Interestingly, there is pretty much no correlation between quality of contact and different amounts of both vertical, and horizontal movement. The R2 value for vertical movement is less than 0.01 and the value for horizontal movement is slightly negative . This finding is surprising given the drastic difference in swinging strike percentage with vertical movement. When talking about spin rate, it is important to know that there are two types of spin. First, there is Active Spin (sometimes referred to as “Transverse Spin”) which is the amount of spin that results in the baseball’s directional movement.
A great way to develop the “fastball mechanics” but changeup speed is to practice throwing your changeup as you long toss . Alternate fastballs and changeups at 90-or-more feet for about 20 throws a couple of times a week. One way to develop “fastball mechanics” but changeup speed is to practice throwing your changeup as you long toss . To throw an effective three-finger changeup, center your ring, middle, and index fingers on top of the baseball . Your thumb and pinky finger should be placed on the smooth leather directly underneath the baseball . A three-finger changeup is a good off-speed pitch for younger baseball pitchers – and for those who do not have big hands.
We saw how velocity clearly makes a difference when it comes to the success of 4-Seam fastballs as long as the pitch is thrown high over the plate. However, guys like Aroldis Chapman, Noah Syndergaard, and Ken “100 Miles” Giles all throw triple-digit high heat but don’t appear on any of the high fastball success leaderboards in the previous articles. Well, this likely means that there is more to fastball success than just location and velocity. Typically, it’s only a good pitch if you’ve got bigger hands. That’s because the pitch itself should be “choked” deep in the hand. Your index and middle fingers should be placed on the outside of the horseshoe seam.
While both of those particular pitches in baseball travel at high rates of speed, unlike a curveball or slider, these two types of pitches have very different movement paths. Fastballs with lots of backspin can help to offset the effects of gravity on the baseball by reducing the amount of drop on the pitch due to the Magnus Effect. This can give batters the illusion of the vaunted “rising” fastball as the pitch drops less than normal . Sidearm pitchers usually get sidespin on their fastballs which leads to more horizontal movement and limited vertical movement.
In any case, unless one is measuring velocity at the plate rather than at release there’s no reason why a 2 seam fastball should be slower or faster than a 4 seam fastball. This requires the hitter to be prepared for two pitches that look the same out of the pitcher’s hand but move in opposite directions. Creating a little more side spin on the ball allows it to generate a little more movement. 2 Seam FastballA 2 seam fastball is typically taught to more experienced players who are looking to add to their pitching repertoire. Though both are delivered at a quick velocity, the 4 seam is much faster.
On the other hand, the movement of the 2 seam fastball depends upon the throwing arm of the players. A 4 seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and is also known as a four-seamer, the rising fastball, or a cross-seamer. It is classified into a fastball pitch category and is typically the toughest ball delivered by the pitcher. You’ll probably find that just about every pitcher has a 4 seam fastball in his arsenal of available pitches . And while professionals will look for their 4 seamer to induce a swing-and-miss, amateur pitchers will often look to locate the fastball at a location likely to produce soft contact from the batter.
A 4 seam fastball follows a straight line; that’s why the pitcher is in more control, and a batter finds it harder to hit it. A pitching coach will tell you that a good 4 seam fastball is thrown with an over-the-top arm slot and with lots of spin on it. This is their specialty, however, with most pitchers in the MLB, you’ll see plenty of 4 seam fastballs thrown. Although these grip changes may have ultimately not played a factor in their spin rate increases, there must be some reason why both pitchers would decide to change their 4-Seam fastball grips. Like Cole, there is not much of a change in Sims’ horizontal release point on fastballs.
After joining the Astros in 2018, it appears that Cole made his release point more consistent and slightly raised his vertical release point. In an article I recently read , it was also suggested that Cole appeared to be throwing from a slightly higher vertical release point when his fastball RPM was at its highest in Pittsburgh. Although there is definitely evidence of a change in vertical release point, it looks relatively minor so it might not be the direct cause of his massive jump in fastball effectiveness.
Maybe Coach Kreber could gun his pitchers and check release and crossing the plate velocities for 2 seam and 4 seam fastballs. It would be interesting best pitching machine to see how the velocity drops off for each pitch across a large sample. It would be pretty easy to do with a gun and a speedchek type unit.