Prep Baseball Report

California Preseason ID: Positional Data Dive


By: Gavin Smith
California Staff

  

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On Sunday, January 12th the PB California staff traveled to Ventura College in Ventura, CA, to host the annual Central California Preseason ID, an open event for the class of 2025-2028.

Nearly 40 players made their way to Ventura this past weekend and participated in a pro-style workout, gathering unrivaled access to data through our state-of-the-art tech partners, as well as in-depth scouting analysis from our Prep Baseball California staff.

We've already posted a Statistical Analysis from the event, highlighting more of the traditional statistical categories, as well as a Quick Hits, highlighting some of the events top performers.

Today, we will be looking at the top measurable data performers from the event, found below.


VALD

60-YARD

Traditionally, the 60-yard dash has been the in-event standard to help measure a player's speed tool. We implemented three timing gates at the 10 and 30 yards, to capture athletes’ quickness, explosiveness and reaction time. From there, we will calculate an athlete’s top-end speed in miles per hour. 


TRACKMAN

We'll continue to roll out the data we gathered from this event, starting with the analytics we have at our disposal from our TrackMan units. Below we'll look at which players had noteworthy batted ball and pitch data.

EXIT VELOCITY (MAX)

EXIT VELOCITY (AVERAGE)

Exit Velocity: This metric measures the speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.

Batted Ball (MAX)

Sweet Spot %

Sweet Spot percentage: This metric is determined by how often the player produces a batted ball during the session with a launch angle between 8 to 32 degrees.


BLAST

With the help of our Blast Motion sensors, we're analyzing the swing metrics measured at this open showcase.

HAND SPEED (AVERAGE)

Hand Speed: The observed speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.

BAT SPEED (AVERAGE)

Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.

ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION (AVERAGE)

Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.

ON-PLANE EFFICIENCY %

On-Plane Efficiency %: measures the percentage of your swing where the bat is on the swing plane. Your Vertical Bat Angle (VBA) at contact establishes the plane for that specific swing. A high % is a great indicator of making consistent contact and barreling balls. Blast recommends an average of 70% or higher, with a range in the 65% to 85%.

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.


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