Tall Pitcher Bias?

GOINGDEEP · Nov 26, 2014

Interesting.........

The trend towards taller, dominating pitchers has been rising for years. A quick check of this season’s MLB stats shows the average height of the top 10 pitchers with the most strikeouts this season is 6’ 5” compared to the average height of all MLB players of 6’ 1”. In fact, the height of pro pitchers has been on the rise for the last 110 years and they’re throwing harder. In the 2009 MLB season, all but two of the fastest 20 pitches thrown came from pitchers 6’ 2” or above. It makes intuitive sense that with greater height usually comes a faster pitch, but now a mechanical engineering professor at Duke has helped to explain why.

Tall pitchers are not alone in their domination of a sport. World record sprinters have gained an average of 6.4 inches in height since 1900, while champion swimmers have shot up 4.5 inches, compared to the mere mortal average height gain of 1.9 inches. During the same time, about 7/10 of a second has been shaved off of the 100-meter sprint world record time while over 14 seconds have come off the 100-meter swim record. Even in golf, the top 10 players in driving distance in 2010 were, on average, 2.5 inches taller than the bottom ten.

What do all of these athletes have in common? According to Adrian Bejan of Duke University, it is the “falling forward” motion of their athletic task. The taller the athlete, the more force they can put behind either themselves or an object that they want to propel forward. It is what Bejan calls the “constructal law” theory of sports, which he describes in this recent Ted Talk.

For Baseball Pitchers, Height Does Matter | Axon Sports

RetiredCoach · Nov 26, 2014

With everything else being equal, I don't doubt that talller pitchers have greater potential for throwing fast than shorter pitchers. And when you are at the upper 1% of 1% of 1%, such as the major leagues, you will find, mostly, those taller pitchers. And again, you will generally find that height disparity in the top pitchers for the USA women's team as well (i.e. Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch).

Of course, a six foot tall woman is a rarity as sluggers stats point out. So not every DI school is going to have a six footer in the circle because height is one factor out of, say, 100 that goes to making a stellar pitcher. I think that it must be considered that height is just one factor that, potentially, can make up a great pitcher. Most of those other factors are harder to see, initially, because they are not as readily apparent as height.

GunnerShotgun · Nov 26, 2014

GOINGDEEP said:
Interesting.........

The trend towards taller, dominating pitchers has been rising for years. A quick check of this season’s MLB stats shows the average height of the top 10 pitchers with the most strikeouts this season is 6’ 5” compared to the average height of all MLB players of 6’ 1”. In fact, the height of pro pitchers has been on the rise for the last 110 years and they’re throwing harder. In the 2009 MLB season, all but two of the fastest 20 pitches thrown came from pitchers 6’ 2” or above. It makes intuitive sense that with greater height usually comes a faster pitch, but now a mechanical engineering professor at Duke has helped to explain why.

Tall pitchers are not alone in their domination of a sport. World record sprinters have gained an average of 6.4 inches in height since 1900, while champion swimmers have shot up 4.5 inches, compared to the mere mortal average height gain of 1.9 inches. During the same time, about 7/10 of a second has been shaved off of the 100-meter sprint world record time while over 14 seconds have come off the 100-meter swim record. Even in golf, the top 10 players in driving distance in 2010 were, on average, 2.5 inches taller than the bottom ten.

What do all of these athletes have in common? According to Adrian Bejan of Duke University, it is the “falling forward” motion of their athletic task. The taller the athlete, the more force they can put behind either themselves or an object that they want to propel forward. It is what Bejan calls the “constructal law” theory of sports, which he describes in this recent Ted Talk.

For Baseball Pitchers, Height Does Matter | Axon Sports

I have read this guys research before and I am not buying what he is selling. He is omitting the fact that there is selection bias against short pitchers to begin with. The sabermetrics guys have proven over and over that there is no correlation between height and pitching effectiveness (or durability).

I would argue that selection bias takes place in D1 softball as well so those stats (pitchers height) become meaningless as well.

I know that when I am recruiting pitchers height is not a factor for me.

riseball · Nov 26, 2014

GunnerShotgun said:
I have read this guys research before and I am not buying what he is selling. He is omitting the fact that there is selection bias against short pitchers to begin with. The sabermetrics guys have proven over and over that there is no correlation between height and pitching effectiveness (or durability).

