Baton Rouge, LA - The Louisiana State Games were held on Saturday September 30, 2023 and Sunday October 1, 2023, at Louisiana State University, home of the defending NCAA Division I National Champions.  The invite-only event consisted of some of the top uncommitted prospects from Louisiana's 2024-2027 classes, as well as 17 other prospects who've already announced their college commitment.  All players in attendance went through an extended pro-style workout, on Saturday morning, that included batting practice using Trackman and Blast, the 60 yard dash using Swift Performance, and much more.  After the completion of the workout on Saturday afternoon, all players in attendance were able to compete in one game on Saturday evening, as well as a second game on Sunday.  This was one of the most talented events that we've ever had and the players in attendance were able to show off their skills in front of a dozen or more college coaches.

Today, with the help of one of our tech partners, Trackman, we continue our post-event coverage with a closer look at the metrics put up by the pitchers. 

View all event stats HERE. 

 

MAX FASTBALL & AVERAGE SPIN RATE

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

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: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... 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 SLIDER SPIN RATE

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).

AVERAGE CURVEBALL SPIN RATE

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).

AVERAGE CHANGEUP HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Horizontal Break: This metric measures the distance, 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.

 

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