Spin Rate: Not All Pitches Are Built the Same

Spin Rate: Not All Pitches Are Built the Same

Spin Rate is a popular term that is popping up everywhere in mainstream baseball nowadays. It is very prominent in the field of player development. Although it is getting more notice by baseball programs, coaches, and players there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the term Spin Rate. For this week's blog post I will discuss what spin rate is and what kind of pitcher that the student-athlete will be based off of the Spin Rate data.

The definition of Spin Rate according to Major League Baseball's Glossary is as follows, "A pitcher's Spin Rate represents the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute. The amount of spin on a pitch changes its trajectory. The same pitch thrown at the same Velocity will end up in a different place depending on how much it spins." For example. a fastball with a higher spin rate has a rising effect to the pitch. A fastball thrown with the same velocity but with a lesser spin rate will not rise as much as a pitch with a higher spin rate.

So now that there is a definition of Spin Rate, what is considered good Spin Rate for a fastball? To me this answer is subjective. With all analytics there is some common misconceptions that come along with it. No other analytic recently has been more of a hot button topic than Launch Angle. Launch Angle is not a type of swing, it is a metric, a piece of information. With metrics it just tells information. The type of Exit Velocity that a hitter has most often will determine what type of hitter he is. What I mean by that is, we can tell him what Launch Angle he should have, which also prepares him for the type of pitches he should hit to have the most success. Now that I am off my rabbit trail, let's dive back into Spin Rate. Again, Spin Rate doesn't make or break a pitcher, it just diagnoses the athlete to tell them what kinds of pitches that the pitcher should have in his repertoire. 

If you have a Spin Rate that consists north of 2,400 you will be considered a power arm pitcher. Your fastballs will miss more bats and the fastball will rise more. You will also have a big 12-6 breaking ball that can be a big time swing and miss rate as well with the fastball. This pitcher will have lots of strikeouts.  If you are sub 1,800-1,900 spins then you will be a sinker-ball pitcher. This pitcher will also have a slider. Along with this, this pitcher should have lots of movement on his pitches and work the bottom of the strike zone. The last kind of pitcher that there is, is the pitcher that has a spin that is in between 1,800 and 2,400. This pitcher will be a command pitcher. He will typically command two to three pitches. This pitcher must locate well and have the capability to pitch backwards. 

Spin Rate can also determine another major factor that can help coaches and players in the future. Spin Rate can show signs of injury for the pitcher. If a pitcher's Spin Rate has uncharacteristically dropped, this could be a sign of injury for the pitcher. Yet another reason why data is useful for coaches and players. It can help prevent serious injuries from happening. 

As you can see there isn't a sure fire way to use Spin Rate. Like I stated with Launch Angle, it is just data. Data that can give the coach and player information so that the player can have the most success. The better the coach and player understands this, the more success the player will have and the program will have. Like with all information, there must be an eagerness to learn and to have a conversation about it. The best way is for the coach to meet with the pitchers and discuss with them what this data means and how it can help the athlete. The sooner we as coaches accept that data is here, understand it, and use it effectively, the better player development will become.