BCTips: Release Point Tab

BaseballCloud’s platform is changing the way players and coaches analyze and learn from both practice and game data. BCTips blogs will highlight the functionality of different features of our products and explore the various ways they can be used for player development.

If you are a coach or player and have logged into your BCTeam account in the last couple of days, you may have noticed a big change to the Release Point tab on pitcher profiles. We have added a chart on the right representing release point from the 3rd Base perspective, with the y-axis representing release height and the x-axis representing extension. We believe by adding this visual, it will help tell a more complete story about a pitcher’s release point and how he is delivering each of his pitches.

This page will also have the same strike zone “click and drag” functionality as the rest of the tabs, so that users are able to select the pitches in the zone that they want to view more in-depth, and that section will populate the rest of the visuals and metrics on the page.

We have also added a new summary table at the bottom of this page with some metrics that hadn’t been shown before on the platform.

Working from left to right, here are some brief descriptions of each metric shown in the new summary table:

Dispersion: Measures the consistency of the release point for each pitch type. The closer the value is to 0.0 represents a more consistent release out of the same slot. Through our research of MLB data, we have seen the average dispersion to be 0.20, and elite repeatable deliveries (Jacob deGrom and Jon Lester) to be around 0.10.

Avg Release Height and Release Side: This measures the average of how high from the ground a pitcher is releasing each pitch type, and how far to each side on average he is releasing his pitches. This is shown from pitcher’s perspective, meaning, that typically a positive release side value represents a RHP and negative values a LHP (though there are exceptions, such as, James Karinchak). These are the two values that create the middle Release Point graph above the table.

Avg Extension: Measures how far out in front of the rubber a pitcher is releasing his pitches. This metric, combined with Release Height, creates the visual on the right above the summary table.

Avg Vertical Release Angle: This is a metric that we had not previously displayed on the platform. This metric measures the vertical angle at which a pitch starts toward home plate upon release. A positive value representing it starts on an upward trajectory, and a negative value showing it starts on a downward trajectory.

Avg Horizontal Release Angle: Again, a new metric to the site with this update. This value represents the horizontal angle a pitch has at release from the pitcher’s perspective (negative angles pointing towards the left, positive angles pointing towards the right). Typically for RHP, their fastball and changeup will have a negative value because they their release point is coming from the right side of the mound and those pitches have to travel slightly left to be landed in the strike zone. RHP breaking pitches could be positive or negative upon release depending on how much break and what type of breaking pitch is thrown, and where it ends up in the strike zone.

Again, these are new metrics that will be studied and talked about more in the coming weeks. We want to provide coaches and players all of the tools and information necessary to allow their team to reach its full potential and have a shot at winning a championship.