Pitchers: What do you throw?

[Quique]

4- Seamer

Splitter

2-Seamer

Knuckleball

[friar]

I never played competitive ball, but I played pickup ball with my friends all the time when I was younger. I threw a 4-seamer, splitter, straight change, and a disgusting curveball that dropped like a foot at the plate. I also threw in an occasional knuckler, but you could tell it was coming because I changed my arm action for it - I threw everything else from a 3/4 angle, almost like Kevin Brown (whom I idolized when he was a Padre in '98 - hence the splitter), but the knuckler was over the top. It danced, though.

I tried out for the baseball team at my HS my freshman year, and I threw well when I was practicing. But as soon as I got in front of a coach, I freaked out and got all wild. I didn't make the team. :(

[nakoa]

Right now I'm 17, 5'6" 145, I chose not to play this year but I did pitch last year.

4-seamer- straight, low-mid 70's

2-seamer- small 9-3 break- high 60's

cutter- big 3-9 break- mid 60's, got lots of people trying to lean into it but it hits outside corner

curve- big looping 1-7 break- low 60's, can break from shoulders to shins

change- undeveloped, tryed throwing a circle and turning it in.

[kgbaseball]

I pitched up until high school when I tore my labrum and couldn't pitch any more, and I had a good 2-seam fastball, a Mark Prior curveball with that sharp, quick break, a good slider and a crappy changeup.

[Lucas]

I've updated my pitches:

Second year now. AAA Bantam (OH YEA.. MOVED UP!)

4 Seam FB- 60-65 with control, 65+ with more power. I maxed out at 77 with just whipping it as hard as possible

Slider- 55-65, more or less a cutter, but it moves a lot like a slider.. hence, I call it a slider

Circle Change- 50-55 meh.. its, solid..

Knuckleball- it is my bread and butter.. I have got it clocked now, and it is going from 40-45 consistantly

The "LBK Cut Fastball" - 65-70 (LBK are my initials, and no, my last name is not Kool) It is a combination of a 4 Seam FB grip and a Slider grip. I made it like this so the ball will cut hard away from righties or sink down and in on lefties. It is the fastest pitch I throw.

[RBaggio10]

I am like friar, I don't play on a team but I play with friends.

I throw lefthanded and these 4 pitches:

1. 4-seamer- normal four seamer.

2. Slider-I like to think that but it is more of a fastball that tails in to righties.

3. Curve- working on it being 12 to 6, has good movement though.

4. Knucklecurve(sort of)- It looks like a knuckler when it comes out, has no spin, but before it hits the plate it drops.

Working on a splitter. My friend is teaching me how, he plays for my highschool team.

[SwinginSoriano]

2. Slider-I like to think that but it is more of a fastball that tails in to righties.

That's like Al Leiter's cutter. Technically his cutter was a slider, but since it acted like a cutter that's what people called it. Now if you could only walk 80 people a year you could reach the bigs! :lol:

[RBaggio10]

LOL. thanks. Mine does that. I want it to slide but it won't. I am working on it though.

[D-Unit]

i tried throwing a curve when i was 14, but after watching how santana can dominate with a fastball and changeup, i got rid of it.

I'm 16, but I never make the HS team because its all politics. im not making excuses, but this year i tried out for JV, and they told me im good enough for a JV team, but they only needed kids there that were ready to play varsity. so they cut me. and since football is so big where i live, people that made donations to the new football "complex" (half of the baseball team) make the teams.

Anyways, here's what i throw:

4 Seamer - 75 mph - a little movement

2 Seamer - 65-70 - good movement

Circle Change - 55-60 mph - not so good location, good movement

Weird pitch - 60 mph - I hold the bottom half of the ball like a cup, and i hold a little tighter on the index and thumb finger, and the thing moves like brad lidge's slider (but not nearly as fast). and it doesnt bother your arm like a curve or a slider, but it moves like one because of the grip. i just throw it three quarters and it moves.

[stopthegarbage]

I'm getting off of a shoulder injury (I'm pretty young and found myself throwing side-arm curveballs...I couldn't pitch for a couple of months), soI only really throw changeups, four-seamers, and occasionally, the curveball.

[Albie]

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.

Coach thanks for your post. I'm a retired high school teacher and baseball coach and totally agree with you. I also coached Little League Majors (12 and under) for 25 years. Fastballs, change ups, control, and mechanics. I can't believe some of posters here, throwing 5 and 6 pitches. Most of the posters seem to be too young to be doing this. Junior or senior in high school or even college is the time to add one or two more pitches. Don't add any additional pitches until you have mastered the ones you already have. Some of these young men won't even have an arm left by the time they are in high school. The first step for me as a coach, was that a kid had to be able to strikes and have control. If not he couldn't pitch for me. If he could throw strikes and had control, then we worked on getting faster and a change up. When he mastered that, we could move on to a third pitch, if he was old enough and strong enough. Too many coaches and parents push kids to win at all costs and the price to pay is a bad arm.

