Utah Preseason All-State: Pitching Data Dive
February 26, 2025
This past Saturday, February 22nd, the Prep Baseball Utah staff hosted it's marquee showcase of the preseason with the annual Utah Preseason All-State which continues to serve as the top preseason high school event in the State, at Crimson Cliffs High School in Washington, Utah. This event featured 115 of the top prospects in the 2025 - 2028 classes and featured a strong crop of both committed and uncommitted upperclassmen, as well as several of the premiere unsigned underclassmen ready to open their recruitment this upcoming summer.
Preseason All-State events allow top players in each region to showcase their offseason gains ahead of the high school season with an updated profile, completed with a new headshots, updated metrics through out tech partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, VALD Performance, Vizual Edge and more. These events also serve as identifiers for Invite-Only events in Utah such as the Preseason All-State, Top Prospect Games and Utah State Games, as well as national events such as the Future Games, Senior Future Games and West Coast Games.
Yesterday, we broke down the top measurable data performers from the event with our Statistical Analysis article. 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:
For complete event results, click here.
To register for the Utah Rising Stars ID (Apr. 12), click here.
FASTBALL
MAX VELOCITY (MPH)
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 efficiency. 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 the 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%
CURVEBALL
SPIN RATE (AVG.)
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
SLIDER
SPIN RATE (AVG)
INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK (AVG.)
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
CHANGEUP
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
STRIKE ZONE RATE%
UPCOMING EVENTS
Showcase | State | Date | Location |
Utah Rising Stars ID | UT | 04/12 | The Hive (Juab HS Fieldhouse) - Nephi, UT |
2025 ProCase - West | UT | 06/01 | Loyola Marymount University - Los Angeles, CA |