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Seam-Shifted Wakes

aka laminar express

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

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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

Not All Shifted Wakes Are Equal: Post 61

Posted on October 26, 2020January 11, 2021 by John Garrett

Twitter: @jwillyg20 It’s time to define a Seam Shifted Wake (SSW) pitch more carefully. The main feature is that a baseball’s seams can cause earlier flow separation on one side of the ball relative to the other. This asymmetric wake is what we refer to as the “shifted” wake (see Continue Reading

Posted In General, 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

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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

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

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Using Baseball Seams to Create Break:Post 54

Posted on March 29, 2020March 29, 2020 by bartonlsmith

This is the presentation that I have made to the staff of several Grapefruit-League MLB teams. I wanted to make it easily accessible to the rest of the MLB teams by putting a version here. I try to make most of my posts viewable on a phone, but this one Continue Reading

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes

Relationship between Orientation and gyro for Seam-Shifted Wake pitches: Post 52

Posted on March 10, 2020March 31, 2020 by bartonlsmith

We have previously stated that the “Looper” works for efficient (no gyro) pitches, and that the “laminar express” and “discoball” changeup require some gyro. I’ve been advocating that folks try the looper since I have been unable to tell them how much gyro they need for the other pitches. But Continue Reading

Posted In Seam-Shifted Wakes

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