Welcome back to Trackman Traits. In this piece we will be dissecting the numbers the Trackman produces and the effect they can have on a pitcher's approach. Below there will be definitions of each category that we believe to be the most important for a young arm to keep in mind as well as breaking down an arm and giving suggestions on how they can improve their game. Keep in mind, in some categories it is better to be further away from average even if the numbers are wavering on below average. 

FASTBALL VELOCITY

Fastball velocity doesn't go much deeper than just looking at the numbers and comparing them to the graphic below! Fastball velocity complements just about all of the other metrics that are measured. If you throw hard, it makes all your other pitches/metrics even better.

FASTBALL SPIN RATE

Spin rate is a measurement that if you are below average or above average, you can pitch with more room for error. On the other hand, if you are average you should try to throw in the bottom half of the zone with exceptional command. High spin fastballs profile as one that is frequently described as having "late life". Low spin fastballs tend to profile as a fastball that has heavy feel to it. Pitch movement is still dependent on spin direction of the pitch but Trackman does not have that metric displayed on profiles. 

BAUER UNITS

Bauer Units are an easier way of determining how useful the spin numbers are compared to the velocity. We can calculate this metric by taking average spin rate and dividing it by average velocity. Bauer Units are useful because we can have a case of two pitchers with the same spin numbers, ex. 2200 RPM, but one pitcher throws 90 MPH and the other throws 83 MPH. The pitcher throwing 90 MPH with 2200 spin is not as impressive as the pitcher throwing 83 MPH with the same spin. Typically, we would tell the harder throwing pitcher to throw up in the zone purely off his velocity and his high spin, but because his Bauer Units would equate to around 24 that would be only 1 unit off of average (23), therefore he would want to hammer the bottom of the zone. On the other side, the pitcher throwing 83 MPH has a Bauer Unit measurement of 26 which is incredibly impressive. This would allow him to throw up in the zone even though his velocity is not blow away type numbers because he produces above average spin with that slated velocity. 

FASTBALL INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK

As far as deception and importance goes, fast induced vertical break (IVB) may be the most important. Induced vertical break is not what is sounds. IVB simply means the pitch is "breaking" upward from the average level a pitch falls from release to home plate. This is a stat that you want to stay away from being average at. Fortunately, this can be tweaked slightly depending on release height. To put it simply, the higher number =  more "rise" the pitch has compared to average. Lower number = more depth the pitch has to it. 

VERTICAL APPROACH ANGLE

Vertical Approach Angle (VAA) is essentially how steep or shallow the ball is entering the strike zone. The average entry into the zone is around -5.5 degrees for the Division 1 college level. Anything below or above that number is considered an outlier and would be ideal because it is not what the hitter is used to seeing. A VAA of -4.5 degrees would be considered a shallow entry, this, with some other variables mixed in (IVB, velocity, release height), allow for success up in the zone due to the "ride" or even sometimes "rising" effect. A VAA of -6 degrees would be considered a steep entry. This is the type of ball that has a lot of success in the bottom of the zone (including the same variables mentioned previously) because it feels like the pitcher is throwing it off Mt Everest. With the perfect combination of low IVB and high release it could be a very steep entry that would be hard to hit. 

 

 

Fastball Breakdown

Velocity: Kranzler possess top end velocity for a 2023 arm. With this velocity alone he could most likely over power most lineups that he faces but we are going to dissect the numbers that go along with his fastball to see how he can step his game up even more in the next couple years. 

Spin Rate: Having a 2126 max RPM on his fastball would set Kranzler just above the top 25% among HS arms for spin numbers. With slightly above average spin numbers, the movement profile on his fastball should follow along in the above average path that his spin allows it. As we have discussed before, spin is not a do or die metric. It simply is a good metric to look at to determine the "projectability" of a fastball movement profile. 

 Bauer Units: Bauer Units give us a good idea of the "expected" spin Kranzler produces for the velocity he is throwing. With a Bauer Unit measurement of 24, Kranzler's spin is just a tick above where a typical 90 MPH fastball should be. This just means that he is not producing more or less spin than expected. Again, this measurement is not something that you want to be super concerned with. It is more valuable just to gauge you spin relative to your velocity. 

Induced Vertical Break: Kranzler throws from a low 3/4 slot that induces side spin on the baseball. When you look at his spin numbers, you automatically assume he will have good IVB. Assuming he threw from a higher slot, that would be the case; but it is not the case with Kranzler's fastball. The low 3/4 slot induces the side spin and side spin kills vertical break numbers. A good example of this is a changeup, the goal of a changeup is to kill the spin and induce side spin that gives it that fading movement. What Kranzler is doing is simply throwing a fastball with spin that is in-between backspin and side spin. This type of spin is classified around 1:30 and 1:45 tilt. With a max IVB measurement of 15.2 Kranzler is slotted in the top 75% among HS arms. His fastball gets a "sinking" effect due to the orientation of his spin. Similar to the IVB numbers, Kranzler's horizontal movement max measurement caps at 15.1 inches. With this much movement, he is slotted in the top 10% for Horizontal Movement among HS arms. 15 inches of arm side movement is a killer for the thumbs of opposing hitters. With this movement profile, Kranzler will find a ton of success throwing to the dead zone of RHH down and in. For left handed hitters it can be the same approach as he would have to a RHH. 

Vertical Approach Angle: On pitches thrown at knee height, Kranzler has a VAA of -6.3 degrees. This would be considered a steep entry into the zone which makes sense after we look at his other movement numbers. With low IVB and heavy run on the FB, a steep entry into the zone will allow Kranzler to find success in the bottom of the zone and induce ground ball after ground ball. 

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