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bartonlsmith

Loopers, FA, CH, CU in the lab: Post 63

Posted on December 6, 2020December 8, 2020 by bartonlsmith

Here is an overlay of all the pitches I will be talking about in this post. Many thanks to Michael Augustine for making this beautiful overlay on short notice. Pitches 1-7, described below I am teaching a graduate measurements course this semester and the course requires a final project. I’ve Continue Reading

Posted In General, Seam-Shifted Wakes

Advice to Young Pitchers: How Can You Use SSW On Your Fastballs? Post 62

Posted on November 25, 2020November 25, 2020 by bartonlsmith

I get asked about this a lot, and I finally have an answer based on the data reported in our recent Baseball Prospectus article. Here’s my take: 1. Know Your Efficiency It is hard to generate Seam Shifted Wake effects without some gyro. I recently posted a video that explains Continue Reading

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes

Seam Shifted Wake Zoom

Posted on November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 by bartonlsmith

On Tuesday, November 10, 2020, I hosted a public Zoom presentation on our current understanding. It was attended by 100 people (my Zoom limit) including representatives from 14 MLB teams (that I know of). Click the photo below for a link to the full presentation.

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes

The Effect of Gyro on Optimal SSW Orientation: Post 60

Posted on August 18, 2020August 18, 2020 by bartonlsmith

If you are new to the idea of Seam Shifted Wake pitches, I recommend downloading and viewing this presentation which is about 45 minutes long. I realize that is a lot of time, but this is a complex topic. That said, I think the presentation is easy to understand. As Continue Reading

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes, UMBA

Seam Shifted Wake Predictions for 2020-2021

Posted on July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 by bartonlsmith

We’ve learned a lot in the last year. One thing I am more convinced of than ever: Seam Shifted Wake (SSW) pitches are common. They have been hidden from us because of the limitations of our measurement systems and well-intentioned efforts to mitigate those limitations. Based on our research, data Continue Reading

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes

The Apparent Tilt of Seam Shifted Wake Pitches: Post 59

Posted on June 6, 2020June 9, 2020 by bartonlsmith

Conventional pitches break because of two forces, gravity and Magnus force (the ball experiences drag also, but drag his little effect on the direction of a pitch). When a Seam Shifted Wake (SSW) occurs, the forces causing break are gravity, Magnus force and the SSW force. This article will assume Continue Reading

Posted In General, Seam-Shifted Wakes, UMBA

Diagnosing and Modeling SSW pitches: Post 58

Posted on May 24, 2020June 3, 2020 by bartonlsmith

I’ve carried on about this, but if you throw a Seam Shifted Wake pitch, there is currently no way to know that it moved differently than any other pitch. I’ve known for some time that this was an obstacle to our work. I’ve been told many times that these effects Continue Reading

Posted In General, Seam-Shifted Wakes, UMBA

How to tell if you threw a SSW pitch, sinker/changeup edition: Post 57

Posted on May 14, 2020July 29, 2020 by bartonlsmith

This is a sinker/changeup edition because it is focused on vertical movement. I may tackle horizontal movement later. Say you are an ambitious pitcher looking to get ahead and have drank our Seam Shifted Wake Koolaid (it’s good!) Did the pitch work? How can you know? Note that, on their Continue Reading

Posted In General

Killing Laminar Flow: Post 56

Posted on April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 by bartonlsmith

When you hear people describe flow over baseballs, there is frequent reference to the seams causing Laminar flow to become Turbulent. To start, I’d better explain what those terms mean. Laminar flow is what Juniors in Physics or Engineering learn about in their fluid dynamics class. It is usually steady Continue Reading

Posted In General

Case Study– Good and Bad Discoball: Post 55

Posted on April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 by bartonlsmith

Michael Augustine (https://twitter.com/AugustineMLB) and I were recently discussing a couple of Strasburg “Discoball” changeups. The impetus of the discussion was Trip Somer’s new tool (Trip is @one_pitch_man) that allows one to enter tilt, efficiency and orientation of the pitch and visualize what that looks like spinning at any RPM from Continue Reading

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes

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