Chicagoland Open: Blast Motion Board
August 24, 2021
On Sunday, August 22, the PBR Illinois scouting staff hosted the ninth annual Chicagoland Open at Triton College in River Grove, IL. Roughly 80+ prospects attended and provided our staff with an up-to-date look at their particular skill-sets or, for some, a first glance at the talents they bring to the baseball field.
Yesterday our scouting staff collaborated to provide you with our Quick Hits piece, highlighting several standout performances of the day. Earlier today, we started our dive into the data side of things by looking at those who topped our traditional leaderboards from Sunday's showcases, which you can find by clicking HERE. We also took a look at some of the TrackMan data from this event earlier today inside our TrackMan Files, published HERE.
Today, with the help of our Blast Motion sensors, we're analyzing the swing metrics measured on Saturday at this high-caliber showcase.
Hand Speed (Peak & Average)
Peak Hand Speed: The observed maximum speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.
Bat Speed (Average)
Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.
Rotational Acceleration (Peak & Average)
Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.
For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.