Graph of the Day: Average Spin Movement

by Harry Pavlidis on Jul 18, 2009 10:32 AM EDT in Visuals Above Replacement

As frequently discussed, here are the average spin movements of the five "typical" pitches. The middle/lower chart combines the LHP/RHP versions for an easier comparison. It's all one image, click to enlarge, shown from catcher's view, values are in inches.

Raw numbers (pfx values are in inches)

LHP	pfx_x	pfx_z	mph	RHP	pfx_x	pfx_z	mph
Change	7.5	6.0	81.2	Change	-6.2	5.0	83.3
Curve	-4.1	-5.2	75.1	Curve	5.2	-4.8	77.3
Sinker	8.2	6.2	87.0	Sinker	-7.9	4.8	89.9
Fastball	5.5	9.2	90.7	Fastball	-5.1	8.5	91.8
Slider	-1.3	1.7	82.3	Slider	2.2	2.2	84.3

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Comments

In case I haven't told you recently, I love you Harry

Jeff Zimmerman - Protecting the world from RBI's and Wins from my mom's guest house.

by Jeff Zimmerman on Jul 18, 2009 12:36 PM EDT reply actions

Same here.

@bs_uf15bosox9be:OverTheMonster-ALLERGEN WARNING:May contain PB.

by bdalebs on Jul 18, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Great Graphs

The sinker is a very good pitch. Pretty much the same as a split finger fast ball though

I Have Spoken.

by The_Fan on Jul 18, 2009 1:12 PM EDT reply actions

Splits sink more, tail less

LHP    Splitter      7.1    3.5    84.4
RHP    Splitter     -6.4    2.9    84.5

by Harry Pavlidis on Jul 18, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

then why

do people throw sinkers? oy vey

I Have Spoken.

by The_Fan on Jul 18, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

My guesses (and these are reaches):

Sinkers end up in the strike zone more often. That also means they’re probably swung at more often, which is nice, even though splitters probably get more whiffs.

Also, you can’t throw splitter after splitter, because it’s most effective below the zone and once people stop swinging, it’s worthless because it’s not a strike. This would imply splitters in the zone get eaten. Makes sense, but I don’t know if it’s true.

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by Sky Kalkman on Jul 18, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions

yes it makes sense

Sinkers are alot more grounders so ya

I Have Spoken.

by The_Fan on Jul 18, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

fear of injury

wiped the pitch out. i assume it’s not a needless worry.

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by colintj on Jul 18, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Lefties seem to throw pitches than break an extra half-inch to an inch than their right-handed counterparts. Any reason why that might be the case?

by Tommy Bennett on Jul 18, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions

in the downward direction

I should have said

by Tommy Bennett on Jul 18, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually, all the lefty pitches are move vertically further than their righty counterparts, with the exception of the sinker.

Weird. Maybe baseball is meant to be played lefty – better pitches, better swings, etc.

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by bdalebs on Jul 18, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Crap, meant slider, not sinker.

@bs_uf15bosox9be:OverTheMonster-ALLERGEN WARNING:May contain PB.

by bdalebs on Jul 18, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, lefties are definitely better at everything.

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by Jack Moore on Jul 18, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions

20 years from now, BtB will get sued because someone tried to force their kid to do everything lefty...

Because the kid will go crazy like the quarterback bust whose father tied his right arm behind his back – can’t remember or find his name.

@bs_uf15bosox9be:OverTheMonster-ALLERGEN WARNING:May contain PB.

by bdalebs on Jul 18, 2009 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

No good ideas

by Harry Pavlidis on Jul 18, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions

great stuff. any splits for reliever/starter? and do these vary much year-to-year?

by Manoog on Jul 18, 2009 4:07 PM EDT reply actions

this.

especially reliever/starter splits.

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by colintj on Jul 18, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Bookmark'd

Derosa.

by vivaelpujols on Jul 18, 2009 4:09 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed.

Gotta compare these to Buch’s.

@bs_uf15bosox9be:OverTheMonster-ALLERGEN WARNING:May contain PB.

by bdalebs on Jul 18, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions

For use as a background on Pitch F/X chart:

Fill in the circles with whatever color you want to use to correspond with the pitches on your graph. Just make sure you keep it as a PNG so that it keeps the clear background.