Does Mass = Gas For Pitchers?

By: Adam Jeannette

Intro

    -The saying "mass equals gas" has been around the game of baseball for quite some time now.  What is meant by this saying is the more mass a pitcher carries, the harder it is believed they will throw. To most people, this seems way too simple to work. I mean can just gaining weight increase fastball velocity? That is what I am going to discuss here today to find out if there is any merit to the saying: Mass = Gas.

Examples of Mass = Gas

    -Some pitchers that come to mind that fit the narrative, mass equals gas, are Noah Syndergaard, Michael Lorenzen, and José Alvarado. Noah Syndergaard is listed at 6'6" 242 pounds. These are the dimensions of a mass monster. Is it a coincidence his average fastball velocity was 97.9 mph in 2017 (1)? Moving on, Michael Lorenzen is listed at 6'3" 220 pounds. Pictures of him demonstrate that he is a mass monster as well. This mass is followed by an average fastball speed of 97 mph (2). The last example of mass equals gas is José Alvarado. He measures in at 6"2" 245 pounds, the heaviest of the three examples given. Once again, this mass is used to power a 97 mph heater on average (3). 

         

Jose Alvarado                                Michael Lorenzen                      Noah Syndergaard

    

Outliers of Mass = Gas

  -As with anything, there are always outliers. When it comes to guys who throw hard but do not fit the mass equals gas way of thinking, there are a few. Ironically enough, the hardest throwing starter in 2020, Jacob DeGrom, is an outlier. With a frame of 6'4", 180 pounds, DeGrom is undersized compared to the other pitchers listed above. Although his frame isn't that of a physical guy, he throws constantly harder than anyone else in the league. His average fastball velocity this year was 98.6 mph (3). This is insane for a starter to have such velocity on top of not having too physical of a frame. How does DeGrom do this? He moves about as efficiently as possible on the mound to generate the velocity he does. This is where mass equals gas can be proven wrong by skinnier guys moving efficiently on the mound to generate high velocities. 

    -Another outlier to mass = gas is Chris Sale. He is listed at a whopping 6'6", 180 pounds. Before he received Tommy John surgery, his average fastball was 95 mph in 2018 (4). His injury is significant for the mass equals gas argument though. Since he throws mid 90's with an undersized frame, it puts his body at more of a risk of injury. More mass on a pitcher's frame helps their body absorb the force of higher velocity better than a body with less mass. 

Why Does Mass = Gas Work?

  -The simplest way to explain why mass equals gas works is to think of a car. The body weight or "mass" of a pitcher is the engine of the car while the baseball is the actual car. The car mass never changes since all baseballs have a regulation weight of 5 ounces. The engine can however be changed through diet and exercise. If the pitcher adds quality mass to his frame, it is increasing the horsepower of the engine. This will in turn increase the velocity of the car (baseball). Using a basic physics equation, force=mass x acceleration, it is much easier to understand how this works. More mass in the form of quality weight equals not only a larger mass for the equation, but also a larger acceleration. More mass and more acceleration mean more force applied to the baseball which will increase velocity. The mass added to a pitcher must be quality mass. Not all pitchers need to gain quality mass, some would even benefit from losing some mass if they are carrying too much mass to move explosively. Most importantly, efficient, repeatable mechanics should be pursued first and foremost. This is the best way to have consistent, sustainable velocity as a pitcher. Once a baseline of solid mechanics is established, adding mass can add more velocity and reduce the risk of injury for pitchers. 

What is the Ideal Bodyweight for Pitchers?

  -Dr. Josh Heenan speaks a lot about what bodyweight pitchers should strive to be for both health and performance. He is an advocate for mass equals gas as long as it is quality mass that enhances performance. Furthermore, he often uses the formula of a player's height in inches times a coefficient to equal their body weight. This coefficient is the part he focuses on, stating that players should strive to be at a minimum 2.5x their height in inches for bodyweight. He believes 2.75 is the idea coefficient for this formula. Applying this formula to Chris Sale at 6'6", 180 pounds, his coefficient is 2.3 which is below the bare minimum recommendations. This makes his risk of injury increase since his body does not have the mass to support his high-velocity delivery. 

Conclusion

    -I believe mass equals gas can be applied to many pitchers who are younger and underdeveloped in terms of physical size/strength. If their frame can support adding 10-20 more pounds of quality mass, they should strive to add it. It will help velocity increase 90% of the time in my opinion. However, as illustrated by the outliers in this article, there are other ways to go about increasing velocity other than mass equals gas. Mechanical efficiency is the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to high velocities off the mound.