Intro: What does a good throwing motion look like?
Velocity: Conversation must starting at Ground Zero
Baseball America:
The moment a baseball leaves a pitcher's hand, it starts to slow down because of drag.The 100 mph pitch could be measured at 100 mph ( pitcher's hand), 99 mph (50 ft.), 94 mph (midway) or 91 mph (crosses plate). The first radar guns that began appearing at ballparks in the late 1970s and early 1980s measured pitches crossing the plate.
The Speedgun, measured closer to the plate than the JUGS gun. The Speedgun was known as the “slow gun” the JUGS gun registered faster readings, was the “fast gun.” The Stalker came out in the early 1990s, measured velocity closer to the pitcher's release point than the JUGS gun, JUGS become the slow gun. A 90 mph pitch on a Speedgun could register at 92 on a JUGS gun and 93-94 mph on a Stalker. The tech improved, 94 mph on the Stalker Pro registered as 95 on the Stalker Pro II.
So when you read of 85-90 mph fastballs from the early 1980s, realize they would register much faster with current measurement tech. An 85 mph fastball (if registered by a Speedgun at the plate) would be roughly 93 mph if measured by Statcast out of the pitcher's hand.
Bill James: Grandfather of Sabermetrics
When I joined the Red Sox in late 2002 and started sitting in the scout seats, there were two styles of guns that the scouts used, so that you would look to your right and the scout there would have a reading of 94, and then you would look to your left and the scout would have a reading of 91. So you would look to see whether it was a JUGS gun or the other one,
Well, the scouts unified around the faster guns within a year or so. Ten years later, this happened AGAIN; the guns got faster again. They got faster readings because they were picking the balls up sooner, closer to the pitcher's hand.
The Athletic: Velocity: Moving the Goal Post
There is some debate about what the fastest fastball to date has been. In the documentary Fastball, filmmakers looked at a few key moments from the past. Nolan Ryan was clocked at 100.8 mph by a radar gun in 1974. If you convert Ryan's number to the out-of-the-hand methodology used to measure pitch speed today, you get 108 mph. For some, that counts as the fastest pitch on record.
We've been tracking major-league pitchers with the same quality of technology since 2007, though, and nobody has thrown harder than Aroldis Chapman and his 105.8 mph fastball in 2010. So Ryan's 108 would be a large departure from 15 years of tracking pitches — and, for what it's worth, it's a large departure from radar gun readings over the rest of his game that day, as well as the rest of his career, which usually topped out around 96 and 97 mph.
Also went on to say the readinga back then were inconsistent, they varied
Louis Gil: Anatomy of a MLB Hurler
Phenom rocked in 2nd straight start
45 BB 99 K's Career 10-4 3.33
“He's always cared,” Chapman said. “He's always wanted to be good. Willing to learn and work and try to find ways to become better. That's all we can ask out of any player. Luis exemplifies it.”
By the end of that season, Gil was promoted to High-A Tampa. Fresh off being hired as the organization's director of pitching, Sam Briend watched Gil pitch and quickly thought, “That's what a major league pitcher is supposed to look like.”
“That's when you get excited about what the ceiling can be, what this kid could do in New York when all of those things start to click,”
Instead of trying to work on those things at Triple-A on the doorstep of the majors, Gil had all the time in the world to focus on them alongside his rehab and developed his changeup from scratch. It began with classroom sessions at the club's player development complex in Tampa, going over information and building the foundation for what was to come, then adding layers once he could actually throw.
“Guys like knowing there's something wrong and something they can attack [during the rehab process], because it's motivating,” Briend said.
Gil had a solid April before taking off in May, thanks to some tweaks to his delivery. He racked up seven straight starts in which he threw at least six innings and gave up no more than one run, the longest streak in Yankees history.
Rodon
In a span of three starts, Carlos Rodon's ERA has inflated from 2.93 to 4.42, Over his last three starts, he has been clobbered for 21 runs,on 28 hits across 13 ²/ā innings. Much of the damage has come against his fastball. Rodon pointed to a lack of command with the pitch
Cole
By the end of his night, Cole's fastball averaged 95.4 mph — up from the 95 mph it averaged in his season debut, still down from his 96.7 average last season.
Wade Miley TJ
"I don't know how long it's been messed up. I can't take you to a pitch, can't take you to a moment. It just is what it is.”
Injuries are nothing new for Miley, who's landed on the injured list nine times in the 11 seasons but this marks just the second time he's been sidelined by an elbow injury and the first time that he'll need to undergo surgery.
Miley's injury is just the latest blow to a pitching staff
"There's a limit to depth," Murphy said. "We've lost a lot of guys this year. By my count, nine of our top 16 pitchers are out so we're having to fill in with guys who we had no idea would be in the big leagues and that's a challenge but at the same time, it's a great opportunity.”
The rash of injuries could also result in a first call-up for Robert Gasser. The Brewers' No. 5 prospect made his season debut last week with Triple-A Nashville,
Dodgers: Supporting their $700mm investment
The Dodgers have multiple areas of need as the Trade Deadline approaches, but rotation help has emerged as an unexpected key item on the team's want list. With health having been an issue for nearly every starter this season, Los Angeles is reportedly interested in White Sox ace Garrett Crochet as a remedy
What are they selling, more importantly who are they selling
Vladimir Guerrero Jr has enjoyed a resurgent 2024 season, posting a 131 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) — 100 is considered league average — with 1.3 wins above replacement (WAR), which is tied for fifth on the team.
My Incentive Offer