PBR Scout Day: USA Scout - Pitching Data Dive
May 30, 2023
On May 20th, the PBR Georgia staff traveled to Denmark High School to host a scout day with USA Scout. Inside today’s Pitching Data dive we will highlight the players with top metrics per Trackman.
Last week, we broke down the stat leaders from the more traditional categories in our statistical analysis. Today, we will take a further in-depth look at the top pitchers with the help of our tech partnerships, broken down by the categories down below:
TRACKMAN
FASTBALL
Velocity (Max)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Velocity (max) |
1 | Jack Turner | GA | Etowah | 2025 | SS | 85.8 mph |
2 | Evan Moody | GA | Carrollton High School | 2026 | OF | 85.5 mph |
3 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 85.0 mph |
4 | Andrew Benson | GA | Mill Creek High School | 2025 | C | 84.9 mph |
5 | Brandon Mercer | GA | Veterans | 2025 | SS | 82.5 mph |
Spin Rate (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Jack Ripley | GA | Sequoyah High School | 2026 | 3B | 2195 rpm |
2 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 2153 rpm |
3 | Jack Turner | GA | Etowah | 2025 | SS | 2152 rpm |
4 | Brandon Mercer | GA | Veterans | 2025 | SS | 2114 rpm |
5 | Evan Moody | GA | Carrollton High School | 2026 | OF | 2103 rpm |
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.
Induced Vertical Break (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Jack Ripley | GA | Sequoyah High School | 2026 | 3B | 21.1 in |
2 | Brandon Mercer | GA | Veterans | 2025 | SS | 20.0 in |
3 | Jackson Harwell | GA | Cartersville | 2024 | LHP | 18.8 in |
4 | Tyce Williams | GA | McEachern | 2025 | 1B | 17.8 in |
5 | Skylar McCoy | GA | Morgan County High School | 2025 | 1B | 17.8 in |
Induced Vertical Break: Used in short form as "IVB," this metric is most important on fastballs for creating rise and on curveballs for creating depth – it can also have some use when measuring sliders and cutters as well. Sliders tend to be closer to zero inches while cutters are generally between 5 and 15 inches. Usually fastballs and curveballs with large IVB have higher spin efficiencies as well. Sliders generally have very little (closer to zero) IVB and very low spin efficiency. You could also categorize IVB into spin rate as this is part of the “useful movement” you’re looking for. IVB is also a huge part of the vertical approach angle.
Horizontal Movement (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 16.4 |
2 | Raedan Jones | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | OF | 16.0 |
3 | Evan Moody | GA | Carrollton High School | 2026 | OF | 14.2 |
4 | Jack Turner | GA | Etowah | 2025 | SS | 13.5 |
5 | Jack Ripley | GA | Sequoyah High School | 2026 | 3B | 13.4 |
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.”
Strike Zone Rate %
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 80 % |
^ | Jackson Harwell | GA | Cartersville | 2024 | LHP | 80 % |
2 | Jack Ripley | GA | Sequoyah High School | 2026 | 3B | 75 % |
3 | Evan Moody | GA | Carrollton High School | 2026 | OF | 60 % |
4 | Coleman Eldridge | GA | Wesleyan | 2026 | OF | 50 % |
^ | Raedan Jones | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | OF | 50 % |
5 | Tyce Williams | GA | McEachern | 2025 | 1B | 40 % |
^ | Brandon Mercer | GA | Veterans | 2025 | SS | 40 % |
Average MLB pitchers throw 62% strikes, and better pitchers throw strikes 65% of the time, or roughly 2:1 strikes to balls.
