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Pitchers: What do you throw?


fundusglobus

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5"11 just turned 15 140(skinny) Lefty pitcher

2 seamer- 70mph(last time I checked was last summer)

4 seamer- 68 mph

slider- dont know how fast but I dont throw it in games bc dont want to hurt arm

curveball- ^

changeup- 55mph huge drop in it

cutter- learning one now but will use it when im older

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Sliders put a lot of torque on your arm but if you throw a curve properly it wont hurt you at all. A great pitch to learn is the knucklecurve ball because it doesnt hurt your arm at all. if you want a detailed description of how to throw it just ask.

How does one throw a knucklecurve? I haven't played organized ball in several years, but have always had a sometimes incredible (but mostly terrible) knuckleball. I have never pitched, but I am just curious how a knucklecurve or knucklechange or knucklesplitter is gripped/thrown.

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ok, instead of the "F you" pitch that Mussina throws I'll teach a different one.

Grab a baseball. Face the horseshoe towards you with the closed end on top. take your index and middle finger and bend them to a knuckleball grip. THen put those two fingers on the seam at the top of the horseshoe. Wrap your other two fingers around the ball and throw it like a fastball.

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I'm 20 years old and I'm 6'3 195.

I throw my fastball 83-86 and I top out around 87.

My curve is thrown around 68-73 I have a 12-6 curve.

My change is around 71-74 with run down and in on it.

Only have 3 pitches, b/c three pitches is hard enough for anyone to master. I play college baseball, and I am planning on being a graduate assistant pitching coach when I graudate in 2-3 years.

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Let's see...

4 Seam Fastball

2 Seam Fastball

Change Up 1

Change Up 2

Hardly a curve, found out about a slight one for youngins somewhere

Circle Change

Sinker (huge)

"Airball" (even more than my sinker :-D)

BTW, four times I have hit a kid crowding the plate for a strike...

I'm in little league still so I'm not gonna be throwin a lot ;-)

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Guys,

I gotta tell ya...speaking as a HS Pitching Coach (also played on college level) for the last 10 years and with a Kinesiology background, DO NOT throw anything other than a fastball and change until you're 15 or 16.

to be successful at the HS level all you need is command of those 2 pitches. Using those two and good mechanics and moving the ball in and out, up and down in the zone...and using change of speed will do the trick against 90% of all HS hitters.

I shake my head every time i go watch a little league game or watch our Freshman games and see pitchers trying to emulate their MLB heroes with awkward, wild mecahnics and trying to throw 4,5, 6 different pitches. Walk after walk after walk....or ball after ball then FB down the pipe and ripped for a double.

Lastly, most importantly, you are at a higher risk of rotator cuff or elbow tendinitis injuries if you start to throw "junk" before you're 14 or 15. Your arms just aren't ready yet. Yes, you're probably striking guys out on your "huge curve" you think you have developed. But, you'd be just as succesful if you threw off-speed with changeups instead.

an example: there's a kid in our league in so. Cal a year ago who had 2 pitches and rarely used a slider when he was a senior. he went 12-1 with an ERA under 1.5. struck out around 10 a game. We faced him 2 times and I can cound on one hand how many breaking balls he threw. The rest were fastballs and changeups. We got 2 hits in one game and 3 in another. shut us out once and we scored 1 run in the other. and we went to the CIF semi-finals that year with our best team in years. but that's all he needed...a fastball and changeup. he walked ONE batter! The sign of a true pitcher. Didn't need anything else at this level.

Oh, his name? You may have heard about him... the Yankees drafted him # 1... Phil Hughes from Foothill HS.

rely on mechanics and control...the FB and change... and you'll be ready for the others when you're a senior or in college.

AgentQ

I totally agree w/ you! When I was a 12 to 15 years old (like 10 years ago), I threw a curveball and a sinker and end up wrecking my arm (although I some how managed to walk onto my college team a few years back, I was never the same). Of course, now that I'm in my late 20s, I can throw these pitches.

I wish I had a coach that would of told me about this (but some coaches today and in the past are/were about winning first)

That's the advice I give to the kids I coach now. (15-16 years old). I don't want them to throw anything other than a fastball and a changeup.

As for the pitches I've threw in college and still throw today in the adult league

#1 SINKER - 78-80 MPH, 12-6 movement w/ late dart away from Right Handers. Think Derek Lowe. During a scrimmage game against my College teammates during my Sophomore season. Our starting Catcher (while batting) told me it actually "slow" down before darting away from him. He said it was best pitch he has ever seen!

#2 CURVEBALL - 73-75 MPH horizontal movement. Solid, but not spectacular.

#3 CIRCLE CHANGE - 65 MPH moves away from righthanders!

#4 SCREWBALL - 76 MPH moves in on righthanders (I usually use this pitch on leftys)

#5 FASTBALL - 84 MPH flat, unspectular pitch. Thats why I'm a junkballer

#6 KNUCKLE - 50-55 MPH lots of downward movement, but "wild"

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15 yrs old- High School Pitcher- 6'3'' 178 lbs

Pitch 1- 4 Seam Fastball- around 72 to 76 MPH

Pitch 2- 2 Seam Fastball- around 68 to 73 MPH- slight movement sideways

Pitch 3- Curveball- I throw a over the top curve (Zito's curve)- 58 to 62 MPH

Pitch 4- Slider- sweeping sideways motion- 65 to 68 mph

Pitch 5- Circle Changeup- Backdoor movement (Like Beckett) 55 to 59 MPH

I pitch for my high school, I can go about 6 innings (High School we play 7) without tiring out, I got some good pitches, and I use them effectively.

Note to kids on this board from ages 11 to 14- I recommend you guys not to try to throw curveballs, maybe once or twice a game, but that's it. I started throwing curveballs when I was in my first year kid pitch (10 yrs old) and I've had some problems as I got older. This year in high school I had my first injury, I had severe tendonitis in my elbow, and I couldn't play for about 2 months (High School is usually about 3 to 4 months long). It really sucked not being able to play. So to all the young'ns, please be cautious while pitching.

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Keep in mind I was never an official pitcher...Played 1st base. But I used to throw/pitch every day to build arm strength, and because I enjoyed it. My grandfather, who would have been a MLB pitcher if not for the war(s) in his day...taught me to throw a curve, changeup, and a screwball. (keep in mind, he was a huge NY Giants fan, and with that, a huge Carl Hubbell fan, which bred the screwball)...

The screwball was always fun because I would throw it hard, which had sort of split-finger type diving movement, or soft, which had sort of a reverse curveball type action it.

Unfortunately I was kind of shy, even going into my 20's, so I never ever wanted the spotlight on me, and never got a chance to test out this stuff and see if it was really good.

(had a fastball approaching 80 too...so hey, I could have been Dave Lapoint!) :)

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Fastball 64mph (once I topped 65!!!)

Curve 54mph

Knuckle 49mph

Screwball 48mph

And when I play softball...

Fastball 70 mph

Curve 60 mph

Changeup 56mph

Drop 67mph

Riser 58mph

I am playing baseball in Argentina in a very amateur team... so my level is not necessary good.

Instead of softball where I play in a nicer way.

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Fastball 64mph (once I topped 65!!!)

Curve 54mph

Knuckle 49mph

Screwball 48mph

And when I play softball...

Fastball 70 mph

Curve 60 mph

Changeup 56mph

Drop 67mph

Riser 58mph

I am playing baseball in Argentina in a very amateur team... so my level is not necessary good.

Instead of softball where I play in a nicer way.

Fastpitch softball? :shrug:

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