Iowa grad student delivers in-depth pitching analysis

University of Iowa graduate student Dan Brooks has the perfect Web site if you want to analyze how pitcher Carlos Zambrano did in his last start for the Chicago Cubs. If you really want to analyze how Zambrano did.

It's called www.brooksbaseball.net, and it offers in-depth pitching data from every major league game since 2008 - everything from velocity of each pitch to how it moves to the pitcher's release point. And everything in between.

If you're a baseball geek, especially one who loves pitching, this site's for you.

“It's a pretty niche thing,” Brooks said. “But I feel like we're getting a lot of hits for something like this. It's been pretty successful.”

Brooks is a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan from the East Coast who is pursuing a doctorate in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. That's his professional calling.

This Web site is just a hobby. He began it in 2008, essentially writing a computer “script” simplifying data called PITCHf/x provided for every MLB game by Sportsvision, a company that uses a set of cameras to take pictures of the baseball and how it moves on its way to home plate.

Brooks' site averages roughly 1,000 unique visitors per day. That includes scouts and journalists who cover major league teams.

“I think more and more teams are becoming sabermetric (mathematical and statistical analysis),” Brooks said. “They almost have to be.”

Brooks is quick to point out that all his data can't give you a complete picture of a pitcher. It can't tell you his demeanor, how hard he competes or other intangibles.

Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox is the perfect example. His pitches aren't remarkable, but his results certainly are. He threw a no-hitter in 2007, had a perfect game a couple of weeks ago, then set the major league record for consecutive outs.

“He's a pretty unremarkable pitcher,” Brooks said. “But he's consistent. He gets the ball, he throws the ball. He gets the ball, he throws it. He's just a good example of unremarkable.”

Unlike Brooks' site, which to the big-time baseball fan is quite remarkable.

“My plan right now is to be an academic. I've got a career,” he said. “So I don't know (about the future of his Web site). But it's certainly been fun, a fun ride.”