What is induced vertical break?
Emma Payne
Published Jan 06, 2026
18. Induced Vertical Break = Distance between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate height-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate height-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release, but affected by gravity.
What is good induced vertical break?
Coupled with at least a fringe average spin rate relative to velocity (24.0 Bauer Units), this will give the pitch the desired rise/ride effect, so long as the vertical break measurement is at or above 17 inches.
What is vertical break on Rapsodo?
Understanding Rapsodo Pitching Data Series:
Vertical break comes from backspin and topspin, while horizontal break is created via sidespin; negative and positive horizontal break indicates if a pitch is breaking to the left or right, respectively.
What is good vertical break on a curveball?
Pitchers with true four-seam fastball measurements (17+ inches of vertical break) will benefit most from 12-6 curveballs, as the high amount of vertical drop mirrors the amount of ride present in purely backspin fastballs.
How many inches does Clayton Kershaws curveball break?
On average the ball moves 0 inches towards a right handed batter and drops 14 inches . League average horizontal movement is 8 inches and 16 inches drop. This is the movement of his Curveball. On average the ball moves 5 inches towards a right handed batter and drops 65 inches .
26 related questions foundWhat does gyro mean in baseball?
The easiest way to explain gyro degree is as a measurement that tells us how well a pitcher stays behind the baseball at release, measured on a radial scale between 0-90°. 0° marks pure transverse spin, while 90° is pure gyroscopic (bullet/football spiral) spin.
What are good Rapsodo numbers?
The MLB average BU for a fastball is 23.5 – 25.5. A low BU might mean that a pitcher could have success working middle to down in the zone, while a high BU might mean that pitcher could have success middle to up in the zone.
Does Rapsodo measure spin?
Carry distances were within 2-3 yards throughout the bag. The MLM was typically about 1 degree higher on launch angle, but that was very consistent, too. It is worth noting that the MLM does not measure is spin.
What is a good spin rate for a fastball?
Spin Rate is important to a fastball, with fastballs below 1800 rpm and above 2600 rpm being vastly more effective than those that ride the line in the middle. A higher spin rate fastball will appear to rise, and is more difficult to square up.
What is a good spin efficiency?
In order to achieve this without the pitch acting more like a sidespin slider, spin efficiency needs to be kept at least between 65-75% (MLB average ≈ 68%) while also being thrown with an 8:00-9:00 spin direction.
What is the dead zone in baseball?
The 'dead zone', which could also be described at the 'danger zone', is when a pitcher's fastball falls right in the middle – not low enough to induce ground balls when thrown at the bottom of the zone and not high enough to induce pop-ups and whiffs at the top of the zone.
What is pitching IVB?
Induced Vertical Break (IVB): The distance between where a pitch traveled in relation to the height of the plate versus a pitch that traveled in a straight distance over the plate with active gravity. All pitches have an IVB, but it's most prominent in its usage surrounding four-seam fastball shape.
Is Rapsodo accurate baseball?
On 10 sliders, Rapsodo came in 0.3 percent lower than the radar gun. In both cases, it was very accurate. On any individual pitch, the unit could miss by a mph or two (the worst offender in Driveline's study was a slider that the Stalker Pro 2 had at 74.2 mph and Rapsodo had at 72.4 mph).
What is gyro spin?
Gyrospin is the rotation of the ball about the direction it is moving. Below is a sketch of a ball moving toward you, spinning around as indicted by the blue arrow. Gyrospin causes no change in motion of the ball. That is, there is no Magnus force due to gyrospin. So, imagine a pitch thrown only with gyrospin.
What kind of pitch is a screwball?
A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action.
Is the gyroball real?
A gyroball is a type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan. It is thrown with a spiral-like spin, so that there is no Magnus force on the ball as it arrives at home plate. The gyroball is sometimes confused with the shuuto, another pitch used in Japan.
What is a gyroball used for?
The gyro ball is a gyroscope-based workout tool, which helps the fingers, wrists, forearms, upper arms and even the shoulders gain strength. Small movement in the forearm and wrist make the ball spin faster inside the shell. The gyro ball can develop up to 39 pounds of resistance force as the ball increases in speed.
What is the best breaking ball in baseball?
Top 9 Nastiest Pitches in Baseball History
- Nolan Ryan's Fastball.
- Clayton Kershaw's 12-6 Curveball.
- R.A. Dickey's Knuckleball.
- Mariano Rivera's Cutter.
- Randy Johnson's Slider.
- Sandy Koufax's Curveball.
- Trevor Hoffman's Changeup.
- Greg Maddux's Two-Seamer.
What was Kershaw's fastest pitch?
In this afternoon's game, Kershaw has gotten his fastball up to 97 mph, and his curveball has been dropping down to 72mph. While both are explosive pitches, they undeniably have a different release point and delivery. I believe once hitters begin to recognize this, they will start hitting Kershaw hard.
How fast is Clayton Kershaw fastball?
In 2018 and 2019, Kershaw made 54 regular-season starts and touched 93 mph with a fastball four times. In 10 starts last season, he hit 93 mph 20 times. In three starts this spring, however, those numbers are back down again. Kershaw's fastball has hovered between 88 and 90 mph with an occasional 91 mph.