In my last 2022 draft preview article, I highlighted college pitchers in the upcoming draft who utilize sweepers in their arsenals. In an effort to continue focusing on micro level components that contribute to the success of a pitcher’s arsenal, I have shifted the attention towards release height. Release height is defined as the height of the ball from when it is released from the pitcher’s hand.
One of the hotter topics that is being discussed in the baseball world today is the significance of a pitcher's release height and how it has an impact on their arsenal. When examining 2021 Major League Baseball release height data, the average release height amongst pitchers with a minimum of one-hundred pitches thrown was 5.9 feet. Below is a dot plot which further emphasizes the different release heights at the major league level.
As one can observe, there is a dense population of pitchers who hover around the 5.9-foot release height. Release heights ranged from as high has 6.9 feet (Ross Stripling, Toronto Blue Jays) down to 1.2 feet (Tyler Rogers, San Francisco Giants).
As player development technology continues to advance, athletes are rigorously looking for ways to continue to separate themselves from the middle of the pack. In this case, it would be pitchers who deviate from the average release height and have either an above or below average release height.
To take the release height concept one step further, I have filtered through draft-eligible pitchers who have unique fastball profiles when it comes to their own release height. Since Rapsodo and Trackman introduced the concept of induced vertical break (IVB), it was generally assumed that pitchers who threw fastballs below 12” of IVB should throw sinkers located down in the zone, and pitchers who threw fastballs with IVB greater than 16” should attack up in the zone. Those who fell in the 13”-15” range were deemed dead zone heaters. This hurts the value of the pitcher as they are unable to generate enough carry up in the zone to generate whiffs or induce enough sink to get ground balls in the bottom of the zone with their offering. To further emphasize, these are all assumptions that are made without contextualizing a pitcher’s release height.
However, as Driveline’s Chris Langin pointed out in a recent Twitter post, evaluators must first look towards a pitcher’s release height before drawing conclusions on how the athlete’s fastball will play in game, regardless of if the pitch has rise, sink or dead zone characteristics. (I would highly recommend reading Langin’s content on his Twitter as he has helped me gain a better understanding of the direction pitching development is headed in the game today). As Langin points out, a pitcher’s release height has a significant impact on creating deception to opposing hitters regardless of the movement profile.
Generally speaking, pitchers who throw from a higher release height or an over-the-top slot tend to throw more efficient fastballs in terms of spin efficiency. This is because their tilt sits in the 12:00 to 12:30 range for right-handed pitchers and the 11:30 to 12:00 range for left-handed pitchers. The longer a pitcher can stay behind the ball, it leads to a more efficient fastball, which leads to a greater IVB output and allows the pitcher to attack up in the zone effectively.
On the other hand, low slot pitchers tend to have a difficult time getting behind the baseball due to their lower release. Thus, it pushes tilt closer to the 1:30 – 2:00 range for right-handed pitchers and 10:30 to 10:00 for left-handed pitchers. In doing so, this kills IVB and as a result the offering plays better at the bottom of the zone.
With this baseline understanding in mind, my goal is to highlight college pitchers who do the opposite of what was laid out above. Meaning, low release pitchers who can get behind the baseball and generate ride up in the zone, as well as higher slot pitchers who are able to throw sinkers and find success pitching at the bottom of the zone.
To compare this idea to pitchers currently at the major league level, Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers and Blake Treinen of the Los Angeles Dodgers are prime examples. Hader is an anomaly in the sense that he releases at a 5-foot release height with 11:00 tilt. Hader can throw very efficient fastballs (99% per Baseball Savant) and finds success up in the zone despite throwing from a lower release. He also has one of the flatter approach angles which also adds to his unicorn fastball profile. On the flip side, Treinen releases from a higher 6’3 release height and is able to dominate hitters at the bottom of the zone with his iconic seam-shifted sinker.
With this context in mind, I have listed a handful of draft eligible college pitchers who demonstrate these characteristics in their arsenal.
Low Release:
Jake Saum LHP University of California Los Angeles:
The 5-foot-11-inch Saum experienced a breakout summer on the Cape with the Orleans Firebirds after he had his 2021 campaign cut short by an injury. Saum can effectively attack hitters up in the zone due to his ability to get behind the baseball in the 10:30-10:15 range and generates lift. He is used primarily as a reliever and has a four-pitch mix in which he commands all offerings. His fastball sits in the low 90s and he has shown the ability to consistently throw strikes up in the zone with the pitch. Below is a heatmap which showcases the whiffs Saum generates up in the zone.
As the heatmap conveys, Saum is able to find success pitching up in the zone with his low release high hop approach. Saum will return to the Bruins this spring and will look to anchor down the backend of the bullpen. He profiles to be a reliever long term in pro-ball.
Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State University:
Standing in at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds., Hjerpe’s long levers paired with his low release height help to create deception in his operation which creates fits for opposing hitters. He demonstrates great control of his fastball which is reflective in his 70-percent strike rate. He commands the pitch well up in the zone and is able to generate lift with the offering despite throwing from a lower release. Similar to Hader, Hjerpe has a flatter approach angle with his fastball which provides him additional resources to be successful in attacking hitters up in the zone. During the 2021 spring season, the fastball sat in the 89-92 mph range. However, he has spent the offseason working on a throwing program with an emphasis on velocity training. If Hjerpe can add a few additional ticks on the fastball and continues to showcase his strike throwing ability combined with his durability, he has a chance to shoot up draft boards in what is now a recently depleted college starting pitching crop on the surface.
Parker Messick LHP Florida State University:
Boasting one of the better fastball changeup combinations in the country, Messick checks in at 6-foot, 225-pounds. He creates deception by using an unorthodox delivery as he hides the ball well throughout his delivery. Similar to Hjerpe, he demonstrates great control of the fastball as he consistently fills the zone with strikes, especially up in the zone. In addition to the above average command, his fastball plays well up in the zone due to the IVB, approach angle, and velocity (90-93mph). The ability to successfully elevate his fastball allows him to work north and south with his plus changeup, which has tremendous depth and lateral movement. Messick will look to build off of his strong sophomore campaign and will play his name into early round consideration when evaluating his arsenal and performance as a starter.
Jonathan Brand RHP Miami Ohio University:
On the rubber, Brand stands at 5-foot-9 and has compact physical build with a clean repeatable delivery. Aside from his appearance, Brand generates elite carry on his fastball when accounting for his release height. He is able to get behind his fastball in the 1:00 – 1:15 in reference to his tilt. The fastball sits in the low 90’s has been clocked as high as 96 mph. When evaluating Brand, I was reminded of former Central Arkansas right-hander Ty Tice who made his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 when considering his physical build, release height and fastball profile. Brand rounds his arsenal out with a curveball, slider, and changeup. He figures to anchor down a spot in the RedHawks weekend rotation and will be an analytical darling to keep an eye on in the middle rounds of the draft.
High Release:
Jonathan Cannon RHP University of Georgia:
Cannon elected to return to the Bulldogs for his junior season after he was deemed a draft eligible sophomore in 2021. I had the chance to see all three of Cannon’s starts this past summer where he has a was a standout in his brief stint on the Cape for the Firebirds. He posted a 0.69 ERA with a .205 batting average against. From a physical standpoint, he has a tall, lean athletic frame with some physical projection remaining. On the mound, he has a three-pitch sinker, slider, changeup mix. Cannon lands on this list because of his sinker. Coming from a high release, Cannon sits in the mid 90s and demonstrates the ability to locate his sinker down in the zone and consistently keep the ball on the ground by inducing soft contact. The heatmap below shows that outlines Cannons strike throwing ability with his sinker down in the zone.
As he returns to Georgia, there are improvements to be made in order to develop a more consistent swing and miss offering in his arsenal. With a strong spring, Cannon has the chance to garner attention and increase his draft stock if he is able to continue carving up SEC lineups.
Luis Ramirez RHP Long Beach State University:
Ramirez’s arsenal is capable of landing on additional lists when evaluating his changeup which flashes plus potential. However, with his fastball, he is more of a hybrid pitcher as he is able to tinker with the tilt of his fastball and throw’s two variations of the offerings, a four-seam which is used up in the zone, and a sinker down in the zone. A prime example of a hybrid pitcher in the major leagues would be San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb in the sense that he has a four-seam fastball that is used effectively up in the zone and is able to shift the orientation of his fastball down to a sinker which operates well below the waist. Ramirez’s sinker sits in the 90-92 mph range and the high release allows the offering to play well down in the zone. He is effectively able to kill spin and IVB with the offering and creates lateral movement across the bottom of the zone. Ramirez profiles as mid-round back of the rotation starter prospect.
Tristan Stevens RHP University of Texas:
The fifth-year senior returns to Austin for his final season and projects to play a prominent role for the Longhorns as the team looks to return to Omaha. As a prospect, Stevens finds success by attacking hitters at the bottom with his sinker which sits the 89-93 mph range. He releases from a high three-quarter slot and gets good tilt on his sinker. The offering has good depth and lateral movement at the bottom of the zone as opposing hitters tend to pound the ball into the dirt on contact. Considering that he is a battle tested college arm with no years of eligibility remaining, a major league organization may look to use that to their advantage and swoop Stevens up in the later rounds of the draft.
Trent Turzenski RHP Valparaiso University:
Turzenski is an imposing figure on the mound as he stands in at 6’6 220 lbs. Physically, he is high waisted with long arms and legs. He works primarily out of the stretch position with a short arm action and an over-the-top release. His sinker has plus lateral movement as it runs across the bottom of the zone and away from left-handed hitters. Turzenski does struggle with command issues at times, but that can be a product of his mechanics and how he moves down the mound through his kinematic sequence. He also would benefit from a velo program to add a few ticks on the sinker, as it currently sits 88-90 mph. However, there are no other draft eligible pitchers who release from almost 7-feet and can locate sinkers down in the zone. When he is able to locate his sinker down in the zone, it dominates opposing hitters as it was evident in the North Woods League this past summer when opposing hitters batted .077 against the offering.