My first post- do many teams have a pitching coach?

I guess what I'm really curious about is :
is there a difference between a kid that has had pitching lessons for 5 years and throws 88 vs.
a kid who has had very few lessons but throws 84 that could make some quick improvements? Do they care, or is it just the bottom line?

Hey 2012 welcome to the site. This is a great place to find information for someone your age looking to go to the next level. We got some great people on here who have tons of baseball knowledge and experience.

As for your question the biggest thing I can give you is don't worry about what other pitchers have or don't have or what coaching they have or don't have. Focus on yourself in making yourself a better pitcher and how that can help your team pick up wins in games. If you start looking around and trying to see what someone else has versus you then it takes away from what you can do to get better.

My advice is find a good private coach who knows what they are talking about. Just because they were at the MLB level doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. I would start out giving them the benefit of the doubt but a certain level of playing doesn't mean you can teach. Find a good long toss program and get the velocity up. No offense but 84 probably won't get it done. I know there are stories out there about so and so who is a soft thrower making it - well sadly those are the exceptions and are few and far between. A few adjustments may get more MPH out of you but not enough to truly turn heads. You need to work at it to get the MPH up. Nobody really knows what their ceiling is when it comes to MPH - you just have to work for it and see where it gets to. That being said don't stop working on the other stuff - off speed, breaking pitches and holding runners and all that.

What a college coach or pro scout will look for first is velocity. That is something you can't really coach so you give high velocity the first look and work down from there. Then they will look at command, how good your stuff is and composure. These are the things you can take care of yourself and with the help of a reputable private coach and / or a good high school / travel coach.

Baseball is a small world and people know each other. I can't say the kid who has a MLB pitching coach doesn't have an advantage in terms of getting noticed. It does help to know someone but if you have the talent they will take you. But you can't sit at home and hope they find you. You have to get out there and let yourself be seen. Find colleges you want to attend and go to their camps, find out what showcases they are attending and go to them. Be proactive and make it happen or at least give it a heck of a shot.

Stay around and keep us posted on how you're doing.

I can't imagine a coach/scout would give much consideration to who a prospect was coached by. A kid who throws 88 isn't going to be considered better or worse because he had a good or bad coach, he's only going to be evaluated based on what he can do. If he has good mechanics as a result of good coaching, that is just part of what he's doing. If he had good mechanics without coaching, a recruiter doesn't see that as any different than the kid who had to be taught them.

When they watch two pitchers go head to head, they're not seeing Coach X's pitcher vs Coach Y's pitcher. They're not seeing X High School' pitcher vs Y High School's pitcher. They just see two pitchers and are only interested in what they're doing out there.

In other words, knowledge that you've received inferior coaching will not change their evaluation of you at all, just about the only thing that coaches will ever consider to project velocity is size - height, thickness, or both. And even then, a tall skinny guy that doesn't already have the stuff to be effective won't get the look.

Jr. had a pitching coach on HS and travel teams (even AS teams).

Thanks for all of your comments, I appreciate it. I can tell this forum is going to be a great source of information.

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I think I understand what you are asking, and assuming I do, the answer would be no. Coaches/scouts might take the evaluation of a former MLB guy about a player he coaches, but the kids potential is not determined by who his current/former pitching coach is. Another words, a kid who is throwing 88 today might never throw any harder even with the best coaching in the world. Yet a kid who is throwing 84 might develop into a 90+ guy even without proper coaching provided his mechanics are sound.
It goes without saying that better coaching will help any kid reach his maximum potential. That is especially true if the kid has mechanical/timing issues where there might be "hidden MPH" in him, but he just needs proper instruction to get it out. However there are kids out there who can "throw the pi$$" out of the ball who have not been coached by a top notch guy. So coaches/scouts are probably going to look at how physically mature a kid is at the time he is throwing X amount of MPH, and try to determine how projectible he is in the coming years.
So if you have never been helped by a top notch pitching coach, you should seek one out yourself if the teams you play for do not have one. He might be able to help you reach your maximum potential. Regardless, keep eating right, working out(including your band work & long toss), and get good grades. All those things will help when it comes time to go on to college.

Good luck

Thanks, Vector and all-
You are right, I need to stop comparing myself, but it is hard in Fl. There are so many thick, polished pitchers, many from big cities that have have had fantastic pitching coaches since they were??years old. They are throwing high 80's-mid 90's,and a lot of them are already commited. One of the schools I was really interested in is already drafting 2013's,I don't think they are even looking at '12s anymore. So I feel like time is running out for me. I've never been on a team with a pitching coach, not using that as an excuse, just thinking it may have made a difference in my mph since that seems to be so important. I'm not at 88-90+ yet,(more like 83-85) but I am young(16),thin, and 6'5",and have a 3.7gpa. I workout or practice at least twice a day so I know I will get there, but I'm not sure if it will be soon enough since I am going to be a senior next year. I guess I am just really feeling the time crunch right now. I'm playing in some of the biggest tourneys this summer so I really have to perform my best. Ironicly, I got my 1st e-mail requesting info. from a recruiter at a great academic school this afternoon, so that is exciting. Anyway, thanks for your advice, it is good to hear from some adults with good input.

quote:

Originally posted by 2012pitch:
Anyway, thanks for your advice, it is good to hear from some adults with good input.

There are posters here who have kids in the show, and others who are in the same boat as you with developing kids trying to get colleges interested. Many of the pitchers you are talking about might have watched tonights draft and are thinking "I am so far behind these 1st round guys", so it is not only the slow to develop guys like yourself who think others are far ahead.

Just keep your chin up, work hard, get to PG type events for exposure and good things can happen.

quote:

Originally posted by 2012pitch:
Thanks, Vector and all-
You are right, I need to stop comparing myself, but it is hard in Fl. There are so many thick, polished pitchers, many from big cities that have have had fantastic pitching coaches since they were??years old. They are throwing high 80's-mid 90's,and a lot of them are already commited. One of the schools I was really interested in is already drafting 2013's,I don't think they are even looking at '12s anymore. So I feel like time is running out for me. I've never been on a team with a pitching coach, not using that as an excuse, just thinking it may have made a difference in my mph since that seems to be so important. I'm not at 88-90+ yet,(more like 83-85) but I am young(16),thin, and 6'5",and have a 3.7gpa. I workout or practice at least twice a day so I know I will get there, but I'm not sure if it will be soon enough since I am going to be a senior next year. I guess I am just really feeling the time crunch right now. I'm playing in some of the biggest tourneys this summer so I really have to perform my best. Ironicly, I got my 1st e-mail requesting info. from a recruiter at a great academic school this afternoon, so that is exciting. Anyway, thanks for your advice, it is good to hear from some adults with good input.

FWIW, we are from FL and son never had a pitching lesson in his life. Only one year was he coached by an ex major leaguer who was a catcher, but he did play for a scout for many years.

I suggest visiting camps in FL in your off season, particularly UF, UM where great pitching coaches from very good teams will help make suggestions during the camp. If not, you can take a few lessons on your own.

By the way, college coaches don't draft players, they recruit them and nothing means anything until the National Letter is signed come senior year.

As far as the pitchers getting drafted, keep in mind that most of these HS pitchers are not ML ready and most likely will not be for many years to come. People should never compare themselves to first round draft choices (especially college) because they (these players) actually are in a league of their own, and most likely will always will be.

Keep working hard and don't show yourself off unless you are at your best.