Pitch fx data now avaliable at FanGraphs
by laxtonto on Apr 20, 2009 2:48 PM CDT
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PrintMan I love this site. They get better and better..
Just some quick things from this..
Millwood looks to be using his FB way less this year so far
Padilla velocity is down, but it has increased both the vertical and horizontal movement of his pitches
McCarthy's velocity is up on all of his pitches with his change losing the most movement
Harrison's average velocity is down about a 1/2 a mph from last season and he is throwing his FB less than last year.
Fun little toy to use...
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I've always wondered
Who logs this stuff in? Talk about tedious.
"Was this really necsarry?" - cowpoke/hurler hurley
If they're doing it manually...
then they have serious problems. I would guess that they’ve accessed MLB pitch F/X data (although I’m not sure what formats this data’s available in, it’s surely out there), and have a program that dumps the data into a database.
Somebody has to do it
Right? Or is there some sort of visual recognition software that turns each pitch into a datapoint?
"Was this really necsarry?" - cowpoke/hurler hurley
Oh, you meant the original stuff.
I thought you were talking about the imports to FanGraphs and whatnot. Dur.
I’m guessing it’s software-based, considering that it takes into account pitch arc, velocity at release, velocity at plate, release point, etc. I haven’t worked with this sort of stuff at all, so I can’t say for sure.
I believe
the pitch f/x camera system that records the pitch automatically logs the release points, the point the pitch crosses the plate, and the initial/final velocities of the pitch. Everything else is computed from these values, and there is an automatic algorithm that classifies the pitches
Which is why
It seems to have tremendous problems with Padilla’s “eephus” pitch. The one he throws at about 50-60 MPH. Sometimes the system calls it a “cutter” and other times a “curveball” and sometimes “unknown”. They probably just need to add a category for “lobs.” If you’ve seen him throw it in person, he kinda short arms the ball. Last year he’d only throw it once per game. On Sunday, he threw it a bunch of times (at least 4-5) including twice to the same batter on back to back pitches. The first was in the dirt, so he came back with another that was in the strike zone! As far as I know, no one has gotten a hit off his eephus this year. (where-as his fastball gave up both homers on Sunday).
I may never go to work ever again.
At the very least, I will never get work done again.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
some info on how it is set up
I imagine one day they will be doing batted ball data also.
Before groundskeepers work on the mound and plate areas during the afternoon preceding a typical night game, a crew is on the field placing spiked and colored/numbered markers on the first- and third-base lines, as well as a marked eight-foot pole at home plate. That is called the “registration” process and is captured by three field cameras — high home, high first base and center field — so that the information is then stored into the truck computer software to create the “grid” that will allow the game’s pitch-tracking to happen.
The center-field camera is used for two purposes, most important for “sizing” the batter. For the software to find the ball (or “blob” to the engineers who plot the application), there needs to be a different plane of location for Matt Holliday than for Kazuo Matsui, who is smaller in stature than Holliday. Then the crew in the truck sizes each player during batting practice, so that during the game each tracking plane is pre-set; it is remembered for each subsequent at-bat by that player.
According to Kurt Meyer, a broadcast engineer for SportVision, a technology partner with MLBAM, “a guy stands at home plate with the eight-foot pole and marker, and then the software takes about 20 minutes to snap the grid into place. That tells each of the computers where home plate is in relationship to the three cameras, so they’re all on the same page. You’re telling the computer to look for a certain object between parameters of speed … a blob traveling between the mound and the plate.”
The pitch-tracking system is set from 40 mph to 120 mph. That prevents the system from picking up, say, an empty popcorn bag floating past a camera. Manual intervention also comes into play in the occasional event that a third baseman will charge in on a batter who has squared around to bunt while a pitch is being thrown. The player is moving fast enough to enter that location plane, so the grid on the software must occasionally be dragged to the proper dimensions to adjust.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071002&content_id=2245402&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Ahhh..
that’s what the big gray camera is behind the net at homeplate at the ballpark. I forgot they were doing all this stuff now, and I kept trying to figure out what kind of goofy camera angle that camera was for.
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem – once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971
no that's the robocam for the broadcast
the pitchfx camera is up near the top of the stadium to get an overhead view of homeplate, but they have 3 or 4 cameras depending on the park
The "Fire Wash Watch" is on. I say he's gone by April 26th.
top of the 3rd deck
that’s where it was when i worked with the system anyway.
The "Fire Wash Watch" is on. I say he's gone by April 26th.
End of umpires
using the same technology, cameras, and sensors, couldn’t baseball eliminate umpires?
That's why they call them business sox
Zone Evaluation
They use the f/x data in a new system called Zone Evaluation to monitor umpires’ pitch calls. Umpires calling balls and strike will never be replaced. IMO.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090331&content_id=4099526&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Set from 40 to 140 mph
They’re going to have to rachet that up when Feliz pitches.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on Apr 21, 2009 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Perez?
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Apr 21, 2009 7:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow. Jennings really likes his slider.
Also, it looks like his changeup and fastball have similar trajectories with the changeup having more tail into right handed hitters.
His sinker is nothing like it once was in Colorado, though.
JD: Adamant about 78 wins in 2009. Go Rangers!
Little league?
Do they use this system anywhere other than in the Majors? (probably not, since it seems so expensive). Can you imagine it for like Cal Ripken level or Ruth Level leagues?
Francisco
fun to look at this stuff. Frankie has honed his pitch selection and improved the movement over the last 2+ seasons.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
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