13 throw 80-83

And how do you know that you throw 80 - 83 from that distance?

No. Most kids your age throw low to mid 90's from that distance. Its the extra 6" that is the toughest to overcome. Keep working and you should be in the triple digits by the time your driving.

Coach May is spot on. There is an inverse relationship to distance and velocity. The closer you get the harder you throw, so at 54' you probably throw 95, when you get out to 80 ft it is probably closer to 70....

coach may are you series ive never seen a 13 year old kid pitch in the 90's from 6o' 6" and coach 2709 ive been clocked 4 different times during a game

yall do know im talking about pitching on a mound right?

You just asked the question "Im 13 (5'8 120 lbs) and I throw 80 -83 from 60 feet. Is that fast for my age group

And now your telling us you have never seen a 13 year old throw 90's from the mound. So what do you actually want to know?

im just saying that even most high school seniors never reach in the 90's and you expect a 13 year old to do that

So what does that tell you about a 13 year old that throws 80-83? Do you think that might be fast for your age group or do you still need someone to tell you?

sorry i thought you were being serious about that but thanks for the help

I was throwing 103 the other night. Then I woke up.

I think it's fairly obvious that we are having a hard time beliving you.

I have come to the conclusion that every radar gun in the US used for youth baseball pitchers is set to kilometers per hour instead of miles per hour.

i might have just had one good game you throw harder some days

That would be in the top 5 in the nation for the age group. Hard to believe anyone throwing that hard at that age would have to ask.

Remember the kids who are throwing the hardest in the LLWS are usually 13yo and they seldom if ever touch 80mph.

Somebody has to be in the top 5...

Probably closer to top 100 than top 5, based on Stalker readings I've seen. And none of the kids I'm talking about played in the LL World Series. Most youth pitchers who throw very hard aren't on teams that play in the LLWS, and 3/4 of the ones who do have unfavorable birthdates to play at 13. Finally the oldest possible age is about 13.25.

Anyway, BL14, what does 60 feet have to do with it? Radar guns pick up the ball speed soon after it leaves th pitcher's hand. Or are you perhaps mulitplying the recorded speed by 60.5/54?

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
No. Most kids your age throw low to mid 90's from that distance. Its the extra 6" that is the toughest to overcome. Keep working and you should be in the triple digits by the time your driving.

I hear that's how Strasburg did it. Now he's rehabbing.

3fingeredglove i didnt play in LLWS and i never knew when a radar gun picked up the ball so i thought i would put 60'. thank you for letting me know when the ball is picked up by a radar gun.

I know of one 13yo who threw at that velocity and he is now one of the top HS players in the country, and he will be taken high in this years draft. His parents were very aware of his talents and treated his arm with kit gloves.

I don't mean to sound rude or what not but doesn't it seem a bit fishy that anyone who knows anything about baseball and is 13 throwing over 80mph has to ask if that is a good velocity for his age? I mean really, if you are 13 and throwing low 80's, there should be no question at all if this is a good velocity! I have watched hundreds and hundreds of all-star and travel team pitchers at that age and specific size and no one that I have seen throws at that velocity. Now I am not saying you don't throw that hard, but I am saying that a person of your size and age throwing that hard should have some particular noteriety in your area. After all, if this is true, you should already know you throw harder than any kid around in your age group.

We got Jeremy Hellickson at 85 mph as a small 13 year old. 92 as a 15 year old. Of course, he was perhaps the top young pitcher in the country back then and today he is one of the best young pitchers in professional baseball.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
We got Jeremy Hellickson at 85 mph as a small 13 year old. 92 as a 15 year old. Of course, he was perhaps the top young pitcher in the country back then and today he is one of the best young pitchers in professional baseball.

Indeed so, but Jeremy probably never had to ask if his veloecity at age 13 was good for his age. That is why I find this whole topic a little fishy. Either he doesn't really throw close to his acclaimed velocity or he does and is just trying to brag.

3finger,
I'm just guessing with top 5. Regardless of top 5 or top 100 in the nation they are going to know that they throw very, very hard for their age.

Yep, they won't have to ask....

yes i already knew i threw hard but i only knew how fasst kids threw in GA not in the entire US thats why i had to ask because i heard rumors when i was 10 about some kids in Texas that threw 91 at 13 but it has to be a myth.

They do everything bigger in Texas but the one's throwing 91 are well over 13yo.

Don't worry about what anyone else is doing. You need to become the best pitcher you can be and take care of your arm. The rest will take care of itself.

Ignore the radar gun. If someone has it near you run like they have the plague if they try to approach you. Focusing on the radar gun at ANY point in your career isn't very good.

Work on your mechanics. Make sure they are efficient and repeatable. Make sure your arm slot is comfortable and repeatable.

Learn to hit your spots. If you want the ball knee high on the outside corner then learn how to throw it there. Don't just groove stuff thinking you will overpower everybody.

Develop a second and possibly third pitch to play off your fastball.

