Wilmington Preseason ID: Data-Driven Evaluations Open the Spring

On Sunday, February 22, 2026, players from the coastal region gathered at The Yard House in Wilmington, NC for the Wilmington Preseason ID — a pro-style workout designed to deliver measurable feedback and early-season exposure.

The event followed a complete evaluation format. Players opened with athletic testing, including a laser-timed 30-yard sprint using VALD Athletic timing systems and jump metrics collected on VALD jump mats, giving scouts verified data on explosiveness and speed.

Position players then worked through a defensive workout at their primary positions, allowing evaluators to collect arm velocity and assess footwork, exchange, and release. Batting practice followed, with TrackMan capturing ball flight data and BLAST Motion measuring swing metrics, providing a full breakdown of contact quality, bat speed, and efficiency.

Pitchers closed the day with controlled bullpens while TrackMan tracked velocity, spin characteristics, and pitch movement profiles.

Over the coming days, we will highlight standout performers, dive into positional leaderboards, and break down the statistical trends that emerged from the 2026–2029 classes. The Wilmington Preseason ID once again delivered a detailed, objective snapshot of players heading into the spring season.

Roster, Stats, and Analytics >> https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/event/NC/wilmington-preseason-id

---

DATA DIVE -Pitchers

+ FASTBALL

MAX FASTBALL 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) as the pitch carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate greater horizontal action, often making them tougher to square up but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls. High-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

Induced Vertical Break (IVB): 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 be useful when measuring sliders and cutters. Sliders tend to be closer to zero inches, while cutters are generally between 5 and 15 inches. Fastballs and curveballs with large IVB usually have higher spin efficiency. Sliders generally have very little (closer to zero) IVB and low spin efficiency. It’s important to consider pitch velocity and release height when evaluating IVB measurements.

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

Horizontal Break: Horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-to-side and where it would have crossed if 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.

HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%

For 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.

CURVEBALL

HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

SLIDER

HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

CHANGEUP

HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%

+ Click here to view the event statistics in its entirety.

---

RELATED CONTENT