i am 12 and i was wondering if this was good mph for pitching i cruise from 45-49 and top out at 54. is that good.
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Don't worry about speed at your age. Work on developing good mechanics & consistent mechanics. Work on the mental side of the game.
And don't believe nine-tenths of the pitch speeds people tell you they are throwing. Pitching speed is matched only by fish tales.
And don't believe nine-tenths of the pitch speeds people tell you they are throwing. Pitching speed is matched only by fish tales.
As long as you have a low ERA and low walks allowed.. your doing just great.
I won't lie to you, your not the fastest 12 year old pitcher, but your not the slowest either. What happens to most young pitchers that throw hard tend to only rely on their fastball. By the time they are in the upper levels of high school, hitters know how to hit a fastball, especially one left right over the plate.
What you can do is to continue to work on your mechanics and tempo, your accuracy, and the mental aspect to the game. By the time your 18 years old if you've continued to work hard at it, you will have an enormous advantage over the other "pitchers"
I won't lie to you, your not the fastest 12 year old pitcher, but your not the slowest either. What happens to most young pitchers that throw hard tend to only rely on their fastball. By the time they are in the upper levels of high school, hitters know how to hit a fastball, especially one left right over the plate.
What you can do is to continue to work on your mechanics and tempo, your accuracy, and the mental aspect to the game. By the time your 18 years old if you've continued to work hard at it, you will have an enormous advantage over the other "pitchers"
The only fastball that is consistently getting hit at the High School level is one that is slow. If you throw 85+ mph your fastball isn't going to get hit hard a whole lot, especially in Minnesota.
Velocity is just as important as control is, and 45-49mph for a 12 year old is EXTREMELY slow.
Jason
Velocity is just as important as control is, and 45-49mph for a 12 year old is EXTREMELY slow.
Jason
I would disagree that high 40's going into the mid 50's (per the orignal post) is extremely slow. Not fast, but not unusual for a 12YO.
Maybe in the frozen wasetlands they can't hit fastballs, but I don't recommend trying to live on a fastball down in this part of the world. Unless you like whiplash.
There is no way to project what a 12YO will be throwing at 16, 17, 18... Why discourage the kid?
I have seen kids who were the hardest throwers at 12YO not add more than a few mph over the next two years. And as soph's in HS, their arm strength is rated below normal.
And I have seen kids throwing in the low 50's at 12YO who are rated as having plus arms at 16YO.
Velocity is not just as important as control when it comes to effectiveness. Without control, all the velocity in the world is useless.
Sorry, flip, just have to disagree with some of your post and its approach. Nothing personal.
Maybe in the frozen wasetlands they can't hit fastballs, but I don't recommend trying to live on a fastball down in this part of the world. Unless you like whiplash.
There is no way to project what a 12YO will be throwing at 16, 17, 18... Why discourage the kid?
I have seen kids who were the hardest throwers at 12YO not add more than a few mph over the next two years. And as soph's in HS, their arm strength is rated below normal.
And I have seen kids throwing in the low 50's at 12YO who are rated as having plus arms at 16YO.
Velocity is not just as important as control when it comes to effectiveness. Without control, all the velocity in the world is useless.
Sorry, flip, just have to disagree with some of your post and its approach. Nothing personal.
blair
Cruising at 45-49 for a 12yo is pretty slow. But like Texan says that doesn't mean much right now. Keep working hard and good things will happen.
R.
Cruising at 45-49 for a 12yo is pretty slow. But like Texan says that doesn't mean much right now. Keep working hard and good things will happen.
R.
Flipp,
While I agree with the general intent of your post, I do disagree with some of the specifics.
I agree with Callaway that 45-49 is slow for a 12yo but I wouldn't say extremely slow. It is only slightly on the slow side for a typical LL pitcher and not at all unusual. We did have a kid who threw that speed for us in all-stars, and was quite effective for an inning or two, however his fastball had more break on it than most LL curves and he threw more curves and palm balls than "fastballs". It is slow for an all-star caliber pitcher and very slow when compared to a good all-star pitcher.
I agree with effectiveness of an 85+ mph fastball in HS assuming reasonable location and at least a "show me" off speed pitch.
I'm not sure I agree with the only fastball being hit hard at the HS level is one that is slow because that implies that all fastballs 80 mph and below get hit hard which simply isn't the case. I realize I'm reading something into it that you probably didn't mean to say.
I definitely agree that for a player aspiring to play at a higher level velocity is as important, or more important than control. A fastball's effectiveness is due to a combination of movement, control and speed. If you don't have any control you don't have a good fastball. If you don't have any speed you don't have a good fastball. If you don't have any movement you'd better have speed and location to burn. At any given level there's some speed below which a fastball is going to get hammered almost no matter how good the control. At any given level of the game your effectiveness is what counts. When it comes to getting a shot at the next level, right or wrong, velocity tends to be the over riding factor.
While I agree with the general intent of your post, I do disagree with some of the specifics.
