roothog66 posted:To be more clear, it would seem logical that 85mph out of the hand at 2500 rpm would arrive at the plate quicker and at a higher rate of speed than the same pitch, form the same angle, out of the hand at 2200 rpm. Would be interested in the actual numbers.
I'm going to guess that they show up at the same time. While the argument about distance may have some merit, I am guessing that the 2500 rpm ball creates a tad more (scientific term) drag, which allows for the "rise".
What I'd love to know is whether the actual fingertips are traveling faster with the 2500 rpm versus the 2200 rmp (identical mph out of hand) and the additional fingertip velocity is translated somehow into additional spin. Some form of energy is required to produce additional spin and wonder if a pitcher could dial back spin on occasion and pick up 1-2 mph.
I've got an 11 yo whose fingers bleed off to the side most times when he throws (pitching, throwing to 1st, OF thros, etc). I keep telling him he is probably "throwing" hard enough, but he is losing velocity and he is not transferring the energy into forward movement. My 2017 is recommending the towel drill to help correct. That is an extreme example of spin rate (sidespin) taking away from MPH but is an easy analogy for my point above.