverage for this event, we take a look back at some of the leaders from each statistical category recorded on the Trackman B1 unit. Please continue to check back over the next week, as we will release individual scouting reports on each player present at the event. 

View entire event stats HERE. 

MAX FASTBALL & AVERAGE SPIN RATE

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	VELOCITY (MAX)
1	Sellers Neuendorf	AL	Mountain Brook	2024	RHP	85.0 mph
2	Colman Gann	AL	Priceville	2025	RHP	84.7 mph
3	Dylan Lewkutz	AL	Hewitt-Trussville	2024	RHP	81.7 mph
4	Ryan Farr	AL	Auburn	2026	C	81.0 mph
5	Austyn Banks	AL	Geraldine	2024	RHP	78.8 mph

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

Spin Rate: This metric calculates the rate of spin on the baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Historical data shows that high-spin fastballs lessen the impact of gravity, allowing for more ‘rise’ (or less fall, in other words) as it carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate the pitch has greater horizontal action, often making it tougher to square up, but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls, while high-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.

AVERAGE FASTBALL HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Horizontal Break: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.”

AVERAGE CURVEBALL SPIN RATE

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).

AVERAGE SLIDER SPIN RATE

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).

AVERAGE CHANGEUP HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Horizontal Break: This metric measures the distance, measured in inches, between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.

PEAK EXIT VELOCITY (HITTING)

Exit Velocity: This metric measures the speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.

PEAK ESTIMATED BATTED DISTANCE (HITTING)

Distance: This metric measures the estimated “carry flat” distance, measured in feet, meaning the distance that the ball travels before it lands, or would have landed if it were not caught or obstructed. 

 

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