I think it might be a little more important at 12U because a lot of the girls haven't really developed the confidence in their secondary pitches to throw them when they are behind in the count. If they can stay up in the count, it allows them to throw, or at least have the batter have to consider the possibility, for some of the other pitches.
First pitch strikes
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- May 12, 2013
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This is her season stats we play good competition all the time, no trophy chasing.
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There is no ideal first-strike PCT. It varies from pitcher to pitcher and depends on the competition. If you are pitching vs. a team that can't hit your fastball, then you might as well have a first-strike PCT of 100%.
Rather than ask ''is a 62.5 a good PCT,'' you might ask what would happen if that particular pitcher increased or decreased that number. If that pitcher has a lot of K's and BB's, then they might want to increase it. If the pitcher is not walking anybody but giving up lots of hits, she might want to decrease it. I'm throwing out strategy that I've never tested, but my point is that each pitcher probably has an optimal FSP, but it's not the same for pitcher to pitcher. Depends on their skill set and the quality of the opposition, which might then change from game to game. So if someone says ''is 62.5 good,'' there is no answer other than to say that it's fairly typical. But two pitchers with 62.5 % might have very different in their ultimate effectiveness, which is what counts.
Rather than ask ''is a 62.5 a good PCT,'' you might ask what would happen if that particular pitcher increased or decreased that number. If that pitcher has a lot of K's and BB's, then they might want to increase it. If the pitcher is not walking anybody but giving up lots of hits, she might want to decrease it. I'm throwing out strategy that I've never tested, but my point is that each pitcher probably has an optimal FSP, but it's not the same for pitcher to pitcher. Depends on their skill set and the quality of the opposition, which might then change from game to game. So if someone says ''is 62.5 good,'' there is no answer other than to say that it's fairly typical. But two pitchers with 62.5 % might have very different in their ultimate effectiveness, which is what counts.
We used to have a pitcher who only cared about strike percentage. She thought she was doing great if she didn't throw any balls (I'm sure it was from back in her rec days). Once she finally figured out that by throwing some pitches off the plate she got hitters to chase she was 10 times better. Her dad didn't get the concept but the time she got 2 kids to chase on 0-2 and then another to get called out on a pitch 6 inches outside because she hit glove and catcher sold it she was a convert. The only problem she could never solve is that (again I think from Rec days) she would not throw her change up for strikes. I could never convince her that it wasn't a bad thing if the batter hit the change up. It was the difference between a good pitcher and a dominant one.
