Pueblo Summer Open: Pitching Data Dive
July 21, 2023
On July 18th, the PBR Colorado staff hosted the Pueblo Summer Open at Colorado State University - Pueblo in Pueblo, Colorado. This event featured roughly 30 uncommitted prospects from the 2024 - 2027 classes and allowed our staff an opportunity to get an in-depth look at the players in attendance.
Earlier this week, we broke down the top measurable data performers from the event with our Statistical Analysis. Now, we will take a further in-depth look at the top pitchers with the help of our tech partnerships, broken down by the categories down below:
For complete event results, click here.
To view upcoming event schedule, click here.
FASTBALL
MAX VELOCITY (MPH)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Velocity (max) |
1 | Roy Higinbotham | CO | Pueblo County | 2024 | RHP | 84.8 mph |
2 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 83.2 mph |
3 | Jacob Loupe | CO | Eagle Valley | 2024 | RHP | 81.9 mph |
4 | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | 81.3 mph |
5 | Karter Vega-Hernandez | CO | Fountain-Fort Carson | 2026 | SS | 81.1 mph |
Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.
SPIN RATE (AVG)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Roy Higinbotham | CO | Pueblo County | 2024 | RHP | 2130 rpm |
2 | Karter Vega-Hernandez | CO | Fountain-Fort Carson | 2026 | SS | 2124 rpm |
3 | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | 2055 rpm |
4 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 2021 rpm |
5 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | 1934 rpm |
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.
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Kyler Colbert | CO | Erie | 2025 | OF | 13.4 in |
2 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 13.2 in |
3 | Gavin Vargas | CO | Mesa Ridge | 2026 | 1B | 12.5 in |
4 | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | 12.0 in |
5 | Roy Higinbotham | CO | Pueblo County | 2024 | RHP | 11.1 in |
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.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 13.0 |
2 | Gavin Vargas | CO | Mesa Ridge | 2026 | 1B | 9.1 |
3 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 8.8 |
4 | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | 8.7 |
5 | Jacob Loupe | CO | Eagle Valley | 2024 | RHP | 8.6 |
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.”
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | 75 % |
2 | Gavin Vargas | CO | Mesa Ridge | 2026 | 1B | 71 % |
3 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 66 % |
4 | Kyler Colbert | CO | Erie | 2025 | OF | 50 % |
CURVEBALL
SPIN RATE (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 2123 rpm |
2 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | 2099 rpm |
3 | Karter Vega-Hernandez | CO | Fountain-Fort Carson | 2026 | SS | 2069 rpm |
4 | Kyler Colbert | CO | Erie | 2025 | OF | 2019 rpm |
5 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 1886 rpm |
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | -5.3 in |
2 | Kyler Colbert | CO | Erie | 2025 | OF | -4.0 in |
3 | Dominic Williams | CO | Rampart | 2025 | RHP | 2.7 in |
4 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 2.7 in |
5 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | -1.8 in |
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | -9.5 |
2 | Kyler Colbert | CO | Erie | 2025 | OF | -8.6 |
3 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | -8.6 |
4 | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | -8.2 |
5 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | -2.5 |
STRIKE ZONE %
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Karter Vega-Hernandez | CO | Fountain-Fort Carson | 2026 | SS | 100 % |
^ | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | 100 % |
^ | Dominic Williams | CO | Rampart | 2025 | RHP | 100 % |
2 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 50 % |
SLIDER
SPIN RATE (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | 2552 |
2 | Karter Vega-Hernandez | CO | Fountain-Fort Carson | 2026 | SS | 2181 |
3 | Roy Higinbotham | CO | Pueblo County | 2024 | RHP | 2081 |
4 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 2047 |
5 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 1962 |
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Dominic Williams | CO | Rampart | 2025 | RHP | 11.5 in |
2 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | 11.1 in |
3 | Jacob Loupe | CO | Eagle Valley | 2024 | RHP | -10.5 in |
4 | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | -4.6 in |
5 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | -3.5 in |
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | -13.0 |
2 | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | 7.4 |
3 | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | -6.0 |
4 | Jacob Loupe | CO | Eagle Valley | 2024 | RHP | -5.8 |
5 | Roy Higinbotham | CO | Pueblo County | 2024 | RHP | -5.7 |
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Karter Vega-Hernandez | CO | Fountain-Fort Carson | 2026 | SS | 100 % |
^ | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | 100 % |
^ | Jonathan Fitzgibbons | CO | Meeker | 2024 | RHP | 100 % |
2 | Roy Higinbotham | CO | Pueblo County | 2024 | RHP | 85 % |
3 | Dominic Williams | CO | Rampart | 2025 | RHP | 66 % |
CHANGEUP
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | David Casillas | CO | Pueblo East | 2026 | RHP | 12.1 |
2 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 11.9 |
3 | Jagger Kilpatrick | CO | Niwot | 2025 | RHP | 8.3 |
4 | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | 5.5 |
5 | Gavin Vargas | CO | Mesa Ridge | 2026 | 1B | 5.4 |
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Gavin Vargas | CO | Mesa Ridge | 2026 | 1B | 75 % |
2 | Blake Swift | CO | Pueblo County | 2026 | RHP | 50 % |
^ | Brayden Walters | CO | Canon City | 2024 | 1B | 50 % |
UPCOMING EVENTS
SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
PBR Junior Future Games | NATIONAL | 07/25 | LakePoint |
2023 PBR Future Games (Colorado Invite) | CO | 07/26 | LakePoint Sports - Cartersville, GA |
2023 PBR West Coast Games | CO | 08/04 | UNLV & College of Southern Nevada |
Colorado State Games (Invite-Only) | CO | 08/08 | Regency Athletic Complex at Metro State University (Denver) |
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