The 2024 Rising Stars State Games took place October 25-27 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona, FL. The event featured players from the 2028-2029 classes participating in pro-style workout followed by three total games in front of the Prep Baseball Florida Scouting Staff.

Inside today’s Data Dive, we will highlight the players with top metrics per Trackman and Blast.

On Monday, we broke down the stat leaders from the more traditional categories in our Statistical Leaderboards. Today, we will take an even closer look at the players in attendance with the help of our tech partners, broken down by the categories and leaderboards below.

Pitchers

FASTBALL

MAX VELOCITY (MPH)

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

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.

SPIN EFFICIENCY% (AVG.)

Spin Efficiency: This metric is the percentage of the raw spin rate that directly impacts pitch movement; so while raw spin is measured by revolutions per minute (rpm), spin efficiency is the ratio of true spin divided by raw spin. It’s important to understand that more is not always better when it comes to spin efficiency. The optimal spin efficiency on a pitch depends on the pitch type and should be understood in the context of a pitcher’s entire arsenal. Regarding the true four-seam fastball, a spin efficiency close to 100 percent is preferable, indicating that nearly all the backspin generated on the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand is contributing to the “riding” action the pitch has as it enters and exits the strike zone, making it especially effective in the upper third of the strike zone.

INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)

Induced Vertical Break: Used in short form as "IVB," this metric is most important on fastballs for creating rise and on curveballs for creating depth – it can also have some use when measuring sliders and cutters as well. Sliders tend to be closer to zero inches while cutters are generally between 5 and 15 inches. Usually fastballs and curveballs with large IVB have higher spin efficiencies as well. Sliders generally have very little (closer to zero) IVB and very low spin efficiency. You could also categorize IVB into spin rate as this is part of the “useful movement” you’re looking for. IVB is also a huge part of the vertical approach angle.

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

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.”

 
CURVEBALL

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

SLIDER

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

CHANGEUP

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

Hitters

ATHLETIC TESTING

60-YARD DASH

GRIP STRENGTH (RIGHT)

GRIP STRENGTH (LEFT)

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TRACKMAN HITTING

EXIT VELOCITY (MAX)

EXIT VELOCITY (AVG.)

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.

BATTED BALL DISTANCE (MAX)

SWEET SPOT%

Sweet Spot percentage: This metric is determined by how often the player produces a batted ball during the session with a launch angle between 8 to 32 degrees.

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BLAST MOTION

HAND SPEED (AVG.)

Hand Speed: The observed speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.

BAT SPEED (AVG.)

Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.

ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION (AVG.)

Rotational Acceleration: Rotation measures how quickly your bat accelerates into the swing plane. Rotation is a good indicator of how you build bat speed by sequencing properly vs. pulling the bat with your hands. The quicker your rotational acceleration, the more power you will have and the more time you have to make a decision at the plate.

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.

 

Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
Florida Super Sophomore Games (Invite-Only)	FL	11/23	University of Miami - Alex Rodriguez Park