Prep Baseball Report and Blast Motion, the leader in swing analysis, player development and improvement, announced a partnership last month that makes Blast the Official Swing Analysis Technology of Prep Baseball Report. At last weekend's Preseason All-State Underclass showcase, hitters from the 2022-2024 class were analyzed using Blast.

WHAT IS BLAST MOTION?

Blast Motion is a bat sensor that is placed on the knob of the bat and analyzes the swing, providing multiple metrics for every swing taken. Blast captures the data by the sensor picking up the vibration of the bat at impact when the hitter makes contact with the baseball. If there's no contact, the sensor won't read the swing. 

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The two metrics we are looking at today are bat speed and rotational acceleration. 

BAT SPEED

Bat speed is the velocity of the barrel at impact measured in miles per hour (mph). The ideal ranges for bat speed at each level are:

● MLB: 66-78 mph
● College: 66-75 mph
● HS Varsity: 60-70

Bat speed is one of the most important metrics because it correlates very strongly to exit velocity (EV, the speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat when the hitter makes contact, measured in mph) and on-field performance. The faster the bat is moving through the hitting zone, the more capable a player is of hitting the ball harder and producing higher EV and a higher wOBA (weighted on-base average, a statistic that measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance).

ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION

Rotational acceleration is how quickly the bat accelerates into the hitting zone from the launch position into rotation, measured in G's. This shows how fast hitters can generate and reach their peak bat speed. Rotational acceleration is essentially the 0-60 time of a hitter's swing. If we compare it to cars, a Ford Focus and a Ferrari can both be going down the expressway at 70 mph, but how they accelerate to that 70 mph is very different. If the two cars were racing, the Ford Focus would take longer to get to 70 mph, where as the Ferrari would get to that speed much quicker. In the metaphor, 70 mph represents two hitter's bat speeds, and each car's ability to accelerate to 70 mph represents their rotational acceleration. The MLB average is 16.8 G's.

Rotational acceleration is an excellent indication of whether or not a hitter's bat speed will play against higher-level pitching; it really separates players at higher levels of play. It shows how well a hitter is sequencing in their swing and if they use the bigger muscles in their body to accelerate the bat into the swing plane, or if they're actively pulling the bat with their hands.

For example, two players both have high bat speeds, but Player 1's rotational acceleration is 22 G's,and Player 2's is 5 G's. Player 1 can get his barrel on plane and into the hitting zone very quickly,which means he can start his swing later, giving him more time to see the pitch type, pitch location, and make his swing decision later. It takes Player 2 much longer to get his barrel on plane and into the hitting zone, which means he'll need to start his swing sooner, giving him less time to see the pitch location, pitch type, and make his swing decision. As a result, Player 2 is more susceptible to off-speed pitches and won't be able to adjust as well as Player 1.

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It's essential to know there isn't one metric we can look at that will show how good a hitter is. We need to take metrics and data into context, use all the information available, come to the most accurate conclusion, and make the most accurate decision possible. Blast motion and other technology is just another tool in a coach or scouts toolbox that they can use to evaluate and train hitters.

Below we look at the Top 25 results in bat speed and rotational acceleration from Saturday's Preseason All-State Underclass showcase.

TOP 25 BAT SPEED (MPH)

RANK	NAME	MPH	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS
1	Evan Pearce	78.3	Oak Hill	2022	OF
2	Matthew Sauter	78.1	Center Grove	2022	OF
3	Steven Walsh	78	Brownsburg	2022	C
4	Jacob Murphy	76.9	Center Grove	2023	RHP/SS
5	Aidan Murphy	76.4	Center Grove	2022	RHP/OF
6	Carter Dixon	76	Homestead	2022	C
7	Chris Hedinger	75.3	Jasper	2022	OF
	Keaton Mahan	75.3	Westfield	2022	OF
9	Peter Dubie	75.1	Park Tudor	2022	RHP/OF
10	Luke Diekmann	75	Evansville North	2023	OF
11	Marc Enslen	74.9	Hobart	2022	OF
12	Brady Ginaven	74	Munster	2022	RHP/3B
13	Solomon Williams	73.9	Carmel	2022	OF
	Owen Quinn	73.9	Lawrence North	2022	OF
15	Carter Murphy	73.7	West Vigo	2023	3B
16	Ben Gregory	73.6	Penn	2022	RHP/SS
17	Luke Bauer	73.5	Brebeuf	2022	C
18	Isaac Bair	73.3	Lapel	2023	C
19	Denham Kozy	73.1	Munster	2023	OF
20	Aidyn Coffey	73	Monroe Central	2022	SS
	Nick Bassi	73	Cathedral	2022	3B
22	Drayk Bowen	72.4	Andrean	2023	SS
23	Ben Kennedy	72.3	Evansville Central	2022	SS
24	Jackson McFarland	72.2	Terre Haute South	2022	3B
	Matthew Santana	72.2	Lake Central	2023	C
	Logan Lockhart	72.2	Valparaiso	2022	OF
25	Maxiums Webster	72	Westfield	2022	SS

Top 25 Rotational Acceleration (G's)

RANK	NAME	G'S	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS
1	Adyn Collins	27.7	North Posey	2023	OF
2	Luke Diekmann	27.1	Evansville North	2023	OF
3	Keaton Mahan	26.4	Westfield	2022	OF
4	Jackson Preston	25.8	Fishers	2022	OF
5	Luke Bauer	24.7	Brebeuf	2022	C
6	Peyton Clerk	24.5	West Vigo	2022	OF
7	Jacob Murphy	23.4	Center Grove	2023	RHP/SS
8	Evan Pearce	23	Oak Hill	2022	OF
9	Nathan MacLaren	21.5	Carmel	2022	OF
10	Hunter Snyder	21.2	Lake Central	2023	SS
11	Dominic Decker	20	Silver Creek	2022	SS
12	Matthew Sauter	19.8	Center Grove	2022	OF
13	Charlie Hawk	19.7	Lawrence Central	2022	SS
	Alonzo Paul	19.7	Andrean	2022	C
15	Ben Kennedy	19.6	Evansville Central	2022	SS
16	Owen Guilfoy	19.5	Center Grove	2022	3B
17	Jake Thometz	19.2	Munster	2022	LHP/OF
	Kevin Reed	19.2	Martinsville	2023	LHP/OF
19	Carter Murphy	19.1	West Vigo	2023	3B
20	Drew Dickson	18.9	Zionsville	2022	RHP/1B
21	Aidan Hatcher	18.6	Zionsville	2022	RHP/SS
22	Collin Lindsey	18.5	Westfield	2023	C
23	Carter Dixon	18.4	Homestead	2022	C
	Kevin Corcoran	18.4	Illiana Christian	2023	LHP/OF
25	Maxiums Webster	18.2	Westfield	2022	SS