How tall are pitchers?

[Sparky Guy]

I would take a shorter girl with tremendous twitch muscles over a statuesque girl that could not generate enough angular momentum.

There is the key to the whole equation. My DD is 5'10" and was 160# when she was pitching. The biggest assets she possessed to go along with the size and muscle was the ability to be loose and the ability to generate the arm speed to deliver the ball with exceptional velocity.

Not all girls have the ability to do so. I've worked with a couple of girls who were the same size as my DD. Unfortunately, they could practice against a window pane. What they did not have was the natural ability to create the fluid explosion necessary to deliver the ball with authority. You could be the greatest pitching instructor in the world. If the girl does not have natural ability they will only go so far. That's why not everyone can not run as fast as Usain Bolt.

While there are smaller women who generate an exceptional amount of explosion in their pitching motion with stellar mechanics, they are the wonderful exceptions who make the game interesting.

 

[Laphoneman]

I think it’s individual talent. Not all tall people can play basketball. In football you can have 10 guys roughly the same size but only 1 or 2 are good at running the ball. I saw a girl last year playing for CAL 5’1 I think and she was throwing 65. different body styles can have advantages but they also have disadvantages. My personal favorite pitcher is Cat however I wouldn’t want her trying to cover to many bunts. Help your DD’s be the best they can be and show them how proud you are of them. From what I’m seeing in my journey if they want to play college ball. work hard and you can play. It may not be for the number 1 team in the country but colleges are always looking for players better than who they already have. Keep looking even junior college don’t give up you can find a team

 

[fistafury17]

Are the heights listed similar to basketball, where it's minimum +2 inches plus the last digit of your jersey number?

I've stood next to a number of area D1 pitchers my DD has worked with at camps and it looks to me they've been given a couple inches on their roster bio. My DD is 5' and 85lbs plays 12U and throws as hard as most B level competition we've seen, but she uses unusually good mechanics to do so. She also knows she'll have to be remarkably better that pitchers bigger than her to get noticed. Many coaches know little about pitching mechanics, drills, maintenance, IR vs HE or warmups and have adopted the mindset that bigger is always better.

 

[MadBandit22]

I think it’s individual talent. Not all tall people can play basketball. In football you can have 10 guys roughly the same size but only 1 or 2 are good at running the ball. I saw a girl last year playing for CAL 5’1 I think and she was throwing 65. different body styles can have advantages but they also have disadvantages. My personal favorite pitcher is Cat however I wouldn’t want her trying to cover to many bunts. Help your DD’s be the best they can be and show them how proud you are of them. From what I’m seeing in my journey if they want to play college ball. work hard and you can play. It may not be for the number 1 team in the country but colleges are always looking for players better than who they already have. Keep looking even junior college don’t give up you can find a team

There it is. Individual talent. Some girls are good athletes and some are just pitchers.
I think in cases I have seen specialized training too early leads to this. Better to train in multiple positions early and then specialize in position your best at later on.
Motivation and effort are also huge factors.
In my house I have a very naturally talented athlete who is very good 5’ 2”. She could/should be even better with more dedicated training.
My other child 5’ 4” just isn’t the athlete her sister is both due to natural ability and effort.
She is progressing nicely with finally getting on a set training schedule but just doesn’t have the power/explosiveness/coordination/body awareness her twin has.
She is more of a finesse athlete who needs to really buckle down and train hard to improve and earn her role.
She could really be a solid contributor to her HS & travel team but she’s never going to be the “center piece” of a team.
But that’s ok you have to know your role and fill it the best you can. Not everybody is a Superstar athlete. Teams need role players. You need to play your role better than anybody else.

 

[MNDad]

I've stood next to a number of area D1 pitchers my DD has worked with at camps and it looks to me they've been given a couple inches on their roster bio. My DD is 5' and 85lbs plays 12U and throws as hard as most B level competition we've seen, but she uses unusually good mechanics to do so. She also knows she'll have to be remarkably better that pitchers bigger than her to get noticed. Many coaches know little about pitching mechanics, drills, maintenance, IR vs HE or warmups and have adopted the mindset that bigger is always better.

I think most of the heights on softball rosters are pretty accurate. I never noticed any pitchers that were blatantly exaggerated. Even the smaller girls went ahead with their actual height. There’s really no advantage or disadvantage by the time they reach that level.

 

[Xplode22]

Valerie Cagle at Clemson(check her out) is listed at 5’9” but is actually 6’

 

[GunnerShotgun]

It is simple physics... given the same RPM, the velocity increases, as the radius of the circle increases. In other words, with the same arm speed, the longer arm throws the ball faster.

View attachment 16653

But they don't throw with the same arm speed do they? Longer levers require more work....

 

[Traps71]

Valerie Cagle at Clemson(check her out) is listed at 5’9” but is actually 6’

I watched several Clemson games in this truncated 2020 season and Cagle--a freshman and two-way player--is extremely impressive. She played CF and batted in the middle of the line-up when she wasn't pitching. She is a VA product and played club ball for the Hanover Hornets. Definitely a young woman to keep your eye on.

 

[Xplode22]

She’s pretty awesome , know her family well.