How To Calculate The Speed Of A Pitched Baseball By Time

You can calculate the speed of a baseball from the time that it takes to travel a known distance. This will typically be the distance from the pitcher’s mound to the home plate of a baseball diamond. The speed of a pitched baseball is one the most important criteria that baseball scouts use to evaluate a pitcher.

Step 1

Measure the time that the baseball is in the air. This will typically be the time needed for the pitcher to throw the baseball from the pitcher’s mound to home plate--for example, 0.45 seconds.

Step 2

Measure the distance that the baseball traveled. The distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate is 60.5 feet in standard baseball diamonds.

Step 3

Compute the baseball’s average speed. The formula D / T will provide the baseball’s average speed in feet per second, where "D" is the distance that the baseball traveled in feet and "T" is the duration of the pitch in seconds. The baseball’s speed is 60.5 / 0.45 = 134 feet per second in this example.

Step 4

Convert the baseball’s average speed to miles per hour. The formula M = S x (3,600 / 5,280) will convert feet per second to miles per hour (mph). "M" is the speed in miles per hour and "S" is the speed in feet per second. The baseball’s speed is therefore 134 x (3,600 / 5,280) = 91 mph in this example.

Step 5

Calculate the baseball’s speed in miles per hour directly from the baseball’s travel time and distance. This is given by the equation M = (D / T) * (3,600 / 5,280), where "M" is the speed in miles per hour, "D" is the distance in feet and "T" is the time in seconds. The average speed of the baseball is therefore (60.5 / 0.45) * (3,600 / 5,280) = 91 mph in this example.