Rhino Scout Day: TrackMan Files

October 5, 2021
Kevin Cronin
Tech Analyst, Area Scout

On Saturday, September 30, the PBR Illinois staff held the first ever Rhino Scout Day event at the Rhino Sports Academy in Shorewood, Illinois. Roughly 40+ prospects from the Rhino Baseball program were in attendance.

Now, at the event’s conclusion, we’ll start to roll out several different content-related pieces from the day, starting with this statistical analysis. Earlier today our staff rolled out a Statistical Analysis, highlighting which players led each respective category from the day.

We'll now start to dive deeper into the data we collected, starting with the batted ball numbers and pitch metrics captured through our portable TrackMan units throughout the day. Below you'll see which prospects paced this group from an analytical standpoint.

MAX FASTBALL & PEAK SPIN RATE

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

Average Changeup Horizontal Movement

Average Exit Velocity (Hitting)

Exit Speed: Also according to TrackMan’s own website: “The speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.”

Peak Exit Velocity (Hitting)

Peak Estimated Batted Distance (Hitting)

For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.