On Deck O's Scout Day: TrackMan Pitching Analytics
August 28, 2025
On Deck O's Scout Day - Event Recap
Prep Baseball was in Gastonia, NC on July 30th for the On Deck O's Scout Day, held at Sims Legion Park. These events serve as a crucial evaluation platform, giving players an opportunity to update their Prep Baseball profile with verified stats, advanced analytics, video, and scout notes — all gathered during a pro-style workout.
Athletes participating in a Prep Baseball NC Scout Day also become eligible for future invitations to Team Carolina's premier events, including the Junior Future Games. These invite-only events feature the top talent from across North Carolina, drawing attention from college coaches and professional scouts nationwide.
Workout Overview
The day began with laser-timed 60-yard dashes using the VALD timing system, which tracked athletes' sprint metrics at the 10-yard, 30-yard, and 60-yard marks. The system also provided speed-based insights into acceleration and top-end run performance.
Batting practice followed, with players taking live rounds while TrackMan recorded exit velocity, launch angle, and distance.
Next, players rotated through defensive evaluations at their primary positions:
- Catchers showcased pop times to second base, while velocity and release efficiency were closely monitored.
- Outfielders threw from right field to home, allowing scouts to evaluate arm strength, accuracy, and carry.
- Infielders took reps from third base, shortstop, and first base, fielding a range of ground balls to assess footwork, hands, and throwing metrics.
The workout concluded with bullpen sessions, where pitchers threw full arsenals in a live setting. TrackMan provided data on velocity, spin rates, movement, and pitch sequencing, delivering a complete picture of each pitcher’s current profile and projection.
All players were filmed throughout the day, with video footage and analytics being added to their Prep Baseball profiles. These updates allow scouts and coaches to assess player development over time and provide a lasting resource for evaluation and recruitment.
TRACKMAN PITCHING DATA - ON DECK O’S SCOUT DAY
FASTBALL
MAX VELOCITY
Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.
HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE
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.
HIGHEST AVG. IVB
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 efficiency. You could also categorize IVB into spin rate as this is part of the “useful movement” you’re looking for, and it’s also important to consider the pitch’s velocity as well as its release height when evaluating IVB measurements against each other.
HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT
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.”
HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%
For some context, in 2023 MLB pitchers averaged an In Zone% of around 49 percent in live game settings measured across all pitch types, according to Statcast.