In November 2016 the Bauer Unit was born. Named after Trevor Bauer, it is defined as spin rate divided by pitch velocity. For years, Trevor Bauer experimented to find ways to pitch better. His recent controversial thoughts were about increasing spin rate by a variety of sticky substances. Let’s save that discussion for another time and place.
Looking at spin rate did not fully explain why some pitchers had better results. Travis Sawchick best stated the importance of the Bauer Unit, “Raw spin rate generally increases with velocity, but it’s the spin-to-velocity (rpm-to-mph) ratio that is so crucial to determining pitch movement.