Hi all,
I've lurked for a few months, and this is my first post. Just a little bit of background, I've played baseball since i was 5, and pitching is what I am best at and enjoy most. I have good command and control of a 4-seam, straight change, as well as mediocre hook.
This past year on JV, my coach clocked me sitting at 62-63 and topping out at 67-68. I realize this is rather low, even for a freshman (I see tons of guys on the internet saying they threw 75+ as freshmen), but I think I can make big speed gains. The reason for this is not arrogance, rather the fact that I have never focused lots of my energy on improving my pitching.
To me, baseball has always been something fun I do with my buddies. Pitching has been more "throwing," and sometimes I barely stretch before starts. But recently, I've decided I want to take it more seriously, and take a shot at playing college ball.
So given the fact that I sit at 63mph with decent mechanics and minimal effort, if I devoted my energy to making myself a better pitcher over the next 10-11 months, how much of a gain could I possibly see on my fastball velocity? If it helps, I'm 6'1, RHP, and pretty lanky.
Also, how do pitchers go about increasing velocity? Besides the obvious answer which is throwing more. I hear lots of people saying lift weights to strengthen your body, and I hear lots of people saying don't lift weights, it makes you tight. I hear major league pitchers talking about how long toss is God's gift to baseball, then I hear "scientists" saying it is completely pointless.
I would really appreciate some help with this. I look forward to becoming a productive member of the HSBASEBALLWEB community.
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