A fastball is not a pitch as it has no inherent spin characteristics. Rather it is by definition the fastest pitch thrown by the pitcher. It may be a rise, drop, screw, etc.
Topspin Vs Bulletspin, Which is Faster?
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- Feb 7, 2013
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Almost every new pitcher I know is taught a four-seam or two seam "fastball" as their first pitch with 12-6 spin. The next pitch is almost always a change-up. Once they have "perfected" these two, they normally move on to the drop ball. In my opinion the drop ball is the first pitch they learned but is thrown low in the zone. Many call it the "peel drop". The rollover drop is a variation of the peel drop and the action and spin is identical to the peel drop. So for 95% of us the drop ball is the "fastball" thrown low in the zone.
I think there are more bullet spin fastballs out there than most of us think. Cat Osterman and Nancy Evans say they throw bullet spin fastballs. It would be interesting to know if Amanda Scarborough is throwing her fastball in the Powerdrive video because that pitch is also bullet spin.
A fastball is whatever pitch a pitcher throws when their primary objective is high velocity not break. It should, but doesn't have to be, their fastest pitch, for all we know Cat's drop may be faster than her corkscrew fastball. Of course we also have pitchers who say they throw nothing but spin pitches so I guess they don't have a fastball.
My bet on the fastest possible pitch is one that results in a spin in between spiral and 12/6 (axis turned to about 45 degrees or, down and in spin.) Just a hunch. If anyone in the PDX area has some time and a decent speed gun, I'd love to stop by and throw a few to see if there is a measurable difference.
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You forgot the crise....
I'd guess that a backspin(ish) RB has similar, if not a tighter trajectory than a spiral. Again--just a hunch...
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In the real world all pitches bleed speed. Some more than others but all bleed speed.
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
yeah I was pretty inaccurate with the description, I was referring to the very small amount of velocity lost by the pitch changing direction away from a straight line on a breaking pitch, really not worth mentioning at all since I am sure it is soooo small. I wasn't trying to state that a bullet spin is a magical pitch that removes all friction from a softball, although I hear if you can throw an iron Softball with 100 RPS, at 0 degrees K you will get no drag at all.
My personal observation is loss of velocity is often a pretty good indication of how much a pitch breaks. I have a higher end radar gun that provides both the initial and final velocity of the pitch. Almost all pitches seem to lose a minimum of 2mph with many losing 4-6mph. Last weekend I was at ESPN WWOS at Disney watching their Spring Games. I noticed a pitcher from Georgia (Sophomore Chelsea Wilkinson) throwing significant breaking pitches. Her curve especially seemed to almost hover as it approached the plate. She was truly an artist making some hitters look silly as she threw a softball like it was a wiffle ball. Sat down and put the gun on her and soon realized what was happening. Her pitches were regularly bleeding 6 - 8mph and a few as much as 10mph. And these were not slow pitches. She was starting her pitches in the low to mid 60's and having them finish in the 50's.
The PITCHf/x data I have analyzed has probably the most accurate information about the loss of speed. What the data show is that the ratio of final to initial speed is roughly normally distributed, with the average being 0.92 (from 39 ft to the front edge of home plate), but with an rms spread of about 0.01. That info is based on over 3500 pitches. If you look in detail, you see some indication that the ratio is correlated with the movement, with more movement corresponding to a smaller ratio. My own belief is that this has nothing to do with the change of direction per se. Rather, it has to do with the spin dependence of the air drag. The faster the ball spins, the greater the air drag. It is not a very large effect, but it seems to be persistent in the data. I will have more to say about this topic in the article I am now writing for Baseball Prospectus. BTW, the same effect is seen in MLB.
The "bleeding" of speed on Wilkinson's pitches could be exactly what Dr. Nathan has pointed out...high spin rates/greater air drag. Not sure if the "bleed" is 6-8 mph having never measured that.
I have first hand knowledge of Wilkinson having given her lessons over the past 4-5 years......her spin rates are off the charts. Her offspeed curveball or offspeed riseball have been as high as 45 RPS and her fast riseball is around 35 RPS. Her ball movement is way beyond what most hitters have seen.
The kid has tons of talent, great work ethic, a Dad who spends lots of time on the bucket and understands pitching, and most of all she is as good a kid as there is.
I have first hand knowledge of Wilkinson having given her lessons over the past 4-5 years......her spin rates are off the charts. Her offspeed curveball or offspeed riseball have been as high as 45 RPS and her fast riseball is around 35 RPS. Her ball movement is way beyond what most hitters have seen.
The kid has tons of talent, great work ethic, a Dad who spends lots of time on the bucket and understands pitching, and most of all she is as good a kid as there is.
