How good would top pitchers be if they had to hit a bullseye rather than their unknown (to the fan anyway) target in or around the strike zone?
Watching pitchers tells the casual spectator little about how accurate the hurler is. Pitchers rarely aim "right down Broadway." They go for corners. Often they intentionally miss the strike zone, frequently by a wide margin. They throw high, then even higher. Curves dive into the dirt to the dismay of fans but to the delight of his coach. Truly skilled pitchers sometimes try to appear out of control.
Recently I had a rare opportunity to watch a pro pitcher throw at a "bullseye" and boy was I impressed. Without fail he hit a target (about 8" by 8") about 20 times in a row. Usually it was "nothing but net!"
Every pitcher/pitcher-parent talks about expected pitching speed. But what degree of accuracy is normal for pitchers at different levels?
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