IN-DEPTH SPIN RATE ANALYSIS: Why Bauer Units Matter
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Backed by popular demand... Here is my take on what Bauer Units are, why they matter and how you should use them. I go in to detail on how to calculate Bauer Units, the scale in which you can compare different pitchers spin rates at different velocities, and much more. Thanks to @Bomar19 for the suggestion!
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Bauer Units and Pitch Comparisons (Driveline) - bit.ly/2xPqk7h
Bauer Units with FB (Pitcherslist) - bit.ly/2Y9hlg7
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Another solid video!!! Thanks for the shoutout. Really helpful having the ranges to look at!
Of course! Thanks Johnny 👍🏻
Love the channel! Keep it up!
Thank you for the comment! Glad you enjoy the content. 👍🏻
Good stuff Jake!
Thank you, Ethan!
Really enjoy your videos, thank you for breaking down pitch analytics. It appears to me that Rapsodo (due to its lower costs) is more dominate at amateur and collegiate levels. This technology breaks down spin rate, spin effectiveness, as well as vertical and horizontal movement. I understand that MLB uses Statcast/Trackman, which is very expensive (cost prohibitive for most amateur applications). The information I'm able to find on BrooksBaseball has spin rate and both vertical and horizontal movement. From my limited research/knowledge I'm under the impression that Statcast/Trackman derives spin from a formula, where Rapsodo images actual spin. To my question - how does Statcast (MLB) spin rate compare to Rapsodo - spin rate...or does it compare to effective spin (in consideration to spin efficiency)? The question behind the question, is how can you compare Amateur Spin (measured on Rapsodo) to MLB spin (measured on Statcast) - when different technologies/methodologies are used?
Terry, this is a phenomenal question. You’re correct in your observation that Rapsodo has drawn a larger amateur crowd because of its portability and cost (in comparison to Trackman).
There is a difference in the way Trackman and Rapsodo collect their data, and while we know the overall technique between the two it is difficult to claim which is more accurate. One important thing to note is that Trackman is not able to read gyroscopic spin, and Rapsodo can. So this is going to cause a difference between the two.
This old article by driveline did a good job analyzing the original differences you brought up (link: www.drivelinebaseball.com/2016/11/rapsodo-trackman-pitch-tracking-technologies-stand/), but the Rapsodo has received several updates since then so I am looking to do a personal comparison between these two technologies this off-season.
But the simple answer is, yes. They are different, but I’m not exactly sure how different. Hope this helps!
Great Video but one question. When calculating Bauer Units what type of spin is being used in the equation (Spin Rate/Velocity)? Is it total spin or useful spin?
Excellent question, Joey - thanks for the comment!
Bauer Units is calculated utilizing total spin, not useful spin.
Do you have any idea how to change spin rate on a fastball? For example, if a low spin rate pitcher wants to lower his spin rate or if a high spin rate pitcher wants to increase his spin rate.
Hey Owen, great question!
We will start with the idea of raising a players total spin rate... the only way proven to increase spin rate (legally) is to increase that player’s velocity. Of course, illegal substances have been shown to have a significant effect on RPM
If you’re working with younger kids, this comes from putting time in in the weight room and working on improving mechanical deficiencies.
If you’re a lower spin rate guy, most of the time I’d suggest working more towards a change in spin axis rather than a change in spin rate. But if you’re looking solely to lower spin rate a move of the fingers off of the laces can drop RPM but may also effect command.
Hopefully this helps! Thanks for the awesome comment.
So the whole premise going into Bauer Units is that velocity leads to higher spin rates..but you can't just take spin rate within itself, it has to be relative to that corresponding velocity to see how efficient it is? Kind of like how we can determine the outcome or effect of a ball hit 101 MPH based on it's launch angle (groundball vs fly ball)
Exactly. The way these two metrics work together give you a better idea of where a pitcher stands.
This unit is especially useful with younger pitchers as once you’re at the college level and most players have an average velocity between 85-90 you can set your expectation to the average spin rate for their velocities.
Thanks for the comment!
My pitching Bauer Units for FB was 26, SL 24, SPL 6. What a weird combo haha, and yes my Splitter spin rate is 420
Splitters always tend to break the scale a little bit due to their low RPM - Thanks for the comment!
You said Bauer Units aren’t applicable to off speed pitches around the 4:00 mark. How could they be applied? Is there any correlation between sharpness and Bauer units on breaking balls?
Great question, Corey! I’d say that my comment there applies better to changeups.
For curveballs you’d still able to use Bauer units as a good gauge - but I wouldn’t rely on it too much to determine how good a breaking ball could be.
As I said in the video this can be easily manipulated by a slow loopy curveball that has a high spin rate. I haven’t seen anything on the correlation between BU and the sharpness of pitches, but it could be something to look in to.
Thanks for the comment!
@@SimpleSabermetrics Jake, numbers question here. When calculating Bauer Units do you keep a running sum of velocity and spin rate over the entire course of a fall; or do you just use the average for each guy then take an average?