Average Pitch Speed for Senior in H.S

Monkeyboy...(btw love the avatar !)

 

There is a HSBBW theorem that goes way back that has proven to be irrefutable: 

 

A pitcher velocity = "ask dad subtract 7"

 

Try it you will be amazed how accurate it is.

 

Cheers.

I have heard a lot of exaggerations from dad's when talking about their sons. However, I've also heard the truth from some.  One dad told me last spring that his kid will throw 90 at one of the sunshine showcase events. He topped out at 94!

 

I guess the harder they throw the less the dad exaggerates. We had a kid that touched 99 mph this year, actually 100 at another event.  Using the 7 mph theory, his dad would be claiming his kid throws 107 MPH. (LOL) If a dad told you his kid throws 107 mph, would you subtract 7 MPH and think he throws 100 MPH? Or would you think Dad is an idiot?

Thank you for saying that PG.  I have been trying to say this for years, but am not always listened to because I am a dad.  The subtract 7 rule is not universal.  There are some of us out there that are reality based and actually tell the truth.

 

All of you on here are parents.  Do every one of you exaggerate about your son's velocity?  If someone asked each one of you how hard your son threw, would you add 7 mph to the actual number?  I seriously doubt it.  This is not a universal truth that you have to subtract 7.  In some cases, yes.  But not every case.

I think most dads quote what top velocity their son has hit...not what they actually average...there can be a big disparity.  Mine has hit 92 or 93 but averages around 87 or 88...big difference.  But if i went around telling everyone mine pitched 93 while i guess technically the truth it wouldn't be the whole story.  Rose colored glasses are great but we have to keep it in perspective.  While my sons top velocity may provide a glimpse of his capabilities the reality is is average velocity is much lower and we need to work if we have an eye on pitching beyond HS. 

PG's data says the average is 80.

But you're being honest.  I don't think there's anything wrong with if someone asked you what your son throws, you responded with - He tops out at 93.  You can add that he usually sits at 87-88, but you wouldn't be lying if you said he tops out at 93.  The way I see the subtract 7 thing is if someone is asked how hard does their son throw and the kid tops out at 84, but the dad says he throws 91.

Many dads asked me how hard my son threw in h.s.  I always told them the truth and, of course, they'd come back saying their kid threw that or harder.  Of course, I knew it was nonsense.

 

I don't worry about it anymore because all of those dads and their players have disappeared.

 

Tell the truth about velocity.  You don't want some college or pro scout to show up thinking your son is tossing 89 when he's really at 80.  If your son takes a sudden jump thereafter it may be like the boy who cried wolf.

My son is a sophomore in HS. He throws an ocassional bullpen and maybe an innning here or there on V. I do not see him as a pitcher, he is only 5'9". People say he throws very hard and are always asking me what he has been gunned at. My answer, no idea and unless he is touching 90 I really don't care.    

my son is similar in size and  hit 90 this Fall. While Most pitchers r bigger guys it's not always the case. Does he want to pitch in HS and beyond?  If he goes to a showcase he will get a velocity number. It's only part of pitching but a big one. The number gets their attention, but he has to have more than that-location, and good offspeed pitches. What it comes down to is not the size of the pitcher but how the ball comes across the plate. 

I never exaggerate my sons Velo, because it can be easily checked on the PG Web Site, and I don't want to look like an idiot.  I also like people to trust what I say, and if you aren't truthful about sons' abilities, people won't believe value your opinions. 

Yes I hear you, size is not the only factor but it does matter more for RHP when it comes to recruiting. He can take it or leave it as far as pitching, but would do so if asked. He would rather be a position player if given the choice.

Amen bballman and rynoattack.  I don't exaggerate my son's velocity for the same reasons.  Plus I keep score in iScore with a radar gun (to accurately enter speeds, and hopefully accurately peg pitch types and locations) and anybody around me can see what the radar says!  LOL...

 

Bum has been saying for years that the average speed for HSV pitching is 78, and that jibes pretty darn well with PG data.  I do believe more parents exaggerate than don't, and very often somebody will tell me their son throws "mid-80s" and they rarely break 80 on the gun.  The "rule" discussed here is probably a decent rule of thumb, but most aren't dumb enough to exaggerate quite THAT much to somebody holding a radar gun!  Though they do still exaggerate (most, not all).

 

BTW, I do agree that an accurate picture can't be painted with only reporting peak velocity.  I almost always report peak + a "sits at" range, whether for my kid or anybody else's.

Don't get me wrong everyone. I know there are people who exaggerate their kid's velocity. I've seen it myself. It just personally bothers me when the generalization is made - with a smirk - because I don't do that. And I know there are others, I'm sure most on this board, who don't either. Just kind of a bug-a-boo I've got.

Now that we have solved that lets talk about parents and POP time exaggerations. 

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Amen to that, brother!  Not only do you have the parental exaggeration factor, but even when the time is correctly reported, you have the "catcher fudge factor" where the kid is practically standing before he even receives the ball!  Not sure I trust any POP time that isn't recorded during a game....

That's why I always ask if it is a game pop time or was a during a clinic or showcase time. Both are useful information, with real game time usually a little slower. 

Exaggeration just sets the kid up for failure.  Others become quickly disillusioned when a player and his abilities are exaggerated.  We had a dad on our travel team that would over hype his son, pimp him out to all sorts of other travel teams, only to have those travel teams quickly become disappointed with what they actually saw this player was able to do. He was quite a player at the younger ages, but was not projectable, and sure enough, did not keep up with the others as they grew.  I am sure that exaggeration of abilities would be no different with college coaches, scouts, etc.  Just isn't fair to the kid, to exaggerate his abilities.  Will come back to bite you. 

I think if my son topped out at 90 I could say he has touched 90.  I don't have to see consistent 90 mph, to know 90 is something possible for that pitcher.  Sure, the consistent 90 is better, but the one time 90 is very good.

 

also, from past experience I think some parents get confused rather than fibbing.  We once had a dad complain about the top velocity we reported for his son.  He claimed he saw our gun read 93 mph.  Actually he did see that, but it was definitely the velocity off the bat. Seeing that we record every pitch, we explained that his son's fastball ranged from 82 to 85 and topped at 86 on one pitch.  When this happens a pitch doesn't out of nowhere throw one 93.   But dad saw it and thought his son threw one 93. BTW, this is something that happens more than you would think.

 

also, sometimes parents will ask someone with a radar gun what velocity they got on their son.  This information is not always accurate,  sometimes they give MPH of a different pitcher. Sometimes they just blurt out a number so they don't have to look it up.  And sometimes the number is actually different than what we got.

 

Point is that parents are not always exaggerating. Sometimes they're just misinformed.

Of course the brand of the gun can misrepresent how fast\slow velocity is as well.

That's insane that parents would want a measurement that they know their sons could not match again.  Then again, I've been around the mom or dad that thought Jr was then next Nolan Ryan (poor folks).