On Sunday, Aug. 21, the PBR Illinois team hosted the Chicagoland Open at Triton College in River Grove, Ill. The open event featured close to 90 prospects from all high school classes (2023-2026), and gave our staff an ample look at a number of prospects to follow moving forward.

For a look into which prospects stood out to our scouting staff, check out the Quick Hits story we published from the event.

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.

Max fastball velocity 

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

max fastball 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, 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.

average fastball horizontal movement 

Horizontal Break: 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.”

average curveball spin rate

average slider spin rate

average changeup horizontal movement 

max exit velocity (hitting)

max distance (Hitting)

blast motion

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

max peak hand speed

average peak hand speed

Peak Hand Speed: The observed maximum 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.

max rotational acceleration 

average rotational acceleration

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.

vizual edge

We’ll take a look at the top Visual Edge scores from the event.

The Edge Score is a comprehensive score out of 100 that takes the core-six visual skills into account, providing athletes, parents, coaches and scouts with a benchmark number for assessing an athlete’s overall visual ability. In general the higher the Edge Score, the higher chance of athletic success. Think of the Edge Score as the 'Sixth Metric' in the standard Five-Tools that make up a ball player.

The average Edge Score for the 2020 MLB Draft Class was 79.3 (of hitters who completed a Vizual Edge test). MLB players we've worked with typically show stronger scores, with elite hitters scoring consistently above 87.0 on their Edge Score.

For a complete look at the date collected from the event, click HERE.

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