I agree with Callaway that 45-49 is slow for a 12yo but I wouldn't say extremely slow. It is only slightly on the slow side for a typical LL pitcher and not at all unusual. We did have a kid who threw that speed for us in all-stars, and was quite effective for an inning or two, however his fastball had more break on it than most LL curves and he threw more curves and palm balls than "fastballs". It is slow for an all-star caliber pitcher and very slow when compared to a good all-star pitcher.
I agree with effectiveness of an 85+ mph fastball in HS assuming reasonable location and at least a "show me" off speed pitch.
I'm not sure I agree with the only fastball being hit hard at the HS level is one that is slow because that implies that all fastballs 80 mph and below get hit hard which simply isn't the case. I realize I'm reading something into it that you probably didn't mean to say.
I definitely agree that for a player aspiring to play at a higher level velocity is as important, or more important than control. A fastball's effectiveness is due to a combination of movement, control and speed. If you don't have any control you don't have a good fastball. If you don't have any speed you don't have a good fastball. If you don't have any movement you'd better have speed and location to burn. At any given level there's some speed below which a fastball is going to get hammered almost no matter how good the control. At any given level of the game your effectiveness is what counts. When it comes to getting a shot at the next level, right or wrong, velocity tends to be the over riding factor.
To be honest, 45-49 is not good velocity at any age. However it's not very important.
If you are still throwing 45-49 in a few years you might want to concentrate on something else. Unless you're a knuckle ball pitcher.
Without decent velocity you can have "great" control but you will not have good "stuff" and you're not likely to get to the next level.
It's hard to get life or movement on your fast ball without decent velocity. Without a decent fastball it's hard to be successful unless you're a knuckle ball pitcher. There are very few successful knuckle ball pitchers!
Our BP pitchers throw 60 mph or a bit higher. Being 12 right now, who knows, you might be throwing in the 90s at age 18. Work on your mechanics and have fun, but please understand the importance of velocity.
Don't worry about it at your age, but there is a good reason why they named it a "fast" ball.
If you are still throwing 45-49 in a few years you might want to concentrate on something else. Unless you're a knuckle ball pitcher.
Without decent velocity you can have "great" control but you will not have good "stuff" and you're not likely to get to the next level.
It's hard to get life or movement on your fast ball without decent velocity. Without a decent fastball it's hard to be successful unless you're a knuckle ball pitcher. There are very few successful knuckle ball pitchers!
Our BP pitchers throw 60 mph or a bit higher. Being 12 right now, who knows, you might be throwing in the 90s at age 18. Work on your mechanics and have fun, but please understand the importance of velocity.
Don't worry about it at your age, but there is a good reason why they named it a "fast" ball.
Well, if you work hard and get strong and learn how to pitch. You gotta gain some speed though.
As long as your having fun when your at the age you are, thats all that 100% really matters. But if your still throwing at that velocity when your 18, you may not be having as much fun. But right now just enjoy it, have fun with your friends, etc...
Just because you don't throw the greatest in the world now doesn't mean that can't change. Heck, Michael Jordan didn't even make his sophmore basketball team in HIGH SCHOOL! Now look at him... I think he went to pro basketball.. not too sure though (sarcasm obviously)
Just because you don't throw the greatest in the world now doesn't mean that can't change. Heck, Michael Jordan didn't even make his sophmore basketball team in HIGH SCHOOL! Now look at him... I think he went to pro basketball.. not too sure though (sarcasm obviously)
Blair, work on your mechanics. Focus on that. As you get older & stronger, then the velocity will come IF you have good mechanics.
I know a good pitcher whose fastballs were only in the low 50's at 12YO. As a 15YO he is pushing 80 mph. And his velocity is continuing to go up as he continues to grow & work out. His pitching work has always focused on mechanics. He was just a late grower.
Hang in there, don't be discouraged. You are way too young to worry about velocity. Just work very hard on good mechanics.
I know a good pitcher whose fastballs were only in the low 50's at 12YO. As a 15YO he is pushing 80 mph. And his velocity is continuing to go up as he continues to grow & work out. His pitching work has always focused on mechanics. He was just a late grower.
Hang in there, don't be discouraged. You are way too young to worry about velocity. Just work very hard on good mechanics.
I could be wrong but didn't Michael get cut from the VARSITY team as a sophomore?quote:Originally posted by XFactor:
Heck, Michael Jordan didn't even make his sophmore basketball team in HIGH SCHOOL!
It's funny to me how people refuse to acknowledge the importance of velocity. The poster asked if 45-49mph for a 12 year old was "good". Based on what I've seen from decent 12 year olds up here in the "frozen wastelands" it isn't.
I couldn't agree more PGStaff. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.quote:Originally posted by PGStaff:
Without decent velocity you can have "great" control but you will not have good "stuff" and you're not likely to get to the next level.
Jason
FlippJ
I think that everyone here would agree with the importance of velocity. However, the message to 12yo blair is to keep working and not get discouraged.
quote:It's funny to me how people refuse to acknowledge the importance of velocity.
I think that everyone here would agree with the importance of velocity. However, the message to 12yo blair is to keep working and not get discouraged.
Fair enough!
Jason
Jason