CADad,
Not sure there has ever been a pitcher anywhere who never gives up a hit. That would require striking everyone out (no contact).
Cole pitches against some outstanding HS competition. He has pitched against a lot of players who have signed DI and/or will be good draft picks this June.
Hitters are hitting about .100 against him. He has given up 20 hits this year while striking out 83. While the battle between a highest level pitcher and highest level hitter is fun to watch and the outstanding hitter might enjoy that battle… The same hitter will build his stats hitting against the more average pitchers. Not many who actually hit great pitching better than average pitching.
My previous post regarding hitting against 100 mph. I understand what TR meant, hitters do love straight fastballs in their zone. Good hitters look for fastballs. The fastball is the easiest pitch to hit. But how many people have ever seen one from the batters box... I sure haven't!
That said, once the fastball reaches a certain speed that is far above the ordinary for whatever level, it becomes a very tough pitch to hit. It can afford to have a little less movement and not quite as good location.
For the most part hitters at any level will hit what they see the most often. So at the ML level that might be a low 90s fastball that might even have a little sink. At the college level it might be a 84-88 fastball. At the high school level that might be a 80 mph fastball. It’s usually a fastball, though, that hitters hit the best at every level.
The unusually slow (way below average) can sometimes make good hitters look bad at times. The unusually fast (way above average) is just plain hard to hit. Not impossible, but no one hits 100 as well as they hit 90 unless the 90 is a very unusual 90. That is because they just don’t see it very often. Obviously they do see it once in awhile in the Big Leagues, even less in the minor leagues, even far less in college, and for nearly everyone… Never… Below that or in high school.
Chances are, unless you are a Professional hitter you will never see a 100mph fastball. If practice, repetition and timing is an advantage, there is none against the 100 mph fastball. Heck, there’s not even a pitching machine that can crank it up to 100 mph. The only way it can be simulated is by throwing BP at a closer distant and even then it is all together different in everything except reaction time.
Bobby Jenks was throwing straight fastballs in the playoffs and world series a couple years ago. Those straight fastballs worked real well against some of the best hitters in baseball. When Jenks loses velocity (happens at times) he becomes much more hittable.
I’m sure there are competitive kids who would love to face 100 mph, but they are not likely to hit one well. Doesn’t mean they have no chance to make contact and contact always gives someone a chance to get a hit.
Anyway, there is no pitcher who is impossible to hit (for a good hitter anyway). They all give up hits. At the high school level, excluding a few outstanding lower velocity pitchers, the best guys, with the best stats, the least hits given up, the most strikeouts, the least extra base hits, the lowest ERA,s, etc. Have one thing in common. It’s not always location, it’s not always movement, it’s not always having 3 good pitches or mixing things up or deception… It’s almost always high velocity along with something else from above. This doesn't mean that the hardest thrower will have the best stats or even be the best pitcher.
For the umpteenth time… All things are important. Even for the pitcher who has a great arm. But we should never discount the value of high velocity. The young kid with a great arm, we teach to pitch. The young kid with a weak arm, we find a position for. It really is about throwing. That is the main skill involved in pitching... The ability to throw. The better one is at throwing the more likely he might end up being a good pitcher.
Location is vitally important, but location is location, location being equal it works better at the higher velocities.
Movement is important, but the same movement becomes even better at higher velocities.
Off speed, secondary pitches, changing speeds, etc. are all very important, but they all become even better when teamed with higher velocities.
Obviously there are some exceptions to the above. But even Greg Maddux was a better pitcher when he threw at a little higher velocity. In his best years, (Cy Young years) he was an upper 80s/90 guy. Even then he had such a good arm to begin with that he was able to subtract velocity to increase movement and command.
It’s all about percentages IMO the lower velocity guys have to be nearly perfect. The higher velocity guys can get away without being so perfect. There are guys who throw real hard with lots of movement who simply throw the ball and let it do its thing. Even in the Big Leagues, they don’t have to rely on perfect location. When the ball is located well, they are nearly unhittable.
And yes, we have all seen games where the soft tosser beat the hard thrower. It does happen.
These discussions kind of remind me of that old saying… “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”. My philosophy has always been… “The bigger they are, the more damage they can do”. If I’m playing Dodgeball, would much rather dodge 70 mph than 100 mph. If I’m a hitter trying to a hit a small round ball on the small sweet spot of a round wood bat. I’d rather see it a little slower and longer.
BTW, I think everyone involved in this discussion has made very good points. Even ME!