CURVEBALL
Spin Rate (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Parker Fennelly | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | RHP | 2351 rpm |
2 | Coleman Eldridge | GA | Wesleyan | 2026 | OF | 2279 rpm |
3 | Graham Daniels | GA | Hillgrove High School | 2026 | 3B | 2238 rpm |
4 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 2176 rpm |
5 | Brennan Roth | GA | Cherokee | 2026 | SS | 2163 rpm |
Induced Vertical Break (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Makai Derry | TN | GRACE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 2025 | SS | -9.9 in |
2 | Tyce Williams | GA | McEachern | 2025 | 1B | 7.4 in |
3 | Skylar McCoy | GA | Morgan County High School | 2025 | 1B | -6.9 in |
4 | Graham Daniels | GA | Hillgrove High School | 2026 | 3B | 6.2 in |
5 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | -5.7 in |
Horizontal Movement (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | -15.8 |
2 | Parker Fennelly | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | RHP | -12.4 |
3 | Evan Moody | GA | Carrollton High School | 2026 | OF | -11.7 |
4 | Makai Derry | TN | GRACE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 2025 | SS | -11.0 |
5 | Coleman Eldridge | GA | Wesleyan | 2026 | OF | -10.7 |
Strike Zone Rate %
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 80 % |
^ | Jackson Harwell | GA | Cartersville | 2024 | LHP | 80 % |
2 | Jack Ripley | GA | Sequoyah High School | 2026 | 3B | 75 % |
3 | Evan Moody | GA | Carrollton High School | 2026 | OF | 60 % |
4 | Coleman Eldridge | GA | Wesleyan | 2026 | OF | 50 % |
^ | Raedan Jones | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | OF | 50 % |
5 | Tyce Williams | GA | McEachern | 2025 | 1B | 40 % |
^ | Brandon Mercer | GA | Veterans | 2025 | SS | 40 % |
SLIDER
Spin Rate (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Parker Fennelly | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | RHP | 2378 |
2 | Andrew Benson | GA | Mill Creek High School | 2025 | C | 2304 |
3 | Coleman Eldridge | GA | Wesleyan | 2026 | OF | 2278 |
4 | Jack Turner | GA | Etowah | 2025 | SS | 2201 |
5 | Skylar McCoy | GA | Morgan County High School | 2025 | 1B | 2063 |
Induced Vertical Break (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | IVB (avg) |
1 | Brandon Mercer | GA | Veterans | 2025 | SS | 8.0 in |
2 | Jack Turner | GA | Etowah | 2025 | SS | 6.0 in |
3 | Chase Tatum | GA | Cass | 2026 | 1B | -5.6 in |
4 | Logan Buchanan | GA | Cartersville High School | 2026 | RHP | 5.2 in |
5 | Brennan Roth | GA | Cherokee | 2026 | SS | 4.7 in |
Horizontal Movement (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Chase Tatum | GA | Cass | 2026 | 1B | 14.9 |
2 | Skylar McCoy | GA | Morgan County High School | 2025 | 1B | 13.4 |
3 | Parker Fennelly | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | RHP | -11.9 |
4 | Coleman Eldridge | GA | Wesleyan | 2026 | OF | -9.7 |
5 | Andrew Benson | GA | Mill Creek High School | 2025 | C | -7.5 |
Strike Zone Rate %
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Parker Fennelly | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | RHP | 80 % |
2 | Makai Derry | TN | GRACE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 2025 | SS | 60 % |
3 | Jack Turner | GA | Etowah | 2025 | SS | 50 % |
4 | Brennan Roth | GA | Cherokee | 2026 | SS | 40 % |
^ | Logan Buchanan | GA | Cartersville High School | 2026 | RHP | 40 % |
5 | Chase Tatum | GA | Cass | 2026 | 1B | 28 % |
CHANGEUP
Spin Rate (Avg.)
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Jack Ripley | GA | Sequoyah High School | 2026 | 3B | 1904 rpm |
2 | Noah Marques | GA | Cherokee | 2026 | OF | 1850 rpm |
3 | Jackson Harwell | GA | Cartersville | 2024 | LHP | 1808 rpm |
4 | Brennan Roth | GA | Cherokee | 2026 | SS | 1773 rpm |
5 | Chase Tatum | GA | Cass | 2026 | 1B | 1761 rpm |
Strike Zone Rate %
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Zone % |
1 | Noah Marques | GA | Cherokee | 2026 | OF | 100 % |
^ | Sawyer Wilson | GA | Cartersville High School | 2024 | RHP | 100 % |
2 | Graham Daniels | GA | Hillgrove High School | 2026 | 3B | 75 % |
3 | Tyce Williams | GA | McEachern | 2025 | 1B | 60 % |
4 | Andrew Benson | GA | Mill Creek High School | 2025 | C | 50 % |
^ | Skylar McCoy | GA | Morgan County High School | 2025 | 1B | 50 % |
5 | Parker Fennelly | GA | North Paulding | 2025 | RHP | 40 % |
+ CLICK HERE for the rest of the event stats.