[Albie]

5'9 at 12 years old! Are you joking!

It is possible. I was 6'0" tall at age of 12. I'm 6"9" now. Age 65.

[TomtheBitx]

I am usually that dude the pitcher was throwing to.

Put me up on the bump and oooh man it's interesting.

First of all, the glove is like an odd feeling in my left hand because I am used to a glove thats pretty heavy. My pitching motion looks kinda like Tim Wakefield since I don't have a big kick. I just wing it with either a four seam fastball, two seam fastball, or a knuckle ball. Or my personal favorite, the fattie high in the zone.

Personally, I'd rather be behind the dish than on the bump. It's fun and all to be on the rubber, but I feel naked out there without a five pound glove and a mask.

Now that I think about it, I should be able to. After all, John Olerud wore a batting helmet out in the field. What do you guys think? I'll just come out with the chest protector, shin guards, helmet, mask, and the Yogi Berra mitt and start toeing the rubber. :lol:

[Zaunnieboi]

When I pitch:

4-Seam Fastball

Forkball

Splitter

[Emil]

Updated*

16 years old, 140.8 lbs, 5'9''

4 Seam Fastball: Tops out at 75

Circle Changeup: According to Andy Johnson (MLB Scout) my change-up is my best pitch. Good movement, keeps hitters out in front.

Curveball: good movement, sometimes great movement.

Splitter: OK movement

[JoeyMcM93]

OK, I throw a lot of different stuff, but only a few of them work.

4-Seam Fastabll - Around 70 MPH, not much more.

2-Seam Fastball - Also around 70 MPH, but good movement.

Cutter - Again, around 70 MPH, not much movement, but some.

Curve - Crappy and un-accurate.

Change - Not bad, get's people swinging, but very little movement.

Knuckle - Excellent. Practically no spin and a good velocity around 45.

Half-Pitch - i was taught this pitch when I was 12 and it has been my best ever since. Your throw it like a fastball, but is held very oddly. You hold it with your thumb and index finger wrapped around it and your miuddle finger on the seam. It has wicked slider-like movement, but is thrown as hard as a fastball. It breaks in a 10-6 fashion and no one can hit it. Heres a picture of how it is held:

[D-Unit]

JoeyMc, i think i throw the same exact pitch as you. that's weird, how did you learn it? i found it out by myself but...

[JoeyMcM93]

My All-Star coach taught it to us. It has wicked movement and is as fast as a fastball. I made a thread about it a while back but no one knew anything about it.

[Emil]

How does the half-pitch break or what kind of movement has it?

[JoeyMcM93]

It breaks in a 10-6 fashion and in on a leftie hitter from a rightie pitcher. It's like a fast slurve I guess. That's the closest I could get to a similar pitch.

[Emil]

Could you show me a picture from another angle? It's hard to see how you hold you fingers

[MancrushOnNomar]

I haven't pitched since high school, but I used to throw:

Knuckler - Nasty. Got the sucker worked out to one full rotation from release to the plate. There'd be several innings where it'd be the only pitch I'd throw.

4-Seamer - Never had much speed, clocked 76 at my absolute fastest, but averaged around 65 with good control.

OK-Change - My resort when the knuckler wasn't knuckling (like when the wind was howling in)

Curve - Big, slow hook. I didn't really develop the pitch as I didn't start throwing it until my senior year and I really haven't pitched since.

[JoeyMcM93]

OK here's a few different angles. I know the pictures are dark, butit's the best I could do.

[JoeyMcM93]

Wow, they're really dark hu. Sorry man, let me see if I can describe it. OK so you have the front of the ball (where the writing is) facing your palm. Your index finger and thumb wrap around it and choke the ball. Your three remaining fingers are below the ball but you middle finger is bent and on the seam under your index finger. When you throw it comes over the top with the ball being released and your middle finger causes it to spin.

[C-Boz]

im a sophomore going on to my junior year, im mainly a catcher but pitch some in a closer role for my high school team and start some games for my summer league teams. I throw:

4-seam - mid 70's at best

2-seam - mid 70's with downward movement, more like a sinker

Split-finger change- good, late movement into a righty (my out pitch) doesnt work as well when its humid outside cuz it tends to stick to my fingers and doesnt get enough spin

Slider/Slurve- 10-4 movement on good days when i can control it

Knucklecurve- dont really use this one alot cuz im just learning how to throw it correctly

I also mix in a cutter here and there to change things up