RevFire stats on average spin for breaking pitches

[sluggers]

Came across this today, so I thought I would share.

http://www.revfire.com/files/2009_NFCA_Showcase_RevFire_Spin_Performance.pdf

For drop balls, the average pitcher threw with 17 RPS, the top 10% threw at 22 RPS, and top 5% threw with 24+ RPS.

For curve balls, the average pitcher was at 18 RPS, the top 10% threw at 24 RPS, the top 5% threw with 27+ RPS.

For screw balls, the average was 18 RPS, the top 10% threw at 24RPS, while the top 5% threw with 25+ RPS.

For rise balls, the average was 19 RPS, the top 10% threw at 24 RPS, while the top 5% threw with 26 RPS.

 

[SBFAMILY]

This makes sense. At a Divn 1 pitching camp, they measured all the kids at the camp. They told us they used the cut off of 20.0. If you were not above that , they would not recruit you. I had a 14 year old at the camp and she was 18.6

 

[CoachFP]

Every pitcher that I have ever seen that says they throw a screwball does not spin the ball in the direction that the pitch is designed to go. For example, the right handers spin the ball much like a curve ball, but push the ball inside to the right handed hitter. The spin "fights" the direction that the ball is designed to go. Therefore, of what value is the RMPs unless you are looking for it to be very low as to not fight the intended path of the ball.

 

[Rick Pauly]

Spin Rates

For those that don't know, an NFCA camp is typically for young ladies trying to impress college coaches and get a scholarship. This doesn't ensure that all participants are D-I college level, but in general the skill levels of kids putting out the kind of money the NFCA charges for its camps are decent.

Having said that I will give you some interpretations/thoughts on the numbers on their graphs.
1) The dropball spin rate numbers appear to be about what I would expect.
2) The riseball spin rate numbers are a little low for college bound pitchers.
24 RPS is a good high school/travel ball number; 27 RPS is a good college level number---D-I college pitchers with a riseball good enough to through effectively in the zone will probably need 27 RPS.
3) For the curveball numbers presented here I would suspect that a high percentage of the participants were actually throwing a dropcurve (even though they thought they were throwing a risecurve) so that would skew the RPS lower as is the case here. A rise curve should have RPS numbers very near riseball RPS's....usually 1-2 less.
4) The screwball RPS numbers could be skewed similarily to the curveball numbers.


For the curve and screwball you need to know which version of this pitch is being thrown to get a good read on spin performance.