I would argue that selection bias takes place in D1 softball as well so those stats (pitchers height) become meaningless as well.

I know that when I am recruiting pitchers height is not a factor for me.

If they can pitch effectively height really doesn't matter. Unless you need someone to change a light bulb.

RetiredCoach · Nov 26, 2014

I would argue that selection bias takes place in D1 softball as well so those stats (pitchers height) become meaningless as well. I know that when I am recruiting pitchers height is not a factor for me.[/QUOTE said:
I wish that you were the head coach for our local high school softball team. I have 16 and 13 year old DDs that are both about 5' 4" tall. The older one has topped out while the younger one seems to still be sprouting up. Last spring the Head Coach put two taller girls who were pitchers on the JV team and placed my DD on the sophomore team. The problem is, my DD throws as fast and is more effective than the other girls. One of the girls played on my DD's summer softball team and my DD was clearly the ace. Oh well...

My younger DD seems to have the same bias working against her. In spite of 5 victories in nationals last summer, the "A" team coach selected two girls who were taller than her but, in my opinion, certainly not better pitchers. Oh well... again.

I should mention that the local high school team is always competing for the state title, year after year. The current pitcher who is 6' 1" tall and verbaled to a top DI school her sophomore year, no doubt has been effective. Ironically, the pitcher before her topped out at no more than 5' 5" tall and was even more effective winning an award for being the best player in the state. She pitches for a good DII team now. Oh well...

Bugoozi · Nov 27, 2014

riseball said:
If they can pitch effectively height really doesn't matter. Unless you need someone to change a light bulb.

That's pretty funny stuff ."Change a lightbulb". My 14 year old 6'2" daughter gets great comments like that everyday at school. Good for her self esteem. If her height in anyway advantages her over a girl that is average height she absolutely deserves it. You can't teach size. She works harder than most girls I know and still struggles with her pitching. All I hear is she should throw so much faster with those long levers. I agree that height shouldn't matter if you can pitch effectively, however with all the comments my daughter gets I'm glad she is looked at differently for pitching due to her height. I also believe taller pitchers are more intimidating on the mound.

GOINGDEEP · Nov 27, 2014

GunnerShotgun said:
I have read this guys research before and I am not buying what he is selling. He is omitting the fact that there is selection bias against short pitchers to begin with. The sabermetrics guys have proven over and over that there is no correlation between height and pitching effectiveness (or durability).

I would argue that selection bias takes place in D1 softball as well so those stats (pitchers height) become meaningless as well.

I know that when I am recruiting pitchers height is not a factor for me.

Well of course there is a bias. Physical appearance is probably the largest factor in any category. Initially, we as men were attracted to our spouse by her looks/build. Maybe after time spent, we found her other......perhaps better traits, but usually her physical attributes cause us to initiate that first contact.

The size of an athlete right now, during recruitment for joining a team 2-3-4 years in the future, and how she will grow/evolve during her 4 years of eligibility are always a factor. Look who usually dominates pitching at the younger years ( 10-14u ), mostly it is the early bloomer who is taller and stronger than her peers. ( notice I say........mostly, there are always exceptions ) Then the late bloomers close the dominate gap, as they grow taller/stronger.

Remember, when you and I recruit a pitcher, it's for right now or perhaps next season. Future height doesn't matter as much as a college or professional team recruiting 4 years away. It's a gamble/investment for them, and they have to play the odds.

Two equal pitchers in performance:

Pitcher A
15yo
5'4
165lbs
Throws 66 mph
Hasn't grown an inch since 13yo

Pitcher B
15yo
6'
170
Throws 66 mph
Has grown an inch every year since 13yo

More than likely the 6 footer will get a look before the 5'4, even though they are statistically dead even in the sport. Rule of thumb is both girls will continue to gain weight/mass. College coaches know this, and 20 pounds on a 5'4 frame tends to sit on the wrong spots ( waist ) where 20 pounds on a taller/leaner is spread around more evenly. Again, they are rolling the dice by our natural human perception of physical appearance........in correlation to performance........and in these circumstances.......future performance.

Just about every sport, high level sports, the record breakers are mostly taller than the average population. ( mostly )

abbygale · Nov 27, 2014

Football board is that way -}

Tall Pitcher Bias?

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