Assessing Pitchers in the Age of New Tech (Inside Pitch Magazine)

inside pitch magazine

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Baseball, like every other industry, is under siege from new technology and it’s making sure the game evolves in many ways.  Some love it, some hate it, and everything in between.  Whether you’re a fan of technology or not, it’s difficult to ignore. It’s here in full force and it’s changing baseball with it.  Those that are too close-minded to take the time to expand their knowledge of the new performance metrics run the risk of being left behind, both in terms of overall knowledge about the game and improving an athlete’s efficiency in performance. Continue reading “Assessing Pitchers in the Age of New Tech (Inside Pitch Magazine)”

What are the Most Common Pitch Movement Issues… And the Fixes

pitch movement

Having observed hundreds of pitchers on our Rapsodo Pitching camera during the past several years, it’s fair to say that there are a few tendencies that most high school and collegiate pitchers exhibit. While every pitcher is different with their skillset, we generally tend to observe similar opportunities for improvement in pitch movement.

In this first of three articles… Continue reading “What are the Most Common Pitch Movement Issues… And the Fixes”

Why the Baseball Spin Axis Is Important for Pitchers

baseball spin axis

The Rapsodo Pitching camera provides an incredible amount of information by pitch type.  Just as relevant, however, is how each individual pitch behaves versus the others.  In evaluating our pitcher’s ball movement charts, we generally work with them to develop what we refer to as “clusters”. They form when a pitcher can consistently repeat the baseball spin axis and direction by pitch type. Continue reading “Why the Baseball Spin Axis Is Important for Pitchers”

What to Ask When Selecting a Pitching Program

A few years ago, all you could expect from your pitching program was to help you with your mechanics. That’s just about what most people expected and looked for in a pitching program. Fortunately, times have changed. Today, pitching mechanics are only a piece of the overall puzzle.  There is much more to training pitchers than simply teaching them proper mechanics.  Whether you’re looking for an off-season pitching or throwing program, here are six questions you can ask pitching coaches and some guidance on what to look for… Continue reading “What to Ask When Selecting a Pitching Program”

What to Do With All the Data Coming Out of Showcases?

During the past year several showcases announced partnerships with technology companies, whereby participants skills are measured during their events.  We’re not talking about the usual 60-yard dash.  We’re talking about esoteric topics like vertical bat angles of a swing and spin efficiency levels on a pitch.  On the one hand this is great news for the game. Technology is changing baseball for the better and the data can be invaluable for both training and evaluation. On the other hand, although I am a big believer in tech and the value it brings, there is an issue. Continue reading “What to Do With All the Data Coming Out of Showcases?”

Case Study (Sean Hard): How to Throw a Changeup

sean hard

Rapsodo pitching cameras measure critical data points for instantaneous feedback. At RPP, we utilize this technology to further the development of the pitchers that train at our facility. Out of the numerous metrics Rapsodo measures, we specifically focus on three topics:

    • Spin Axis
    • Horizontal Movement
    • Vertical Movement

These metrics allow us to get a feel for how well a pitcher is able to manipulate the baseball and create movement among the different pitches in his arsenal. Continue reading “Case Study (Sean Hard): How to Throw a Changeup”

Pitching Lab… How We Merge Pitching and Strength Training

The Pitching Lab is a unique training program specifically designed to produce the “complete pitcher”. It’s truly a merger of strength training (in the weight room) and pitching (inside the nets).  Most players that haven’t trained with us probably don’t appreciate how intertwined our strength training is with our pitching program.  So, let’s get into it and provide some details on the strength training side and a timeline for the pitching program… Continue reading “Pitching Lab… How We Merge Pitching and Strength Training”

Baseball Spin Axis, Spin Rate, Spin Efficiency Explained

baseball spin axis

We’ve all heard it, “pitching wins games”.  Well, some pitchers are about to win a lot more games. For eons, pitching coaches have talked about mechanics, command and control.  Then came velocity and threw out all the old adages and wrecked the house.  Today, it seems like everyone wants velo first, and then everything else as well.  I am here to say that things are about to change again!  The advent of equipment like the Rapsodo Pitching camera and all the talk about baseball spin axis and spin rate is changing the game and doing it fast. Continue reading “Baseball Spin Axis, Spin Rate, Spin Efficiency Explained”