Using Trackman Data to Evaluate Pitching

Your leg up as a coach or evaluator.

At every level of baseball, there has never been more data available to evaluate pitchers than there is today. This influx of information provides valuable insights into a pitcher’s potential, particularly in projecting how their pitches will perform at the next level. This is especially crucial in cases where the skill gap is significant—such as a high school pitcher looking to compete in college or a highschool pitcher aspiring to play professionally. For instance, while a professional scout watching the College World Series can assess a pitcher’s current abilities, a college coach scouting a high school pitcher must rely more on projections. The leap from a small-town high school to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is enormous, making accurate data-driven evaluations essential.

Projecting College Performance from High School Data

Traditionally, high school pitchers have been evaluated using a few key metrics: pitch velocity, strike percentage, physical projection, and command of offspeed pitches. However, today’s advanced data collection methods offer a deeper understanding of a pitcher’s true capabilities. Trackman technology allows scouts and coaches to analyze pitch movement, velocity profiles, and even biomechanical tendencies, such as supination or pronation biases, which can indicate how a pitcher may develop certain pitches over time.

Major college programs have a significant advantage in this process, as they can invite prospective players to data collection camps at their facilities. These events allow coaches to assess a wide range of players, from high school prospects to junior college transfers, using their own Trackman systems. The ability to compile this data and integrate it into a program-wide evaluation system gives college teams a clearer picture of which pitchers are worth recruiting and developing.

Projecting Professional Performance from High School Data

Evaluating a high school pitcher’s potential for professional baseball presents an even greater challenge. The jump from high school to the major leagues is massive, making raw physical traits and natural ability more important than current pitch profiles. Unlike college evaluations, where present skill level is a key factor, professional scouting at the high school level focuses more on projectability.

While it is difficult to project high school pitch shapes with certainty, some standout traits can indicate future success. For example, a unique release point—such as a low-slot fastball with a rising action—can be an intriguing characteristic for scouts. Additionally, a pitcher’s ability to generate significant movement on a breaking ball, like a sweeper with 20 inches of horizontal break, suggests that they may be able to manipulate different pitch shapes in the future. On the other hand, pitchers who struggle to create movement may have a more limited ceiling.

Projecting Professional Performance from College Data

Scouting college pitchers is a vastly different process than evaluating high school prospects. By the time a pitcher reaches their junior or senior year of college, there is significantly less projection left in their development. Unlike high school pitchers, who may still be refining their mechanics and learning new breaking pitches, college pitchers are generally expected to have a higher baseline of ability.

From a Trackman perspective, projecting professional performance from college data is more straightforward. At this stage, pitchers are much closer to their peak arsenals, meaning their pitch characteristics are more indicative of their long-term potential. For example, if a 22-year-old college pitcher struggles to generate spin on a breaking ball, it is unlikely that they will develop that ability later in their career. This is in stark contrast to high school pitchers, many of whom are still refining the first breaking ball they ever learned.

The Importance of Trackman Data in Scouting

Understanding and utilizing Trackman data has become a staple of professional scouting departments, but its application at the amateur level remains inconsistent. This gap presents a significant opportunity for teams willing to invest in data-driven recruiting strategies. Many high school pitchers are labeled as "pitchability" arms simply because they can throw multiple pitches for strikes against lower-level competition. However, without data analysis, these evaluations can be misleading. By leveraging Trackman data, coaches and scouts can gain a much clearer picture of a pitcher’s long-term potential, ensuring that recruiting decisions are based on future capability rather than present dominance over weaker competition.

Ultimately, the use of advanced data analytics in pitching evaluation provides a powerful tool for making informed decisions at every level of the game. From high school to college and beyond, integrating objective data with traditional scouting methods allows for more accurate projections, leading to better player development and recruitment strategies.

John