RGLAG85 said:The analytics aren't the problem. You had spin rates back then, they just didn't have the means to measure it. When they would talk about how a pitchers fastball would jump or rise (it physically can't), that was a product of them having a high spin rate. They used the analytics to determine what pitches a pitcher should throw and what location it will work best. The velocity training is a completely different issue. If it's done under the direction of understanding the kinetic chain of pitching and trying to improve that, it creates a healthier pitching mechanics and velocity is just a secondary byproduct of that. Programs just geared towards creating velocity are where there can be problems. Implementing these program to rapidly without proper, individual video analysis is a recipe for hurting arms. Using my son as an example, he is anything but the prototypical professional pitching prospect. He's barely touching 6' and has small hands, yet he generates incredible spin rates. I scratch my head trying to figure out how he does. In college, they wanted him pitching down in the zone, yet with his spin rates, when he got to pro ball, they analyzed he'd be more effective up in the zone with his fastball, and he is.Thisguy1 said:
Ha, I promise it would be pretty boring. I'm pretty old school. Played for a really old school coach at my first stop then a legend that meshed the two. I'm not a fan of all these analytics of spin rates and launch angles all that but I definitely see the benefit of it all. It just wasn't a thing 10-15 years ago when I played. For us it was holding it a certain way makes the ball move a little more. The only numbers we worried about was how to make that 90 into a 92. I know little about all of this new tech that's being used.
I do think it would have been pretty cool to see how they could have improved on what I was doing. I doubt they could have made me any taller which was my biggest problem!
Agree with all of this. I'm more talking about the tweets you see saying, "Chris Cortez is filthy. That slider had a spin rate of 2568rpms." That means something to 1% of the population reading it.
I understand the need for it and why it's important for a pitcher to have all of that. It just wears me out. I see a fastball with ride, nerds see a fastball with a XXXX spin rate and a downward angle of whatever degrees.