Prep Baseball Canada: Trackman Pitcher of the Week
July 17, 2024
While analytics are not everything when evaluating talent in baseball, it assists in player development, how we evaluate talent in the present, as well as in the future.
The main function of Trackman is to relay pitching and hitting data to scouts and coaches which will allow them to evaluate the player accordingly. This technology can track upwards of 27 different measurements per hit/pitch. Although there is far more data to analyze on the pitching side, it is still important to look at a hitters numbers to fully understand where they currently are, and where they could be as they continue to develop.
This series will highlight one hitter and one pitcher every week from across the country who have stood out at a Prep Baseball Canada showcase with their Trackman numbers. We will cover current metrics, as well as data that lets us forecast and predict what a player may look like down the road.
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Shane Brinham LHP / OF / Handsworth, BC / 2025Brinham, one of the top uncommitted 2025s in the country and the top ranked player in BC’s 2025 class, has some of the most intriguing metrics of anyone in the country from his showing at the BC Future Games Trials. Starting with his 4-seam fastball, Brinham does a good job of avoiding the dreaded “deadzone”. Deadzone fastballs tend to get hit harder as its movement profile is very average (13 inches of HB, 13 inches of IVB), and they come out of a regular armslot (10:30 for a LHP, and 1:30 for a RHP). His movement profile is -9.9 inches of HB and 16.3 inches of IVB. When located in the upper third of the strike-zone, his fastball has a Vertical Approach Angle (VAA) of about 4.3. This allows him to generate plenty of swing & miss, as well as weak flyball contact. Avoiding hard contact is critical to success and he does a good job of that with his 4-seam fastball. Another effective pitch in Brinham’s arsenal is his slider. Although it doesn’t have an extreme amount of movement on it, just 5.4 inches of HB and -2.2 inches of IVB, he tunnels it well off his fastball creating deception. While it’s not as much of a swing & miss offering at the moment, his ability to spin the baseball will allow him to tinker with it if he chooses to do so to enhance it’s profile and make it a more effective strikeout pitch. As aforementioned, Brinham’s ability to spin the baseball allows him to adjust his repertoire in ways others who can’t won’t be able to. While those who can’t spin the baseball can still have success, it opens doors for Brinham to take his repertoire to the next level as he continues to develop.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| Future Games (Class of 2026/27) | NATIONAL | 07/24 | LakePoint Sports |
| Junior Future Games (Class of 2028/29) | NATIONAL | 07/24 | LakePoint Sports |
| Senior Future Games (Class of 2025) | NATIONAL | 07/24 | LakePoint Sports |
| Pacific Northwest State Games (Invite Only) | BC | 07/30 | Heritage High School |
| 2024 Whalley Summer ID | BC | 08/17 | Whalley Athletic Park |