- Jun 18, 2010
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College vs MLB Pitch Speed Comparison Chart
- Thread starter knightsb
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I take it someone better at math than me (which is a very large group) worked out the equivalencies?
- Jul 26, 2010
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It's somewhat of a myth, since this table is based upon the ball actually traveling at the same speed from the time it leaves the pitchers hand to when it crosses the plate. We all know that the ball is decelerating as soon as it leaves the fingers, and a softball decelerates faster then a baseball. That said, it's probably accurate within +/- 5mph insofar as the amount of time the batter has to react to the pitch.
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- Jun 18, 2010
- 2,615
- 38
It was a graphic they displayed during the Syracruse - Michigan game on ESPN3.
At pitching lesions with my DD. the girl right before us clocked at 53 mph... from 35 feet. Yes she is 10. So if 50mph from 43' is 70 mph what would 50 from 35' be? Except hard to hit.
- Nov 29, 2009
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53 mph from 35' equates to 91.61 mph at 60.5'.
When I see these charts they do not tell the whole story. They demonstrate total reaction time but they do not account for the rate or distance per second (or miles per hour) the ball is closing at. The higher miles per hour should be more difficult to judge even if the reaction times are equal because of the rate the ball is closing in on the batter. Wiffles from 25 feet are easier to hit than pitches from 40 even though they may have the same elapsed time. Side toss is easier to hit even though it has the same elapsed time as wiffles etc. They are not true equivalencies.
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53MPH at 35FT is equivalent to @ a 90MPH fastball at 60FT. What you are comparing is the 'reaction time' of the batter at the different distances. As someone else pointed out, most radar guns measure the maximum speed which is achieved at release, and the ball slows down as it travels towards the batter.
Yes thanks for posting this. It's fun to look at reaction times but it doesn't tell the whole story. Faster pitches are harder to hit. Velocity matters.
Which is harder overall? I have no idea as I've only played baseball but here are some thoughts:
Does chart take into account the stride of pitcher? Because I remember a sports science video claiming that the distance the fastpitch pitcher comes off the mound is even further, and thus reaction time would be even less.
Softball is larger, and therefore easier to make contact with obviously.
Distance to first is shorter, and thus easier to get infield hits.
Mass of ball is greater and mass of bat is less. This makes softball harder in this respect.
Softball won't travel as well due to ball characteristics and mass difference mentioned above, fielders are "condensed" on the field, making it harder to get "clean" hits in softball.
Speaking of pitching speed. Does anyone know of a configurable pitching speed app for android. I found one with pre-set distances, but it would be nice to insert custom ones. That way I could use it for bowling too 
edit: Took another look around an found one called "speed gun by chanyou hwang" that might work ok. One thing to consider when using that the pitcher isn't standing on the mound when they release the ball... Might need to subtract a few feet for a more accurate measurement.
edit: Took another look around an found one called "speed gun by chanyou hwang" that might work ok. One thing to consider when using that the pitcher isn't standing on the mound when they release the ball... Might need to subtract a few feet for a more accurate measurement.
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