I’ll start right out by saying this post is not a criticism of the Rapsodo technology. I think what these folks have provided for the price is pretty amazing (and I’m really geeked about their new camera, which looks like a game changer) But, like any technology, it has limits, Continue Reading
The State of Baseball Aerodynamics: Post 47
The State of the Baseball Aerodynamics is Strong! Sorry, always have wanted to do that. I’ve been at this for about 14 months. I thought this would be a good time to provide a (hopefully) concise summary of what we have learned. Seam Effects on Pitch Break I nearly said Continue Reading
Magnus Models and Constant Acceleration Assumptions: Post 46
There are two major issues with current pitch tracking in the MLB. The measurement system, Trackman, does not make a direct measurement of the spin that contributes to Magnus force. It assumes all accelerations are constant over the entire flight of the ball. Each of these is important. I know Continue Reading
How to Legally Scuff a Baseball: Post 45
Scuffing a baseball is effective as heck at getting some additional break on your pitch. As shown in our Post 44, and as every experienced pitcher seems to know, the ball moves away from the scuffed side. It breaks quite a lot, as it turns out. But, that is not Continue Reading
Scuffed Baseballs: Post 44
What happens to the flight of a baseball once it is scuffed? We decided to find out. We started with a new 2019 MLB ball and fired it 12 times from our WSU cannon. The pitch distance is the standard 60.5 feet. The pitches were just below 90 mph and Continue Reading
Toward a Better Pitch Tracker: Post 43
All commercial pitch tracking devices either Measure the ball movement and total RPM and compute the active spin and axis based on a Magnus Effect model (Trackman) or Measure the RPM, axis and pitch location and predict the ball path (horizontal and vertical break) based on a Magnus Effect model Continue Reading
Disco Ball Changeup Experiment: Post 42
Background I like to talk about “seam-shifted wake” pitches and I know of two examples, the “laminar express” 2-seamer and the “disco ball changeup.” The best example of the latter that I have seen is Strasburg’s, shown below. As I have noted before, about 10% of his changeups have a Continue Reading
Seam Shifted Wake Axis: Post 41
The Seam Shifted Wake requires a special axis, and it is not through a symmetry point like a conventional 2-Seamer. Note that this explanation holds whether the pitch is a “laminar express” 2-seamer or a “disco ball changeup.
2019 in Review: Post 40
With 2020 around the corner, I thought I’d step back and look at what we have learned. Just about a year ago, I wrote the questions shown below in italics. Below each question, I will describe my current understanding of that topic. What effects baseball drag? Seam height Center of Continue Reading
How Does Pitching Work?: Post 39
I’d like to have a discussion between various the stakeholders of pitching. The three groups I am thinking of are pitchers, analytics folks, and physicists. I hope no one will complain if I put myself (a Mechanical Engineer) in the last category. This will be mostly (or maybe completely) about Continue Reading