In the Zone: How to Profile Your Pitchers

Coaches at all levels endeavor to develop their pitchers efficiently; but with all the new ways of gathering data and the excess of contradicting advice, that endeavor is getting complicated.

The Futures App team sat down with some of the best pitchers in baseball, to cut through the clutter and distill actionable tips that coaches at all levels can implement to help their pitchers progress faster, safer, and more consistently.

Understanding the Profiles

Every pitcher naturally fits into one of three “profiles”: North-South, East-West, and Combo. We’ll dive into each of these, but the important thing to note is that these profiles are not “external”: they are more or less determined by a player's physical makeup and natural mechanics. A player may want to be a North-South pitcher, but if their inherent profile is East-West then they won’t reach their full potential by trying to be a different kind of player. One of the best thing a coach can do is recognize a player’s natural profile and develop them within that silo.

North-South Pitchers

These players do best when focusing on the vertical movement of their pitches. Their repertoire consists of pitches that move vertically in the zone, not horizontally. Here are some characteristics of North-South pitchers:

1. High velocity and high carry fastballs. Carry describes the “induced vertical break” (VB) of the ball.

   — 9-10 inches of VB is considered a sinker.

   — 13-16 inches of VB is considered a low-carry fastball.

   — 18+ inches of VB is considered a high-carry fastball.

2. Big curveball (an induced VB of -12 to -20 inches)

3. Control over command: they don’t set up in the corners. They let their fastballs move up in the zone and drop the curveball in under them.

Tyler Glasnow on the Rays is a great example of a classic North-South pitcher.

East-West Pitchers

These players work horizontally with breaking pitches that have lower VB but “sweep” across the zone. Some natural characteristics for them:

1. They keep their pitches out of the middle of the zone.
2. These pitchers often use a sinker or a two-seam fastball as their predominant “set up” pitch. They rarely have a dominant four-seam fastball.
3. They play in the horizontal plane, often catching the end of the bat with pitches like sliders or cutters.

Blake Treiner on the Dodgers is a great example of a classic East-West Pitcher.

Combo Pitchers

These players use a mix of the North-South and East-West strategies. These are usually more “technical” pitchers as they don’t possess “plus plus” or “elite” metrics (spin rate, carry, etc.). Here are some more characteristics of these kinds of pitchers:

1. High command. These pitchers paint corners and move the ball around the zone well.
2. They will adapt their approach to certain hitters (either choosing to play more in the vertical plane or the horizontal plane).
3. Uses a variety of pitches.

Sonny Gray on the Twins is a great example of this. Sonny will usually lean more North-South against a left-handed batter but will lean more East-West against a right-handed batter (since right-handed batters tend to see curveballs better).

Context

When determining a pitcher’s profile, it’s important to keep context in mind. For example, a player’s arm slot can heavily influence their natural profile. Josh Hader on the Padres technically has a low-carry fastball (13-14 inches), but he throws from a very low slot (basically sidearm). The effect is a higher perceived carry from the batter’s box.

Tools & Metrics

There are tons of tech solutions on the market that can make it easy to determine things like vertical carry, spin rate, and the like. Trackman, Rapsodo, and Yakkertech can help track and measure those things, while something like Edgertronic can help break down and study mechanics.

However, we understand that these solutions are out of reach for many coaches, players, and teams. But that’s the great thing about these three profiles: they’re simple to determine if you know what to look for.

The Eye Test

Coaches can determine a pitcher’s profile by watching both natural mechanics as well as in-game at-bats.

Mechanics

Set up an iPhone on a tripod aimed towards the pitch release and record slow-motion video. Look for stuff like wrist orientation. If the wrist is naturally behind the ball, that’s usually a sign that they’re a North-South pitcher.

Higher-slot pitchers (who release the ball from a higher arm angle) are usually better off operating as North-South and lower-slot pitchers usually lean towards East-West. If a pitcher has lower spin efficiency, that usually means it’s time to focus on a combo approach.

At Bats

As mentioned, it’s important to pair mechanic breakdowns with at-bat analysis. Watch how the hitter approaches your pitchers during cage work and live at-bats.

Look at where hitters are missing pitches. Are they swinging below fastballs? That probably means the fastball has some decent carry and it could suggest a North-South profile. Bats missing above? Sinker probably drops.

The key is to put both the mechanical and live analysis together. For example, a pitcher with a low-slot release could actually fit a North-South profile if you see batters missing below their fastball (like Josh Hader, mentioned above).

Putting it All Together

Now that we’ve figured out how to determine a pitcher’s profile, we can then apply this learning to both player development and pitch calling.

Player Development

Let a player’s natural profile determine how you’ll develop them. Try to let them be who they are and tweak within that profile. Here’s a simple example of that process:

1. Everything plays off the fastball. Determine a player’s natural fastball carry with a tool or the eye test.
2. Develop secondary pitches. If there’s a high-carry player, then develop them in the North-South profile. Start to train a dropping curveball, like a 12-6, and a deep changeup. A low-carry or two-seam pitcher? Start developing them in the East-West profile. Start to train horizontal breaking pitches, like a slider or sinker. Fastball doesn’t have elite carry and the sinker isn’t breaking enough? Train the “Combo” mentality: focus on placement and pitch calling strategy.
3. Stay within the profile. We see it all the time. A pitcher with a great sinker, a good two-seam, and a low-slot release either decide they want a big 12-6 curve or are pushed that way. But to develop that pitch, they have to move out of their natural low slot into a higher release point. Not only does that lead to less efficiency, but it also can lead to a higher injury risk.

Pitch Selection

When a coach has an intimate understanding of his pitchers’ profiles, they can start calling pitches that fit within those players’ strengths. For example, a North-South pitcher with a high-carry fastball would be at a disadvantage if fastballs are called low in the zone. Let them keep them up in the zone and then drop the curveball in underneath the barrel.

Conclusion

The resounding thesis of our discussion was that “the important part is knowing yourself”. If a pitcher knows their strengths, they can train and perform more effectively.

Every coach wants to aid in that journey. We hope that this article gives you some actionable tools on how to profile your pitchers better, no matter the level of competition so you may gather the data, watch the film, and develop accordingly. The Futures App can help with organization training sessions, breaking down film remotely, and pushing specific drills to differently profiled pitchers on your team. If you want to up your game, book a demo today.