Radar guns faster for MLB pitchers?

Question

I had asked a similar question earlier about if radar guns have different speeds because I am suspecting that the speeds you see in the majors are faster than if you take a normal radar gun and hold it behind the plate during a pitch.

This article seems to support that view.

http://www.slate.com/id/2116402/sidebar/2116451/


I am curious if anyone has more information in this regard, and also how much different the speeds might be from the start to the end? I have been tested in the low 80s with a normal gun behind the plate, so if it wasn't a "fast" gun as the article suggests, I am curious as to what I would show up as on a MLB radar gun.

ista, thanks for the answer. It would seem though that the football field test has much more room for error. How can you throw a ball and get 35 degrees? I can throw over 300 feet easily if I throw slightly up, but how much up, who knows?

How do the radar balls work? Do they report only the fastest speed or an average?

Answer 1

Very few radar guns anywhere are going to be exact...It's more a matter of "where" the radar gun picks up the ball...The radar gun should be aimed at a point exactly half way between the pitchers release point and the plate... The reason is that a pitch will lose eight MPH between release point and the plate on a 90MPH pitch...If the ball is picked up right out of the pitchers hand you get a false, high velocity...

If you would like to know exactly how hard you can throw a ball...Go to a football field, warm up, then long toss, throw just as if you were pitching "in other words, you don't throw the ball from a running start" it's one step and throw just as if you were pitching...A 35 degree angle is best for distance...If you throw the ball 300 feet the ball left your hand at 80MPH - if you can throw 375 feet then the ball left your hand at 100MPH -