What sets them apart?

Someone who does not fold under pressure.

Anyone can develop a "sore arm" when the game is tight but the pitcher who can just get one more out is priceless.

Someone who works very hard this time of the season. Hardwork seperates the kids who play on the weekend and practices with the rest of the team. While that one individual is practicing his butt off on his own. Getting stronger and doing the things to get to the next level.

The Achievers and the Over-Achievers!

They have to be mentally prepared. They have to know they are on the mound and in control.

Someone who not only wants the ball in a big game/situation, but demands it. Even at a young age, this quality can shine through.

I seem to remember a very successful big league manager saying that he'd take the pitcher with good stuff over the pitcher who was mentally tough every single time.

quote:

Originally posted by CADad:
I seem to remember a very successful big league manager saying that he'd take the pitcher with good stuff over the pitcher who was mentally tough every single time.

I thought velocity + location = stuff

redbird5,
Right you are. I think that generally the best way to develop mound presence is through success. Success comes from good stuff.

In other words good pitchers have mound presence because they are good pitchers and not the other way around.
JMO

CADAD

I respectfully disagree

Certain kids just have the "appearance"

In HS the wins don't always come easy and a good pitcher can come from a losing program and a minimum of wins for the pitcher.

TR,
Good point. However to me wins aren't the main measure of success for a pitcher for just the reasons you state. I always wanted to win and was almost always on winning teams but I also knew when I pitched a good game and when I pitched poorly, win or lose. Of course, being a pitcher I gave myself credit for a poorly pitched win because I hung in there but I didn't get down on myself for a 1-0 loss unless I did something stupid to give up the run or unless I actually tightened up at some point because of the close score. I certainly made some mistakes in tight situations but I don't ever remember getting tight on the mound. I got tight at the plate a few times but never on the mound.

As an example, I was 4-0 in legion ball and I pitched reasonably well. However, having a 4th round pick throwing in front of me and a future big leaguer throwing behind me each game didn't hurt my chances for getting wins. Neither did having a 2nd round pick at SS. I was much more impressed with posting a 0.00 ERA although in hindsight being a relatively soft throwing righty following a hard throwing lefty probably had a lot to do with that.

With my 14yo's I've seen kids go from having the "appearance" one game and not having it the next and usually the difference was the quality of the opponent.

On the other hand I've seen my son have the "appearance" when he was facing top competition that was out of his league and I've seen him not have it other times against less strong competition. Looking through my rose colored glasses he has the "appearance" more often than not but it isn't there 100% of the time. The same goes for my other pitchers especially now, just having moved into 14u, throwing from 60'6" and finding out that their fastballs no longer get by even the average hitters on good teams. Time to learn how to pitch.

Some of my softer throwers are showing more confidence because their stuff has become more effective with the increased distance.

No doubt there are many things that sets a pitcher apart. Wins? Sounds reasonable but I don’t think so. Wins are the result of a team effort or lack of a team effort from the competition. While I agree with baseballbum that hard work is necessary to succeed, a “good” pitcher can fold under pressure. I have to go with justbaseball. The player that wants the ball in the toughest situation is the pitcher that sets himself apart from the rest of the bullpen. BBfam, how do you teach that to your son. I don’t know if you can. I think a lot of it comes from confidence. So, how do you gain confidence? The hard work that baseballbum speaks of will give you confidence. Being prepared is a great confidence builder. Another is the ability to stay focused. If you stay focused on the task at hand you can eliminate many things that will erode your confidence. Being mentally prepared that Bill McClain speaks of is essential to staying focused. I used to teach my son that there was but one pitch in any game that was important…..The one he’s getting ready to throw.
While most know my son as a catcher, he was also a weekend starter in the SEC. He was given a framed picture of himself pitching with an imbedded quote that hangs on my wall today that says it much better than I can.

”One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.”
-Nolan Ryan

I've wondered a lot about whether or not you can teach that confidence that makes them want the ball in the toughest situation. If you can, I'm not too sure how to set out to do it.

I think it gets built over time as Fungo suggests. Preparation is surely part of building it, but experience in the situation and more importantly experiencing success are big parts too.

But I was left to wonder this summer about this issue a bit...a very talented young kid I was coaching...probably the best all-around player on our team. We were in a national tournament and as we approached a big game with East Cobb, his dad came to me to beg that I NOT start him in that game (at pitcher). I was perplexed. His father had pitched at the D1 level years ago. This boy would not be one to shy away from a big at-bat...why this? I obliged and pitched a much less talented pitcher in that game who wanted it bad and threw the game of his life up to then. But I told the more talented boy's father that in another year or so we were going to work towards having his son want, no DEMAND, the ball in that kind of game. Now I have to figure out how to get him there.

I think parents have to show their son total confidence that he can do it...I think thats a good starting point anyways and its where I've already started with this boy/family.

Successful pitchers have confidence in their ability and a short memory.

To be successful, a pitcher needs to be able to shake off any negative results from the last pitch, whether it be their error or that of their teammates, and go after the next guy like it never happen. IMO, teach a young player how to control their emotions and you'll go a long way to making them successful.

Especially for pitchers, experience and the number of quality appearances in a game will always make a pitcher more mentally tough. Every year a pitcher needs to keep working on being a better pitcher not just a thrower.

Irish83 I do agree with you. Experience winning and losing will also "set them apart". If a pitcher is faced with a situation they were in before and was unsuccesful then he will try something different to be more successful if he was put in that same situation. Sounds like common sense but it does come from experience.