The expanded usage of data, and the importance of it in regards to player development and player assessment is a legitimate, undeniable tool used by high school, college, and professional teams across the country. Today we break down some of the data from our recent Preseason All-State Central event in Richmond, VA. See which players stood out in regards to Trackman data. 

Glossary Terms Intro & Links:

Induced Vertical Break: VB or IVB
Vertical Approach Angle: VAA 
Horizontal Break: HB
Release Speed: RS or Velo
Release Height: RH or RelHei

AJ Labrusciano's changeup: Threw it for a strike 75% of the time with optimal movement, as well as a 6.0 mph difference from his fastball and a near 600 rpm difference as well. Threw it between 1:30 and 1:45 getting near equal parts movement wise with a touch more horizontal (15.3 inches of HB to 14.4 of VB). His only pitch at 1:45 had 16.3 inches of HB and 11.9 inches of VB, which was one of the better changeups on the day.

 

 

 

Andrew Jones’ curveball: Was one of the few pitchers with curveball tilts between 7:00 and 6:00 (for righties), and 6:00 and 5:00 (for lefties), which basically means there’s little to no side spin and almost entirely topspin; which is ideal for a true “downer” or “12-6” curveball. His best curveball thrown was at 6:45, getting 17 inches of vertical drop and -8.1 inches of HB; which is as close to zero side to side movement as you’ll see on a curve. On average the pitch had -11.6 inches of vertical drop. He threw it between 66.6 and 68.53 mph with 2,466 rpm. Likely a high efficiency pitch.

 

Ben Winslow’s slider: Threw the hardest slider, on average, of the day at 75.3. It’s a true slider, with a 8:45 to 9:00 tilt getting zero VB and -6.1 inches of HB. It’s a gyro heavy pitch. Now, gyro heavy pitches are generally only good when thrown hard, so part of the intrigue in Winslow’s slider is that as he gets older and his velocity jumps, his slider will end up playing much better with his current shape. For now, the pitch basically “falls off the table” with its current movement, which means it has both late movement, and depth to it which are two important traits for a slider. The fact that he throws it so hard for his age also gives him a massive advantage over his counterparts.