Welcome again to a different spherical of scouting lingo! In case you’re new right here, remember to try the primary installment of the pitching visible scouting primer, which incorporates an introduction to this collection, together with elements one, two, and three of the hitting visible scouting primer, to compensate for what I’ve already coated.
On this installment, we’re making our means again to the mound to delve into the wealthy world of pitch shapes, particularly these of four-seam fastballs. As normal, a lot of this can be acquainted to you, however my hope is that these visible examples can function a reference for the varied methods we distinguish between totally different pitch shapes in scouting experiences.
4-seam fastballs are the most typical and conventional sort of fastball. When a pitch is described as a fastball, with none additional qualifier, that fastball is a four-seamer as a rule. The title derives from how the pitch is thrown, with the grip employed, together with the backspin created when the pitcher releases it, inflicting 4 seams to cross the entrance of the ball because it’s rotating towards the hitter. Right here’s what Clayton Kershaw’s four-seamer seems like after he releases it, with the 4 seams labeled as they cross the entrance of the ball on its technique to the plate:
Whereas the title is derived from this seam orientation, which is taken into account the usual, the classification has extra to do with that particular backspin. For instance, based mostly on the spin illustration of Orioles nearer Félix Bautista’s four-seamer on Baseball Savant, we will assume that he orients the seams in another way than a conventional four-seamer. Consequently, in distinction to the Kershaw GIF above, solely two seams will come throughout the entrance of the ball because it’s touring to the plate:
Nonetheless, the ball displays nearly good backspin, which signifies that Bautista is releasing the ball together with his fingers behind it (generally known as “staying behind the ball”) and lets the ball roll off of his finger suggestions, with out snapping his wrist across the ball in both route, which prevents it from being categorised as a two-seamer (extra on that in a future installment of this collection). The verticality of his hand, mixed with the over-the-top arm slot he employs, creates that almost good vertical backspin.
Right here’s what that appears like in motion, first throughout, after which with freeze frames the place you possibly can see the seam alignment of his grip and the over-the-top launch with no wrist snap:
That verticality will shift relying on a participant’s arm slot, regardless of nonetheless releasing the ball with the pointer and index fingers behind it and with no wrist snap. Consequently, four-seamers’ shapes differ broadly, and with that variation comes terminology (and particular measurements) to assist distinguish between them.
4-Seam Fastball Shapes
Journey/Carry: Félix Bautista
Journey and carry are used interchangeably to explain the phantasm of gravity-defying upward motion on a four-seamer. All fastballs drop to a point, since they’re thrown from atop the mound to a goal (the strike zone) located decrease than the place the pitcher is standing. However the ones that drop lower than a hitter’s instincts would have them anticipate (or an observer’s, for that matter) are known as having journey and/or carry. Based on Baseball Savant, Bautista’s four-seamer featured the least downward motion within the majors in 2023, averaging simply 7.2 inches of drop, which is lower than half of league common (roughly 15 inches) and nearly two complete inches fewer than the second-place Pete Fairbanks’ heater (9.1 inches).
Induced Vertical Break, or IVB, goals to quantify a pitcher’s skill to combat gravity. The present pattern throughout baseball is to make use of four-seamers to hammer the higher a part of the strike zone, so the power to create the phantasm of journey generally is a useful asset for a pitcher, as it would lead to hitters swinging beneath a pitcher’s fastball. In Bautista’s case, there are a selection of things that contribute to the ridiculous IVB he creates on his four-seamer, together with his staggering peak, almost triple-digit common velocity, and the next spin fee than the typical massive league four-seamer. However when IVB is created on a pitch that isn’t thrown from such a peak (Bautista is 6-foot-5), or with as a lot warmth or spin, the phantasm will be much more mind-boggling, and extra confounding, to an opposing hitter.
IVB: Nestor Cortes
Cortes’ four-seamer lives within the low 90s, with spin charges extra on par with league common. Cortes additionally stands beneath six ft tall, so the distinction between the motion he will get on his fastball and what hitters would anticipate from that peak and in that velocity band is kind of drastic. Consequently, Cortes’ common IVB in 2023 was 19 inches, which is way nearer to that of Bautista (19.9 inches) than one would possibly anticipate (the league common was round 15 inches).
Not all four-seamers function any such seemingly upward motion. The totally different shapes typically must do with the differing hand positions and arm slots employed by totally different hurlers. With out stepping into the sports activities science behind how these shapes are created, let’s go rapid-fire by means of another regularly used phrases that describe totally different four-seam fastball shapes.
Run/Tail: Hunter Greene
“Run” and “tail” each discuss with horizontal motion towards a pitcher’s arm facet, like this one from Greene.
Lower: Max Fried
Inversely, when “lower” is used to explain a four-seamer’s form, it refers to horizontal motion towards a pitcher’s glove-side, as exemplified by Fried’s heater. That is totally different from a “cutter,” which is thrown with a distinct sort of spin, ensuing from a distinct grip and wrist motion, and which I’ll dig into in a future entry to this collection.
Sink: Tanner Houck
“Sink” is fairly self-explanatory, referring to downward vertical motion when it’s used to explain a four-seamer. Much like the lower/cutter distinction, this isn’t the identical as a “sinker,” which I’ll additionally focus on additional in a future installment.
Uphill vs. Downhill
These phrases discuss with the airplane of a pitch based mostly on the discharge level utilized by the pitcher; figuring out elements are usually arm slot and the pitcher’s peak, although the size of their arms may also come into play. Uphill may also generally be known as “flat,” whereas downhill will generally be described as “steep.”
Uphill, Excessive Arm Slot: Clayton Kershaw
Although Kershaw throws from a excessive arm slot, and his arms aren’t significantly quick, he lowers his launch level together with his drop-and-drive supply, such that he’s in a position to create an uphill airplane on his fastball.
Uphill, Quick Arms: Adam Macko
Macko’s mechanics are additionally of the drop-and-drive selection, although they aren’t as excessive as Kershaw’s. Nonetheless, as a result of his arms are fairly quick, the Blue Jays prospect has an analogous launch level to Kershaw, and subsequently a equally uphill airplane.
Uphill, Low Arm Slot: Kyle Harrison
Harrison makes use of a drop-and-drive supply (are you noticing a sample right here?), however he additional enhances his uphill airplane by means of a considerably decrease arm slot.
Downhill, Excessive Arm Slot: Tyler Glasnow
Provided that the above examples of uphill planes are created by drop-and-drive guys, it’s no shock that downhill planes are, nearly definitionally, created by tall-and-fall deliveries. Glasnow, who stands at 6-foot-8, additional steepens his airplane with a excessive arm slot.
Downhill, Low(er) Arm Slot: Cole Irvin
Given the angles mandatory for a downhill airplane, it’s nearly not possible to create one from a lowered arm slot, until the pitcher is on the taller facet. Irvin’s arm slot is about as little as you’ll see produce a downhill airplane.
Having solely coated four-seamers, there’s far more to get into relating to pitch shapes. My subsequent installment (or, extra realistically, my subsequent two) will transfer into the remainder of a pitcher’s arsenal, in addition to how totally different pitch shapes can play off of each other to reinforce a pitcher’s total effectiveness. See you then!