new ball thoughts

PG has been using a similar ball for a number of years in all of their tournaments, so many pitchers should at least be familiar with them. My son has used them in the fall the past two years and says that his FB and CU have more movement on them and CB/Sliders a bit less. They will likely be more problematic in early season in cold conditions, but not really sure.  

Being a pitcher-parent, don't think I like the extra flight distance they are supposed to get. 

 

Nah - seriously, overall its probably good for the college game.  Home runs are way down - too much probably (I hope I don't eat those words!!  ).

 

As for the seams?  Our older son who has been in pro ball for 5+ years actually likes them more.  And our younger son says his coaches tell him the spin on his curve ball is tighter now.

 

So who knows?  I guess we will see soon enough.

2013 feels that it might take him a little while to figure out the "feel"  he said it feels slick but he feels like FB and CU have more run.

My son, freshman in college, says he likes the balls vs ones he used in HS. He says his CU finally moves . the other thing he says is he now has a better feel for exactly where his pitch is going. The downside is he had a "plus" slider and he says he has had to change his grip because it just doesn't break as much as before

Once the season starts, it won't take long for the stats to begin to show the degree of effect it has on the game. I'm looking forward to seeing them.

college coach I talked to said they have seen significant difference.    Pitchers are reporting higher velocity with the ball as well and seem to like them.  

Pitchers might have fewer blister issues with the flatter seams. I think the hitters like the new ones.....

My son threw with the new ball in Novemeber at a college prospect camp and there was a noteable increase in velocity. His max was 2mph above what he had ever thrown before and he was cruising a couple mph above what he had been throwing just a couple of days before. However, he struggled with offspeed stuff.

2013 and 2104 threw with them Saturday.  2013 felt he threw the ball the same.... but says it feels slicker.  2014 was throwing it harder.  2 mph harder .... 

The ball travels! Expect a lot more HR's this year. I have seen 9 in three games.

Their is quite a bit more discussion on this earlier here.

 

http://community.hsbaseballweb.../topic/new-ncaa-ball

Stats from first four games.

26 singles, 8 doubles, 2 triples and 9 HR's. The ball is flying out this year. 32 innings. 2 7 inning games and 2 nine inning games. I really think the offense will jump up this year. This is a wood bat JUCO league.

The other team hit 2 HR's and other hits off of 93-95 fastballs. The ball is flying!

High school next year!!!!

Having four pitchers , 2 college, 2 HS.... I was afraid of this new ball    Honestly, I think the something needed to be changed. The game was getting a tad boring.

Looking at one team who has played 4 games, UCSD has hit 5 HRs after 4 games as compared to 1 HR last year after 4 games. Total runs for the first 4 games was the same both years (29), and all games were played on the home field.

 

Of course there are an incredible number of variables, but it's an interesting first look.

Looks like our sons D3 field may turn into a launching pad again. Left field before the bat change used to give up quite a few. Last 3 seasons they just turned into pop flies. 

I am not sure why but most balls hit to the left side of the field when my son is pitching tend to be grounders. This Fly balls and HR's he gives up tend to be somewhere in Center.

i think the field variability will have a lot to do with how many more HR's there are. For smaller fields where an extra 20' makes a difference there will be some big shifts, in cavernous fields like UCLA, maybe not so much. I will get to see it in live action starting this weekend.  

So not expecting big numbers at TD Ameritrade Park? 

How big is the field at UCLA? We had 400 in center and 383 in the gaps and it didn't matter. Two of the HR's were out by 50 feet plus.

Below are the dimensions, however the weather has a lot to do with making the field play even bigger, since they tend to get damp and foggy conditions in the afternoon, so balls don't carry there, similar to Dodger stadium.

 

Left field 315 ft
Left center 385 ft
Center field 400 ft
Right center 385 ft
Right field 325 ft

 

Just texted qith my son. He reports much the same as others. A little more velocity, his FB moves more, and he did not see much of a difference in his curve.

Writing for d1baseball.com, Aaron Fitt revealed in an article today that 71% of Division I coaches thought the new ball would have a "moderate impact" after using it during Fall Baseball. In the same poll, 12% thought it would make a "huge impact, while 17% thought it would cause a "minimal impact."

 

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.d1baseball.com/anal...says-hail-new-balls/

I saw that article Prep, I have seen three games so far this year and agree with John Savage as the ball seems to carry in the gaps more, and fielders were having to go back on balls also. It will put a premium on speed in the OF, but will also benefit power hitters. In the three games there were 2B-10, 3B - 1, HR - 5. I saw two HR's that likely would not have gone out with the old ball. I like what I have seen so far and it will be interesting to see the impact in D1 as well as pitchers ERA's.