transition from HS to college

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A lot of how it will affect him physically will depend on how he handles it psychologically. If he handles it well mentally, it can actually decrease the physical strain. If he handles it poorly on the mental side, it will take more of a toll physically. Here’s why in my opinion…

If a strikeout pitcher recognizes early that he will not be able to blow away college hitters and adjusts to get them out with getting ahead, having good location, and movement, he will be less focused on velocity and will therefore take some stress off his arm.

If he see that his “stuff” no longer works like it did in high school and thinks “now I need to throw harder or snap that slider even more than I did to get those same strikeouts,” he’s in trouble with the added stress to his arm.

Unfortunately, many (maybe even most) pitchers take the second path and struggle early on until they make the mental adjustment. Some never do. Some blow out their arm before getting the chance.

Unless you throw 95+, much of pitching success comes from knowing how/when to back off instead of humping up.

BaseballByTheYard

quote:

Originally posted by meachrm:
Unless you throw 95+, much of pitching success comes from knowing how/when to back off instead of humping up.

Thanks, meachrm--your take on the matter is really kinda profound...and just the sort of common-sense analysis and approach I am looking for.

quote:

Originally posted by slotty:
Anybody here have wise words from their own or their son's experience regarding making the transition from hgih school to college?

My son has a plus slider and a plus change-up and he has gotten used to batters swinging through his fastball. But, as a coach told him during a recruiting visit, "Every batter a pitcher faces in college was either the #3 or #4 batter for their high school team."

So my question is: "How difficult is it, both physically and psychologically, to go from being a strikeout pitcher in high school to a pitcher who pitches to contact?"

Well slotty, let’s first get realistic. While the talent in college, even where the teams are the weakest is much deeper than the talent in HS, there’s just no way Every batter a pitcher faces in college was either the #3 or #4 batter for their high school team. I’m guessing what that guy was doing, was trying to make a point by using hyperbole.

I don’t think there are a lot of “WISE WORDS”, at least new ones. Its still the same game. What’s sad is, most kids who put up a lot of K’s in HS, don’t do it because they’re good pitchers using their talent and skill to outwit a lot of really good hitters. They do it by being good throwers who easily overpower average and below hitters, who just aren’t very good. That’s good for at least 6 K’s a game, and if they just do better than average with the rest of the hitters they face, they’ll likely get another 4 or 5. That’s a lot of K’s and 10 or more K’s per game will get just about any pitcher called a strikeout pitcher.

If he can be realistic and learn how to pitch to contact, it might make him feel like less of a macho man, but I guarantee you he’ll benefit physically because he’ll prolly throw a lot fewer pitches. The physical trouble he’ll prolly encounter is, a much higher workload in more and longer practices, and more an longer games.

The spots you hit in HS are much smaller in college. And the spots in the pros are much smaller than college.

Stats--Yes, I should have added that the pitchng coach in his comment about batters in college was exaggerating for effect....understood.

While my son sometimes overpowers batters, he is pretty crafty and definitely thinks while on the mound. He likes the psychological aspect of pitching as much as anything.

slotty,

Just about every freshmen pitcher struggles at some point. It is part of the gig. Usally that struggle point is when they play stiffer competition for the first time. Look around you to see how your son's future team is doing right now, as well as people you know that are going through it right now. Bottom line is they will struggle, it is how your son deals with those struggles that matters most. Attitude is everything. How does he come back in practice the following week? Did he execute the pitches they asked him to execute? Did he inspire confidence in the pitching coach and head coach to be used again or make the travel team next time? Your son sounds pretty heady so I'm not saying anything he doesn't already know, but at least he can expect what is coming.

Pitching isn't rocket science, and most hitters aren't smart (heck .300 is good? ). Get ahead of the hitters. Make them hit your best pitches, and it doesn't hurt to have 3-4 pitches as a starter!

who says hitters aren't smart ?

slotty,
You have gotten some good feedback here. I am in agreement with meach on the slider. It's a tough pitch on the arm.

I think that coach might be trying to tell you something.

