Tagged With "80"
Topic
Is 90s possible?
So I haven’t picked up a baseball in 2 years and have decided to try to play at a JC. As a junior in hs I topped at 86mph. Got way stronger after I quit. Current maxes: squat 385, bench 245, 15 pull-ups (202 bw), 185 reverse lunge, 375 deadlift. Can long toss up to 300ft. Have been throwing for a few months and got on the mound for the first time yesterday, was at 80-84. Is it realistic to expect to gain another 6+mph? I’m sure my mechanics could use some improvement and I should gain some...
Topic
Pop times/HS teams
Hey everyone I am 13 years old and I am a catcher. I am just wondering if at my level I have a chance to play JV baseball as a freshman. I can throw pop times down to second on 80 foot paths in the low 1.9's and hopefully 1.8's by the end of the season. I have good good blocking and receiving skills, and hit pretty well. I am batting like .500-.600 in JR's. I am only in 7th grade so I still have about a year and half till the season would start up but I am wondering if at my rate I have a...
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Re: Is 90s possible?
Is it realistic to expect that? Probably not. Is it possible? Definitely Go tryout, explain your situation and baseball specific workouts will help. Unless you're at a baseball power of a Juco - 84 will more than likely get you a spot on the roster.
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Re: Is 90s possible?
300ft long toss, no wind, is the ball leaving your hand at 89 mph (minimum). Sure, you can reach 90. Probaby with better mechanics.
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Re: Is 90s possible?
It seems reasonable to reach 90 with work. Be prepared with a good explanation why you left the game. It could be a test of what’s inside.
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Re: Is 90s possible?
Very difficult to attempt to answer these questions but here goes... so a max effort of 86 in high school means you're sitting 81-84 or 82-85 or lower - most guys with those numbers will never hit 90 consistently if ever (though there are always the exceptions). I would suggest if you want to pitch at your junior college or a D3 that you start working on secondary pitches more than getting a 90 mph FB. Good secondary pitches and a high 80s fastball should be good enough for many JCs and D2...
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Re: Is 90s possible?
I think you are on the right track with mechanical improvements. You've got some power in those legs...use them. "Arm strength" for pitching is kind of a misnomer. You want your pitching arm to be flexible (like a whip)...try bands and yoga to keep that upper half flexible and core strong. If this is something you are definitely serious about, I'd find a local experienced pitching coach that can help you get on the right track. As always, JMO. Good luck!
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Re: Is 90s possible?
Get with a trainer or PC that can assess your movement quality. Your strength is good but if you can’t move like an athlete with the lower half, then it’s not likely. If you find you don’t move well, train for mobility and connect the pieces........ absolutely it can be done. I’ve seen it done many times. I’ve seen gap year guys do some pretty amazing things but you need to find a sense of urgency and the opportunity may not be the most ideal.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
You're young yet. POP's look ok at 80 foot bases -- I'm thinking it would be just over 2.0 on 90 foot. So keep working. Most JV level catchers are in the 2's for pop. Work on your receiving skills -- get your pitchers strikes. And hit the snot out of the ball. You seem to be on the right track. Good luck.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
I don't see why not. And you can achieve a lot by working hard at it. Why not shoot for Varsity? I know is a rare thing in most cases, but it doesn't hurt to set the bar high and work to try and achieve it. And I know that at your age when you look at Varsity players they look large, strong and intimidating. And they are large and strong compared to your age group. But that doesn't mean you can compete at their level. Your body is just starting to mature that way, so just be aware that...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Hey Ben, sounds like everything is on track but it really depends who is above you. Don't just restrict yourself to the catcher spot, make sure the coach knows that is your primary but you are willing to play where ever the coach needs you to play. The number one thing my son's coach looks for in a catcher is the bat, the second is the speed in which he gets the ball AFTER it gets passed him. make sure you can scramble quickly, some of those HS backstops are beyond brutal!
