Son is a Juco wood bat league. The first game I saw several balls that I thought didn't have a chance clear the fence. It is a big difference. It is a lot more than 20 feet if you are good at getting backspin on the ball. Teach your kids to put backspin on a ball. You will get more than 20 feet. Closer to 40 feet.
I spoke with my son last night, who is a DI pitching coach. From a pitcher's perspective, he says that the new ball is adding movement on the ball, but also reducing command As a result, both strikeouts and walks are up. More 2-seam fastballs are being called, and power pitchers are finding the most difficulty in making the adjustment because their pitches are being affected the most.
Originally Posted by freddy77:
I'm hoping my 16 y.o. gets the courage to use his wood bat during H.S. games.
I strongly recommend against it, even if it is 100% true that he hits better with wood than with metal....because regardless of how well he hits--.400, .500--the perception of his coaches and teammates will always be that he could have hit better (and could have helped the team more) if he had used a metal bat.
Mine did exactly that during a game going 3 for 3, all line drives. Nobody on the team including the coach complained.
Originally Posted by snowman:
Originally Posted by freddy77:
I'm hoping my 16 y.o. gets the courage to use his wood bat during H.S. games.
I strongly recommend against it, even if it is 100% true that he hits better with wood than with metal....because regardless of how well he hits--.400, .500--the perception of his coaches and teammates will always be that he could have hit better (and could have helped the team more) if he had used a metal bat.
Mine did exactly that during a game going 3 for 3, all line drives. Nobody on the team including the coach complained.
That's great if he goes 3 for 3, but lets say he has a bad day and goes 0 for 3. I am sure that there might be some grumbling.
What I have seen watching my son's team play (VERY small sample, I know). Lots of HR both for and against early. Lots of walks early. I think pitchers were still trying to get a feel for the ball and what it would do. Both HR and walks have slowed way down and strikeouts have increased.
My son says it took him a while to figure out how far his fastballs were going to move and how much his breaking balls were going to break.
Maybe it is simply pitchers catching up with hitters though
Was watching Vandy vs. someone (maybe kentuc) last sunday.During a couple different innings they interviewed Vandy #1 and #2 pitchers.Both studs had all good things to say about new ball and thier adjustments in using new ball.Both felt the new ball help in them throwing better CB.Listening to both kids talk about new ball was interesting.The games on espn go are archived.Both during innings were early in game.
Originally Posted by Doughnutman:
Son is a Juco wood bat league. The first game I saw several balls that I thought didn't have a chance clear the fence. It is a big difference. It is a lot more than 20 feet if you are good at getting backspin on the ball. Teach your kids to put backspin on a ball. You will get more than 20 feet. Closer to 40 feet.
How do you suggest "teaching" backspin?
Originally Posted by roothog66:
How do you suggest "teaching" backspin?
Here's one way:
Hitting curveballs produces 30% more backspin than hitting fastballs... and they go farther.
Originally Posted by SultanofSwat:
Originally Posted by roothog66:
How do you suggest "teaching" backspin?
Here's one way:
Hitting curveballs produces 30% more backspin than hitting fastballs... and they go farther.
Hah! I never really thought of that, but it makes sense and explains why all those hanging curves I threw in high school are still in orbit.
If you wish to believe a knuckleball travels faster/farther than a ball with backspin (like a 4SFB), good luck to you.
Per the Sawicki Hubbard study
the batted backspin for the fastball is 30% smaller than that of the curve ball because the pitched fastball has backspin that must be reversed during batting, whereas the curve ball has initial topspin that is augmented. This larger backspin for the curve ball increases the optimal range by 4.0 m.
Curveballs, even when thrown 10-15 mph slower than fastballs, are driven 12 feet further when hit.
So, there's no question that added backspin adds distance. And backspin trumps bat/pitch speed.