Hitters are much smarter passed the HS level, that's why not everyone on the team moves to the next level. You mentioned his slider and change up were plus pitches, what about his FB? Crafty is good, but reliance on the breaking stuff can get too taxing on the arm past HS.

I agree with the pitch to contact stuff.

BTW, the best hurlers are the ones who think less and trust in their stuff, too much thinking can get you in trouble, JMO.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
You mentioned his slider and change up were plus pitches, what about his FB? Crafty is good, but reliance on the breaking stuff can get too taxing on the arm past HS.

TPM: Right now his fastball sits very comfortably 86-88 with nice movement. He also drops down every once in a while but knows that until he can confidently throw his slider that way that he can only use it a couple times per game. He has been clocked as high as 93 but he must has eaten two bowls of Wheaties that morning!

He mostly relies on placement and deception and the fact that he's one of those pitchers whose pitches hitters seem to have a hard time picking up. So far, he hasn't become overly reliant or enamored of his slider. He is more intrigued by the possibilities with his changeup.

He's relatively tall but still has the body of a teenager, so I fully expect him to gain quite a few pounds of muscle before his first collegiate season starts.

as a freshy my advice to my son would be to try to use a 3 pitch to contact approach.Try to instill in him not to try to overpower with the strikeout But to work the outside and tell your second baseman to get ready.

1. Getting Outs
2. Throwing strikes
3. Making adjustments
4. Repeatable delivery
5. Staying healthy

Like every transition, the athletes are bigger, faster, stronger. The acceptable zone gets smaller as well as the margin for error. I assume he is still in HS since you are asking the answer IMO is: don’t worry about it his coaches will deal with it. Your days of talking to him about this stuff will be shortly over, so enjoy his Sr. year. Your conversations next year will be 5 minutes long (max) and will be: how is school, how are your grades, how are your teachers, how is your roommate, how is the food, how are the coaches, how is the team, who is THAT GIRL on facebook ….

I agree that there is a lot more to pitching than throwing hard and strike outs.

I agree with pitching to contact at the highest levels, but not so sure it's the "best" way for a high school pitcher to reach the next level.

If you are a high school pitcher with real good stuff and velocity, there shouldn't be all that much contact. There should be a lot of swings and misses and strike outs. Then in college or pro ball the same pitcher might pitch to contact.

That said, there's always room for kids that know how to pitch.

For the record...

The number one pick in last year's MLB draft. Signed for $8 Million bonus.

Biggest Weakness - Command and consistency
Biggest Strength - 100 mph fastball and strike out power slider.

one thing the pitcher needs to realize that the college defense behind him is far superior to what he had in high school

HS games are only 7 innings, in college you play 9. I had the hardest time getting out of the 7 inning.

quote:

Originally posted by Stats4Gnats:
What’s sad is, most kids who put up a lot of K’s in HS, don’t do it because they’re good pitchers using their talent and skill to outwit a lot of really good hitters. They do it by being good throwers who easily overpower average and below hitters, who just aren’t very good.

Almost every D1 pitcher averaged 10 k's per game in h.s. My kid averaged 17.

Why is it always the argument that pitchers aren't "good" because they throw hard. Nonsense. The ones that throw hard do so because of good mechanics and there is a direct POSITIVE, NOT NEGATIVE, correlation between velocity and command.

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:
Your days of talking to him about this stuff will be shortly over, so enjoy his Sr. year. Your conversations next year will be 5 minutes long (max)

Ha! You mean my conversations next year will be longer than the one-sided ones I have this year??!

Seriously Slotty keep those conversations going, one sided as they seem, you are going to miss them.

the big reason players in hs play on solid travel teams is to ease this transition by playing against top level competition

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:
Seriously Slotty keep those conversations going, one sided as they seem, you are going to miss them.

Slotty, I can agree 100% with this one. It sounds like your son is already set on were he is playing in college next year. Relax and enjoy his senior year. Next year he does become the coaches issue. There will be very little input from your side.

Get on the best travel team and play the best teams you possibly can. If you do that it won't be such a hard transition from HS to college. I'm a senior and have watched many college games. The big difference between HS and college (assuming you throw well) is knowing how to really pitch. Keep working on it and best of luck.