quote:Originally posted by PGStaff:
Now if you wish to talk about the high end events… the average would be mid 80s or better. In Jupiter last fall 214 high school pitchers topped out at 88 mph or better in one tournament (average more than three per team). About 100 were 90 or better. If the hurricane had not taken 13 teams that total would have been much higher. In fact it was much higher the previous year when around 150 (if memory serves me) were 90 mph or better. That’s the high level! And no the average was not 80-81. For every 90 there wasn’t a 70.
80-81 is my opinion (maybe a bit higher some places, lower in others), your opinion is 75. I could very well be wrong, but neither one of us could possibly know. No one can answer the question accurately, the information just doesn’t exist. Why is it that you know and others have no idea?
Anyway, if on a 4 man staff a high school has one mid 80s pitcher, it would mean the other three, top at 70mph. For every pitcher who throws 80 mph someone would need to top at 70 to average 75.
I have no way of knowing for sure, but how many high schools have very many varsity pitchers who throw less than 70 mph or an entire staff that can’t throw over 75 mph? I do know to average 75 it means most have to throw less than that.
Part of the issue is also the difference between where they "top off" at and where do they pitch at for most of the game.
Don't know about average for the Country can only speak to local schools. Also I think at the local level it depends what year they are in. In most cases if you have a younger pitching staff the velocity will be down a bit. My Sons school has 1 that Tops over 90 probably 88-90 avg. 1 that is probaly tops mid 80s now (based on visual this year) last year was 80-81 and a third probably touching 80. Behind that probably mid 70's. I feel safe that most most schools in our area have at least 1 pitcher in low 80's.
PG...in regards to Jupiter IMO not only would you have more guys due to some teams that dropped out due to the tournament a number of kids who where there I believe could have been 1 or 2 mph faster if the tournament had not been delayed 3 weeks when many of the players seasons had been shut down for a number of weeks already. Not that you had any control over that!