MovieChat Forums > Fastball (2016) Discussion > Questions on Methodology

Questions on Methodology

posted 7 years ago by kag2
1 reply | jump to latest

I question the methodology as follows and appreciate your views.

1) Should we measure pitch speed at the 50 foot mark - barely out of the pitcher's hand, or half-way between his release point and home plate, which would be roughly 27.5 feet from home plate? Which would be fairer?

2) With those 50-foot re-calculations, Nolan Ryan (108 mph) edges Bob Feller (107 mph) and Aroldis Ramirez (105 mph). But Walter Johnson lags at 93 mph. Is there a mis-calculation? Perhaps Feller was faster than Walter Johnson, but 14 mph faster? AL stars that faced both men (like Mickey Cochrane, Charlie Gheringer, Lou Gherig, Al Simmons, etc.) never claimed Feller was far faster than Johnson. Or am I missing something?

BTW: Wish they'd showed Goose Gossage blowing smoke for his first team, as we used to watch him in Old Comiskey Park.

[–] tyboulder2 (101) 6 years ago

Picking the same point to measure from (or adjusting someone’s speed to match the same universal point) equalizes the speeds recorded, in theory. Also, picking a spot closer to the pitcher’s release point discards variables like altitude, humidity, wind, etc., that could influence speed. It’s not a perfect science, especially given how old some of that data was, but it was interesting to see.

I was surprised that a ball could decelerate by almost 10mph over those 60.5 feet, but I trust the “scientists” over my own hunches.