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Study the game. I need a SMART catcher as much or more than I need a 2.0 pop time. I can handle a dumb 1st baseman, but I need intelligence, or savvy, behind the plate. You're in charge of the biggest decisions out there. Be a student of the game first and foremost.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Plus beware of the coach who will take a player who played a different position and "convert" to a catcher. Make sure you can adjust and hit.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
I think alot of this also depends on how good your high school baseball teams are. We have many freshman in our school district who play JV and also a few who play Varsity as a freshman. But that being said, our baseball program is not the best in the district. We have many talented players but for various other reasons, the program is not successful.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? Why is it all about pop time? The catcher on the team we were playing allowed many passed balls and every time our players moved up a base (even stole home one time). I was thinking that it did not matter what this catcher's pop time was if our team was getting so many...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Passed balls should be a rarity - the equivalent of an error by an infielder. More important would be the ability to corral a wild pitch (those pitches which are not controllable with ordinary effort). Once you get passed both of these (treat them as prerequisites) the catcher needs to be able to control the base paths and therefore must be able to throw out runners. I'm sure if that opposing catcher had a 1.7 pop time but had several passed balls, a coach may be able to coach him up on...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Ben, Sounds like you have a lot of talent. Keep working and you will end up playing a lot. Louise, You are right, the number one most important thing is receiving the ball. If you can't do that you won't get very far as a catcher. However, there are lots of catchers that are good at receiving the ball. Then they are separated by their other abilities, which throwing and release is a big difference maker.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Louise, Pop time to me is not that important as long as I throw out runners which I do. It is just a statistic to see where you are. Just like a 60 yard dash time most will probably not run that same speed but it shows if you need help or if when you out by a defending player he just has a good arm.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Passed balls for a catcher are like errors for a SS or wild pitches for a pitcher... not that important of a stat unless they're really bad. They can distinguish you on the negative side, but not so much on the positive side. I think the definition includes the phase "ordinary effort". Are you sure the opposing catcher was giving up passed balls, or was he just not very good at corralling wild pitches?
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
One other important thing about passed balls/wild pitches is if the pitcher does not throw the pitch that is called and crosses up the catcher. Most times those will be scored against the catcher as a passed ball because they often hit the tip or part of the catcher's mitt. But really that one should be on the pitcher, and many people watching a HS game with no replay have no idea the catcher was crossed up and blame him. I agree the catcher's fundamental job is to catch pitches. But the...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
And a pitcher who doesn't telegraph that he's throwing to the plate would help with those outs at second!
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Not only that, pitchers that are 1.5 or higher to the plate are doing their catcher a disservice.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Also college coaches figure they can teach a catcher to block and receive pretty easy. Arm strength on the other hand is harder to coach.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
I agree. A catcher who can throw out runners is a plus but at the HS Level I would be very happy as a Coach to have a catcher that blocks everything and knows how to Play the game. If you can hit a Little that helps too. of course you should work on your Pop time but most catchers lose way more runs through wild pitches/passed balls, throwing Errors and maybe even dropped third strikes than they gain through throwing out runners. of course to Play college you Need to throw out runners but I...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Don't let anyone tell you pop time does not matter, it's all that matters. I don't believe that, but I'm not the ones recruiting. No ones going to teach blocking 92mph wild pitches, you have to just react and the only way that happens is if you have been doing it all your life. Keep up your blocking, work hard on framing, and work hardest on ball velocity. Good luck!
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
"Maybe some of you can answer this question that I was thinking about as I was watching my son's team last week....why is the number of passed balls a catcher allows in a season not a statistic people seem to be interested in? " Passed ball or wild pitch? This statistic is not very helpful because 1) most HS scorekeepers can't consistently identify either, and or the/coach or scorekeeper changes the scoring for other reasons. AND/OR 2) A catcher working with a strong pitching staff will have...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Kids mom made this observation. Little Johnny is a much better catcher when the pitchers are good.
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
I'm not sure that it matters all that much. a bounced throw by the SS is not an error by the 1B but still coaches expect the 1B to pick pitches. of course many wild pitches are not catchable at all but a good catcher will still catch more of those borderline wild pitches. what matters in the end is how many pitches go to the backstop and I think a Coach can judge that quite well no matter how the scorer scores it. for example a pitch that bounces 2 feet left of the plate would be a wild...
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Re: Pop times/HS teams
Ben , As speaking from experience , my son started this past season at Varsity as a freshman in 29 games , he started at the 8th spot in the line up then moved to the 2nd and 5th spot mid season, and ended up at the 3rd spot in our Region game, most of the advice is true, you have to work hard , you must treat framing and blocking like a art(take pride)! I wasn't so much on pop time for my son , as I was for arm Strength, he was @ 80 mph from the chute, don't know what the pop time is, ill...