The world of baseball is getting a tech-upgrade. Player development companies like Premier Pitching Performance (PPP), based out of Wentzville, Missouri just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, are passionate about helping athletes reach their full potential using technology and data-driven approaches. Ball flight analytics are just one of the essential tools they have been using to improve their coaching arsenal.
We interviewed President of Premier Pitching Performance, Brett Graves, to delve into the significance of ball flight analytics in modern pitching development and how PPP leverages this data to craft elite pitching programs.
Understanding Ball Flight Analytics
Ball flight analytics amplify traditional coaching methods by providing a detailed analysis of the ball's trajectory from the pitcher's hand to the plate. Paired with motion capture technology, it can reveal nuances invisible to the naked eye, offering insights into pitch effectiveness and potential outcomes.
"Once the athlete hits a certain level of their development, it gets harder to tell which pitches will create a swing and miss or perform well when they are practicing in the bullpen or in a pitching lab”
- Brett Graves
By identifying specific metrics, coaches can tailor training to enhance pitch effectiveness in real time. For example, with a four seam fastball, coaches know that they are looking for an 18 or higher vertical break. Ball flight data helps Premier Pitching’s coaches understand which pitches have a higher chance of performing well on the field.
Graves commented on the value of ball flight analytics during practices:
“It gives us immediate feedback during practice so that athletes can see and justify their progress and, ultimately, build more confidence rolling it out onto the field.”
How Ball Flight Data Influences Pitch Coaching Strategies
At PPP, ball flight analytics are not just a tool for assessment but one of the backbones of their coaching philosophy.
"Our team reverse engineers our programs from ball flight data," Graves elaborated, highlighting their personalized approach to training.
“We know the key factors for a pitcher is that they throw hard, stay healthy and throw strikes. Typically, we can see a lot of those things from the ball flight analytics or motion capture data.”
By ensuring that each athlete's development is aligned with the metrics indicative of success on the field, PPP coaches can make their preparation as efficient and effective as possible.
Key Metrics for Successful Pitches
Each pitch type has different metrics of success. Therefore, coaches have to know exactly what each pitch type needs to look like to have the highest chance to produce success on the field. At Premier Pitching, the goal is to get athletes as close to those metrics as possible and the process of getting there looks different for each player.
While velocity is king in pitching, Premier Pitching’s analysis goes beyond pitch speeds and also focuses on pitch movement.
“There’s a tradeoff between velocity and movement. For every mile an hour slower, the more movement the pitch needs to have.”
With each pitch type, the goal is typically to either accentuate a vertical or horizontal break. Understanding these nuances allows PPP to guide pitchers towards maximizing their strengths and mitigating weaknesses.
Navigating Challenges of Using Ball Flight Data
Despite the advantages, ball flight analytics come with their own set of challenges. Individual variability among pitchers means that there's no one-size-fits-all metric for effectiveness.
Factors such as deception and release point can play a role in how a pitch is perceived by a hitter. For example, a pitcher that has a lower release height needs less vertical break because the trajectory is more deceptive for the hitter. This variability underscores the importance of a customized approach to pitching training and development, an essential component of Premier Pitching’s ethos.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Ball Flight Analytics
Graves is optimistic about the future, anticipating further integration of ball flight analytics with biomechanical motion capture data to advance coaching accuracy and effectiveness.
By partnering with Rapsodo, Premier Pitching hopes to provide an even more comprehensive understanding of pitching mechanics and advance their data collection capabilities.
Implementing Ball Flight Analytics at Premier Pitching Performance
Premier Pitching Performance's commitment to incorporating ball flight analytics into their assessments and coaching programs is a testament to their dedication to excellence. By harnessing the power of this data, PPP is not only preparing athletes for success on the field today but also paving the way for the future of baseball development. As the landscape of the sport continues to evolve, the embrace of analytics by institutions like PPP will undoubtedly shape the next generation of elite pitchers.
In a game as steeped in tradition as baseball, the adoption of ball flight analytics by Premier Pitching Performance underlines a pivotal shift towards a data-driven approach. As Graves and his team continue to refine their methods, their work represents not just an advancement in coaching techniques but a broader evolution in how the sport understands and develops talent.
For aspiring pitchers and coaches alike, the message is clear: embracing analytics is not just about keeping pace with the latest trends; it's about unlocking the potential of the future.
The name of the game will always be, taking these analytics and being able to best implement them into live game situations. But our role as coaches, or as training service, is to help our players have the best chance to be successful.