Learn to be a pitcher and not just a thrower. Nobody is going to draft a 13 year old who throws hard but they will draft an 18 year old who knows how to pitch that can flat out bring it.

I still have my doubts you can throw that hard but if you can more power to you. It's not enough - learn to pitch.

I"m going to have to agree with the Gingerbread Man on this argument. You would be very well known as the next phenom if you threw that hard. Maybe it was kilometers like someone said. lol

quote:

Originally posted by coach2709:
Ignore the radar gun. If someone has it near you run like they have the plague if they try to approach you. Focusing on the radar gun at ANY point in your career isn't very good.

You lost me there. How does a measurement effect a pitcher one way or another? Should we not know how fast he runs, or what his bat speed is? Are ERAs bad?

Wouldn't your advice that follows apply to all pitchers regardless of speed?

Radar guns need love too.

quote:

Originally posted by SultanofSwat:

quote:

Originally posted by coach2709:
Ignore the radar gun. If someone has it near you run like they have the plague if they try to approach you. Focusing on the radar gun at ANY point in your career isn't very good.

You lost me there. How does a measurement effect a pitcher one way or another? Should we not know how fast he runs, or what his bat speed is? Are ERAs bad?

Wouldn't your advice that follows apply to all pitchers regardless of speed?

Radar guns need love too.

I'll admit I went to the extreme here but I'm basing it on talking to a 13 year old. When you're 13 you don't need the radar gun because I've seen many kids with strong arms never materialize due to being fixated on throwing hard. They never learn how to pitch because of the attention to the fastball. When you become a 16 - 18 year old then yes the radar gun does become a valuable tool in development but at 13 - not a chance.

This also ties into my last comment of nobody has ever drafted a 13 year old who throws hard. But they will draft an 18 year old who knows how to pitch that can bring it.

To be successful you need to have velocity but it can't come at the expense of learning how to pitch. This is a 13 year old kid (I'm assuming) and he can already throw very hard (taking his word for it) but he needs to do the things that will make him a better pitcher and not a harder thrower.

thanks to every body thats commented. coach 2709 i have 4 pitches right now 2 seam cutter circle change sweeping curve (but i cant always throw the curve for strikes because i let my left shoulder fly open sometimes so ive tried to learn how to throw it better)

Guys, remember that we are talking to a 13 year old. He obviously doesn't understand the sarcasm that a 16 year old probably can pick up on.

Yes, 80 plus mph is above average. We have an 8th grader on our team that was clocked at 78mph and all of us oohed and ahhed over him.

But....

My youngest son throws about 10mph slower than him and had a better ERA, walk to strikeout ratio, gave up fewer hits and better number of runs overall. He also threw about half the number pitches per inning. My son is also almost a year younger than the fireballer.

Why? My son would give up less than three walks per game every time he pitched. He also was a master of both locating his fastball and threw a very good changeup. The other kid would certainly throw harder and was quite capable of striking out the side but he also had control issues. My son wouldn't come close to this boy as far as velocity went but he kept the ball down, threw strikes and mixed up his pitches well. With our infield he knew and understood that if he got a ball on the ground more than likely it would be an out.

My point is this. Velocity is great and important but it isn't the end all/be all of pitching. Like any other craft it has to be worked on and perfected and brute strength alone won't do it. If you can throw 82mph and hit spots then you will be very successful. If you throw 82, are flat and are innacurate then you will find yourself less successful than you want.

Hope that is a better explanation. I've seen more than a few kids that can throw hard but not as many that can control that rocket arm at 13-14 years of age.

Why are most adults jealous of a 13 yo boy just because he can throw 80? Seems irrational.

Because we can't and probably never could?

Yes you throw hard for 13. I'e seen a few throw that hard, but you are probably well within the 99th percentile for 13. Keep it up and good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by CADad:
Because we can't and probably never could?

I know I never could.

It's almost sad but my son was better at 13 that I ever was as a baseball player.

Last Summer play a game with a 12U travel team from Florid. Their starting pitcher was from Cuba, the kid is 6'1" tall, very atheletic, no English at all. He throw ball about 85mph and drive ball beyond 300 feet. When asked his age, his coach said he is Cuban "12" !!!

I think we played several Cuban "12"s in Cooperstown!!!

I don't have any problem believing that bl14 can throw the ball in the low 80's at 13yo. Our travel team has three thirteen year old kids that throw between 75 & 80. Our guys are usually faster than other pitchers that we face, but we do see a few who throw faster than our upper 70's guys. I would guess that there are 5-8 kids in Georgia who can regularly top 80 mph.

As someone mentioned earlier, you obviously have the arm. Now is the time to make sure you become a pitcher and not just a thrower. Make sure you're working with a coach who knows what he's doing. Proper mechanics can cut down on serious arm injuries while they help you throw with even more speed and control.

You have a gift. Take good care of it and it will keep on giving.

Blow that arm out now, and you're just Some Guy in GA.