Welcome to Trackman Traits! In this piece we will be dissecting the numbers the Trackman produces and the effect they can have on a pitcher's approach. Below there will be definitions of each category that we believe to be the most important for a young arm to keep in mind as well as breaking down an arm and giving suggestions on how they can improve their game. Keep in mind, in some categories it is better to be further away from average even if the numbers are wavering on below average. 

 

FASTBALL VELOCITY

Fastball velocity doesn't go much deeper than just looking at the numbers and comparing them to the graphic below! Fastball velocity complements just about all of the other metrics that are measured. If you throw hard, it makes all your other pitches/metrics even better.

FASTBALL SPIN RATE

Spin rate is a measurement that if you are below average or above average, you can pitch with more room for error. On the other hand, if you are average you should try to throw in the bottom half of the zone with exceptional command. High spin fastballs profile as one that is frequently described as having "late life". Low spin fastballs tend to profile as a fastball that has heavy feel to it. Pitch movement is still dependent on spin direction of the pitch but Trackman does not have that metric displayed on profiles. 

BAUER UNITS

Bauer Units are an easier way of determining how useful the spin numbers are compared to the velocity. We can calculate this metric by taking average spin rate and dividing it by average velocity. Bauer Units are useful because we can have a case of two pitchers with the same spin numbers, ex. 2200 RPM, but one pitcher throws 90 MPH and the other throws 83 MPH. The pitcher throwing 90 MPH with 2200 spin is not as impressive as the pitcher throwing 83 MPH with the same spin. Typically, we would tell the harder throwing pitcher to throw up in the zone purely off his velocity and his high spin, but because his Bauer Units would equate to around 24 that would be only 1 unit off of average (23), therefore he would want to hammer the bottom of the zone. On the other side, the pitcher throwing 83 MPH has a Bauer Unit measurement of 26 which is incredibly impressive. This would allow him to throw up in the zone even though his velocity is not blow away type numbers because he produces above average spin with that slated velocity. 

FASTBALL INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK

As far as deception and importance goes, fast induced vertical break (IVB) may be the most important. Induced vertical break is not what is sounds. IVB simply means the pitch is "breaking" upward from the average level a pitch falls from release to home plate. This is a stat that you want to stay away from being average at. Fortunately, this can be tweaked slightly depending on release height. To put it simply, the higher number =  more "rise" the pitch has compared to average. Lower number = more depth the pitch has to it. 

CURVEBALL SPIN RATE

Spin rate on curveballs is pretty simple: higher spin = nastier stuff. There are some ways to manipulate spin numbers slightly but for the most part spin is spin. At the moment, there are no well known ways to change your spin in a big way. Spin not only dictates how sharp your curveball is, but it can also aid in keeping hitters honest by having similar rotation matching that of your fastball. 

  

 

FASTBALL BREAKDOWN 

Velocity: Diving into the headline stat, velocity. Papenhagen's  max velo falls into the top 25% of high school arms, but his average velo is somewhere in the top 26-50%. Now, keep in mind that he is a 2023 grad so there is some upside here. Being only a sophomore, he has room to grow and mature and hopefully tap into some more velocity. On another plus, Papenhagen has clean mechanics that produce seemingly effortless velo. This, along with other things, play in how the pitch appears to a hitter on its way in. 

Spin Rate (SR): Taking a raw look at the numbers, it doesn't appear that Papenhagen has the ability to spin the ball as he falls around the top 10% of high school arms. Instead of just thinking of spin as it appears on the chart above, let's think a little more along the lines of "Is his spin good for how hard he throws?". If we think this way, let's skip this section and jump right into Bauer Units, because there we will truly be able to determine if he can spin it. 

Bauer Units: This is where Bauer Units come in handy. Typically you can see whether someone can spin it well or not purely off the numbers, but looking at Papenhagen's numbers you wouldn't be able to determine that. Thankfully, we have Bauer Units so we can realize that for how hard Hood is chucking it, he does, in fact, have plus spin. Falling in around 28 Bauer Units, he has an advanced ability to spin the ball. Surely enough, when his velo starts to climb so will the spin numbers. 

 

SLIDER BREAKDOWN

Spin Rate (SR): Papenhagen displays a quality breaking ball with above average spin. Obviously from what we know about velocity and spin, the more his velocity goes up the better his spin and pitch movement will be.