1st Start @ Pitcher for DD

[jazz10NE]

After almost exclusively catching the past 3 years my DD took lessons this winter to be a pitcher. Now at 2nd year 12U she got a start. I'd like to see a better strike to ball ratio moving forward but it is getting better by the week.

Batters faced: 20
IP: 3.2
#p: 58
Strikes: 38
Balls: 20
BB: 1
SO: 1
ER: 4 - we lost the game 7 - 6

She pitched pretty well, defense gave a few outs and offense stopped production. Overall she will keep finishing games that we are in control of and will get another chance to start against known competition.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Congratulations to your daughter on her performance in her 1st start.

I'd like to see a better strike to ball ratio moving forward but it is getting better by the week.

Really? What is your reasoning for this?

 

[Axe]

She might be throwing some balls but she has enough control not walk batters. I wouldn't get too wrapped in that.

 

[quincy]

Congratulations, she did great!!

Trust me she will be worse than this and better than this, both of you enjoy the ride.

Let her get her legs underneath her a little bit until you start looking at stats to much, even then look at stats with a grain a salt. In my mind the eye test is still the best measure of how pitcher is doing.

 

[jazz10NE]

Thanks everyone,

I was told by a college pitcher that she should pitch closer to 80% strikes to be effective, she is at 60% season pitching 6.2 innings in 3 games with a BB:SO of 4:7.

She was very upset that the team didn't hold on for the win but we talked through that and it has given her a new perspective of playing hard all the time to help out the pitcher. I wish everyone could get that same experience from the pitching plate.

 

[Momo'sDad]

I was told by a college pitcher that she should pitch closer to 80% strikes to be effective, she is at 60% season pitching 6.2 innings in 3 games with a BB:SO of 4:7.

Your source on this is not reliable.

Pitches/strikes: Luna 142/80; Carda 119/69

Those are the numbers from a UCLA-Texas game earlier this spring. Both women were below 60% strikes. You may not know Ally Carda, but she's on the Jr Women's National Team.

That's just 1 game, but if you look at the box scores for a random set of 20 games between Division I opponents, you will see very similar numbers. A pitcher throwing 80% strikes in games is pretty much pitching batting practice for the other team. So, pitches outside the strike zone - whether intentional or misses - have a designed purpose that helps the pitchers to be a lot more effective than simply throwing as many strikes as possible.

I am not a pitching expert in any way, but as a coach and 'parent manager', I would advise against talking to our pitchers too much about strike percentage, because real game effectiveness relies on a certain number of pitches being balls. If that college pitcher you mentioned and you have got your DD focusing on trying to throw strikes, it's quite likely to hinder her effectiveness and limit her progress.

At 65% in her last game, it looks like your DD was right where she needs to be.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

There is nothing wrong with your DD's pitching stats, she is exactly where she should be. If she is focusing on "just throwing strikes", she will be trying to aim the ball (not a good thing) AND she will have a LOT more hits against her.

I'd love to see the "college pitcher"'s pitching stats, I would bet a months pay that she is nowhere near 80% strikes/20% balls.

For reference, my DD is considered a pretty decent pitcher in these parts and her HS stats are:

Batters faced: 585
IP: 136.33
#p: 1,977
Strikes: 1,334
Balls: 643

That's just over 2 strikes per ball
Her K/BB ratio is 5.54/1
Her ERA is 1.69

Not only that, but you can't rely on stats for only 3 innings.

Also - at 12U the only pitching stats DD's PC was concerned about were Batting Average against and OBP against, everything else doesn't matter.