TrackMan Pitcher of the Week: Carson Tehan

When a pitcher can spin the baseball, it gives them many options when it comes to their repertoire. Carson Tehan out of the Windsor Selects program is able to spin the baseball like no one else in his class. He has an average fastball spin rate of 2318 which is the best in the country for 2023s. It generates a 19.2 IVB and 5.3 HB. Now, although his fastball doesn’t have a lot of arm-side run to it, the substantial IVB sets up his breaking ball very well.

Just like his fastball, Tehan can spin his slider at an elite level. It has an average spin rate of 2740 which is tops in his class by a wide margin. The next best spin rate on a slider in the class of 2023 is 2374. What we like about his slider is that it has both depth and horizontal break. Its IVB is -9.3 and its HB is -15.9. This allows it to drastically differ in movement from his fastball as seen on the graph below (fastball – black, slider – blue):

What he also possesses is a 39 spin score on that slider. For context, an average spin score on a breaking ball is generally around 30. What spin score essentially tells us is how good a pitcher is at spinning a baseball (spin score = spin rate/velocity). This is an important metric because as a pitcher’s velocity increases, so does their spin rate. Spin score is a good way to predict a player’s ability to spin the baseball as he matures and adds velocity.

Finally, his changeup. It’s tough to get a full picture of his changeup because of the small sample size, he only threw two of them in his bullpen. It has a comparable IVB to his fastball (17.7), as seen on the graph above, but does have a significant difference in HB, 13.7 versus 5.3 for his fastball caused by the difference in tilt. The velocity and spin rate difference from his fastball is decent, but this is where he can make adjustments that will have a positive impact on his changeup.

For Tehan going forward a minor adjustment to his release point and on his changeup is what he should be looking at. For his release point, consistency will allow him to locate his pitches better as well as making it tougher for those better hitters to pick up on what he is throwing:

His sliders will all differ in movement which makes it tougher to locate when they all come out of the hand at different spots. That also goes for any pitch. As for his changeup, a modification to his velocity and spin rate will drop his IVB and make it a very tough pitch for hitters to pick up on. Playing around with different grips will make this possible.

His slider is and will continue to be his calling card. Adding an elite secondary offering will make him that much tougher to face in the coming years.

Here’s a look at uncommitted 2023 Carson Tehan of the @WindsorSelects.

The young right-hander held his own against older competition and will be a ‘23 to keep an eye on going forward.

FB 82-83
CB 70-72#PBRIsThere ?? pic.twitter.com/cX7n7nHQgZ

— PBR Ontario (@PBR_Ontario) September 26, 2021