short discussion of spin rate

#1
@1RBFjr

@1RBFjr

That’s a terrible idea. What time?
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#1
(here's hoping the link works)

A few Mondays or Tuesdays ago we had a broadcaster out. Jacob Browne, our other broadcaster, invited MTSU pitcher Justin Lee up to the booth to help with the broadcast. As the Trackman data came in, Justin did a nice job talking about spin rate. Jacob pulled out just under two minutes of the discussion, and hopefully it's below.

 
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#2
#2
@1RBFjr said:
(here's hoping the link works)

A few Mondays or Tuesdays ago we had a broadcaster out. Jacob Browne, our other broadcaster, invited MTSU pitcher Justin Lee up to the booth to help with the broadcast. As the Trackman data came in, Justin did a nice job talking about spin rate. Jacob pulled out just under two minutes of the discussion, and hopefully it's below.

Click to expand...

Great brief discussion regarding fastball spin rates. Had to hit the share icon to take me to the one drive link.
 
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#9
#9
@1RBFjr said:
(here's hoping the link works)
A few Mondays or Tuesdays ago we had a broadcaster out. Jacob Browne, our other broadcaster, invited MTSU pitcher Justin Lee up to the booth to help with the broadcast. As the Trackman data came in, Justin did a nice job talking about spin rate. Jacob pulled out just under two minutes of the discussion, and hopefully it's below.
Click to expand...
Thank you! That elaborates on something we heard mid-season about Kirby's pitches during a rough streak.

So if I understand correctly, with an overhand fastball the spin rate interacts with air pressure to provide lift against gravity, and there are two sweet spots (of spin rate) for adding movement to that pitch.

What are the spin rate targets for a sidearm pitcher, like we have coming in? Does he have no fastball against which to set up his other pitches?
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Interesting side note: I remember reading that Hall of Famer Phil Niekro's knuckleball had an ideal spin rate of 1-1.5 rotations from mound to plate.
 
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#10
#10
BruisedOrange said:
Thank you! That elaborates on something we heard mid-season about Kirby's pitches during a rough streak.

So if I understand correctly, with an overhand fastball the spin rate interacts with air pressure to provide lift against gravity, and there are two sweet spots (of spin rate) for adding movement to that pitch.

What are the spin rate targets for a sidearm pitcher, like we have coming in? Does he have no fastball against which to set up his other pitches?
----------
Interesting side note: I remember reading that Hall of Famer Phil Niekro's knuckleball had an ideal spin rate of 1-1.5 rotations from mound to plate.
Click to expand...
Glad you liked it. There are far more intelligent people on here that could answer your questions, but I think you have the gist of it.
 
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#11
#11
So, I didn't watch the video, but I will share a discussion that I had with a MLB scout at the 2021 CWS. The scout is a cousin of a good friend of mine.

I pitched growing up but stopped playing in high school and never had these discussions. I thought it was fascinating. MSU and Texas played the second game after UT's opening game in 2021. Will Bednair pitched against Ty Madden. Both were eventually picked early in the 2021 draft. After the game, we discussed the analytics, and the difference in spin rates. Bednair had a high spin rate that allowed his ball to move more. However, more spin can create more lift for a hitter. So, if a hitter catches a Bednair pitch or his pitch flattens just a little, then he is more susceptible to HR's or more base hits. In comparison, Madden threw hard but at a much lower spin rate. The scout said it was akin to trying to hit a bowling ball. Because the ball doesn't move as much, the hitters can make contact but can't lift it as much. Madden would rely more on his defense to get hitters out. Just two different styles of pitching.

At age 41 at the time, I had never really had an analytics discussion with someone who did it for a living. These are all things they use when evaluating the players and making draft decisions.
 
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