PBR IL - Heartland CC Scout Day: TrackMan Files
September 30, 2021
On Thursday, September 23, the PBR Illinois scouting staff held the Heartland Community College Scout Day at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois. All the prospects in attendance showcased their talents in front of our staff, including a handful of other scouts that attended.
Our staff published a quick Statistical Analysis from this event earlier today, shining some light on those who stood out from a pure numbers standpoint - 60-yard dash, exit velocity, etc.
We'll continue our extensive post-event coverage by diving deeper into the data we gathered at Heartland, all thanks to the technology we have at our disposal. This piece will highlight the numbers collected through our TrackMan units, such as the pitch data and batted ball metrics from the day.
PITCHING
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 Slider Spin Rate
Average Curveball Spin Rate
Average Changeup Horizontal Movement
HITTING
Average Exit Velocity
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
Peak Estimated Batted Distance
For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.