Welcome back 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. 

VERTICAL APPROACH ANGLE

Vertical Approach Angle (VAA) is essentially how steep or shallow the ball is entering the strike zone. The average entry into the zone is around -5.5 degrees for the Division 1 college level. Anything below or above that number is considered an outlier and would be ideal because it is not what the hitter is used to seeing. A VAA of -4.5 degrees would be considered a shallow entry, this, with some other variables mixed in (IVB, velocity, release height), allow for success up in the zone due to the "ride" or even sometimes "rising" effect. A VAA of -6 degrees would be considered a steep entry. This is the type of ball that has a lot of success in the bottom of the zone (including the same variables mentioned previously) because it feels like the pitcher is throwing it off Mt Everest. With the perfect combination of low IVB and high release it could be a very steep entry that would be hard to hit. 

 

 

Fastball Breakdown

Velocity: Soares runs his fastball into the upper 80's with ease in his mechanics, making it jump out of his hand that much easier. Effortless velocity is becoming more and more hard to find nowadays as we are in the max intent era for pitchers. With Soares being a freshman pitcher throwing high 80's, he is on a good path to being highly recruited. The goal of this article isn't just to talk about how hard Soares throws, but to evaluate his Trackman profile and see exactly where he will find the most success in the zone. 

Spin Rate: Soares floats around 2215 RPM which puts him in the top 10% among high school arms for spin rate. Spin creates a ceiling for pitch movement essentially when thrown properly. With this high of spin, you should expect his fastball to have a good movement profile, granted there are no inefficiencies. 

 Bauer Units: Bauer Units give us a good idea of the "expected" spin Soares produces for the velocity he is throwing. With a Bauer Unit measurement of 27, Soares is well above the average spin rate for the "typical" 88 MPH fastball. What this means is he just generates more spin that what you see from an average fastball of this velocity. Again, this measurement is not something that you want to be super concerned with. It is more valuable just to gauge you spin relative to your velocity. 

Induced Vertical Break: What is interesting with Soares is he has very exceptional spin numbers, but his movement profile doesn't quite match up to those spin numbers. Regardless of what is happening with his spin and movement numbers not adding up, we will evaluate the numbers as they are in the picture above. With 14.5 inches of IVB on average, this puts Soares in almost the bottom 90% for HS pitchers. As discussed before, it is a good thing to be further from average regardless of what side of the spectrum it is on. Being in the bottom 90% for IVB is great because this means he is generating very above average depth on his fastball. Depth on the fastball typically means missing barrels or inducing a lot fo ground balls when thrown in the bottom of the zone. So what we know from his velo and movement alone is that the bottom of the zone should equal a lot of success for Soares. With his low effort and relaxed demeanor on the mound, Soares will continue to find success in all parts of the zone, but we all know the older you get the easier it is to hit raw velo. For Soares to continue to make himself projectable and hard to hit, there should be a point made to continue to get better in the bottom half of the zone. 

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