On Feb 5, PBR Illinois hosted the winter’s Unsigned Senior Showcase, as it does each and every winter, at the MAX complex in McCook, Ill., where over 30 prospects participated. These class of 2023 athletes remain uncommitted headed into their final season of their prep careers.

Yesterday, we published our Takeaway Story from the players from the event. Earlier today, 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:

TRACKMAN

FASTBALL

VELOCITY (MAX)

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

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.)

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 efficiencies. 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 vertical approach angle.

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

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%

 

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CURVEBALL

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

STRIKE ZONE RATE%

 

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SLIDER

SPIN RATE (AVG.)

INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

STRIKE ZONE RATE%

 

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CHANGEUP

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

STRIKE ZONE RATE%

 

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PROPLAY AI

ARM SPEED (AVG.)

Measuring arm speed helps identify the athletes who both generate velocity now and have the potential to generate more in the future. A player's arm speed can help determine the pitcher's outlook for enduring prolonged outings when examined in conjunction with his stride length and extension, for example. And if the player is inefficiently transferring his energy into his release, yet still measuring above-average arm speed rates, then that can signal the potential for an even brighter future, should he learn how to become a more efficient mover.

HIP-TO-SHOULDER SEPARATION (AVG.)

Hip-to-shoulder separation is a critical moment that takes place in a pitcher's delivery, and this measurement indicates the degrees of separation between the pelvis and the trunk at the point in time just before the player's lead leg strikes the ground. It is one of the most noteworthy indicators of determining a player's ability to reach high throwing velocity in an efficient way that can lead to less injury risk long-term.

DECEPTION (AVG.)

According to ProPlayAI, the deception metric represents the amount of time, in units of milliseconds, a hitter would be able to see a ball from behind the pitcher’s body. Of course, throwing with higher velocities, better tunnelling, and taking advantage of seam shifted wake could also take advantage of these factors.

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.

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