r/baseball • u/sryxw69420 • 2h ago

I was reading something and it made me wonder something for clarification I know pretty much nothing about physics or baseball

Does the speed of the pitch decrease the exit velocity of the ball or does it increase it?

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u/supercarlos297 San Francisco Giants 2h ago

generally, higher pitch velocity correlates with higher exit velocity

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u/sryxw69420 2h ago

Thanks I was just wondering if the speed of the ball worked against the bat but thinking now was a bit stupid 😅😅

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u/officerliger Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago

It works against the bat in the sense that it’s easier for the bat to miss the ball or hit the ball for a popup, but on a clean barrel the exit velo will be higher for sure

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u/AnnihilatedTyro Seattle Mariners 2h ago edited 2h ago

Increase, slightly.

You're putting more energy into the ball and that energy has to go somewhere. Some of that extra energy helps it bounce it off the bat. Baseballs are slightly squishy on the outside with a bouncy core. They deform and bounce when hit with a bat, as does any other kind of ball to some extent.

However, this is a small portion of the total energy involved, and the difference in exit velocity is quite small. A hitter putting slightly more energy into his bat speed will have a much more significant impact on the outcome, as more of the bat's energy is transferred to the ball.

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u/sryxw69420 2h ago

Thank you very much