A pitcher's throwing speed is one of the most important factors in determining how desirable he is to baseball scouts. You can measure a baseball's speed as it crosses home plate with a radar gun. It's also possible to estimate the average speed of a baseball with just a stopwatch. This procedure will provide the baseball's average speed in units of feet per second, which you can then convert to miles per hour.
Step 1
Measure the distance that the pitcher will throw the baseball. This is typically the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate, although it could be any distance. The distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate on a major league baseball diamond is 60.5 feet.
Step 2
Time the baseball's pitch by calculating the time it takes for the baseball to travel from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's mitt. Assume that the baseball's travel time is 0.46 seconds for this example.
Step 3
Calculate the baseball's average speed in feet per second. This requires you to divide the baseball's travel distance in feet by the travel time in seconds. The baseball's average speed in this example is 60.5 / 0.46 = 132 feet per second.
Step 4
Convert the baseball's average speed from feet per second to miles per hour. This requires you to multiply the speed in feet per second by the conversion factor of 0.682 to get the speed in miles per hour. For example, a speed of 132 feet per second is equal to a speed of 132 x 0.682 = 90 miles per hour.
Step 5
Compute the baseball's average speed in miles per hour directly from time and distance. This calculation uses the formula M = 0.682 x (D / T), where M is the speed, D is the distance and T is the time. For this example, the speed in miles per hour is M = 0.682 x (60.5 / 0.46) = 90 miles per hour.
Things You'll Need
- Stopwatch
- Measuring tape
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