Pitch Speed

Doc,

My advise would be to drop the curve and the splitter till your 14 or older. You will hear varying opinions on this subject. The splitter puts more stress on your arm than almost any other pitch.

At 12 you can be effective with a fastball and a good change.

62 is OK speed, not top shelf, but no slouch either...

I would agree with Cong. 62 is good speed for a 12 year old, but by no means is it unusual. The splitter puts a lot of stress on the elbow, according to people I trust. The changeup I think is a great second pitch for a 12 year old, but is pretty hard to learn. If a 12 yo can learn it and throw it with a little movement and significant speed difference from his fastball, it is the best second pitch to have, in my opinion.

hey doc..im only 2 years older than you and i'll tell you now i wouldnt mess with a splitter until your arm is more developed, i had a friend on my little league team(great pitcher) who messed with a splitter and it helped him at the time, worked as a great off-speed pitch, but now everyday his elbow kills him and he doesnt pitch nearly as effectively as he did a couple years ago