Prep Baseball Report

Trackman Traits - Pitching: 2023 RHP Brendan Chanley (Duke Commit)


Zach Guth
Advanced Scout

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. 

 

Brendan Chanley

Class of 2023 / RHP

Player Information

  • Graduating Class: 2023
  • Primary Position: RHP
    Secondary Position: OF
  • High School: Ridgewood
    State: NJ
  • Summer Team: Canes American 17U
  • Height: 6-4
    Weight: 200lbs
  • Bat/Throw: R/R

Scouting Report

7/05/20

 

 6-foot-3, 180-pound projectable frame. During batting practice, Chanley had an exit velocity of 91 mph. Starts in a balanced athletic stance with a small tight load, then uses a short stride just before his swing. Has raw bat speed, loose swing plane and high finish. He Barreled up multiple balls during the round. Smooth in the outfield, his throws to the bases were maxed out at 80 mph; had athletic footwork, consistent hands and a fluid exchange. Consistent accuracy to the bases, used a loose arm action and a high ¾ slot. Recorded a time of 7.22 in the 60-yard dash. Projectable on the mound, showing quick arm speed he used a loose arm action with a high ¾ arm angle. Showed easy effort in his delivery. Has uphill shouldesr with tall balance point. Lands closed with an athletic finish. Threw his fastball 82-83 mph with a max of 84 mph; shows running action. Had consistent control and slight action on his 10/4 curveball (73-75).

 


Videos

(8/2/20)


Fastball Breakdown

Velocity: Chanley has some top tier velocity as he comes in around the top 25% of high school arms on the chart to compare. With him being a 2023, he has a lot of room to mature physically and on the mound. The ceiling is high for Chanley from purely a velocity standpoint, but also in many other aspects as a pitcher. 

Spin Rate: Chanley taps out his spin around 2095 RPM, but floats at 1994 RPM on average. Going off his average, he finds himself in the bottom half of the top 50% of high school pitchers. This is by no means something to be upset about, but just gives us a guideline for how to predict his fastball movement and how much room he has to improve it. Seeing as how Chanley is not above or below average, we can expect to see about average movement numbers as well. 

 Bauer Units: Bauer Units give us a good idea of the "expected" spin Chanley produces for the velocity he is throwing. With a Bauer Unit measurement of 25, Chanley's spin is just a tick above where a typical 84 MPH fastball should be. This just means that he is not producing more or less spin than expected. 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: Chanley checks in on the IVB chart around top 60-65%. What this means is Chanley is not inducing any crazy amounts of vertical break that allow his ball to stay on plane longer into the zone. What we will see is some flashes of a sink or heavy feel to his ball. Although it isn't all the time, he does induce some top 25% type IVB movement at 20.2 inches. If he is able to tap into this and dial his fastball in to produce this type of movement more routinely, then he has a completely different ball game on his hands as far as how he can pitch. On the bright side for Chanley, he has the ability in him to post exceptional movement numbers, but he also has the ability to kill the spin slightly on his ball and induce a fastball with more depth into the zone. This is the good thing about being "average" on your movement numbers with a high max measurement; you can go either way on the spectrum with a little bit of tinkering and experimenting with grips, mechanics, throwing programs, etc. I think for the time being until Chanley dials the movement numbers into the high tiers, he will find the most success in the bottom of the zone. This may seem like a blanket statement, but that's because it is. With no proof of being able to pitch up in the zone with exceptional movement, the safe and most effective answer is to continue pounding the bottom of the zone. 


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