Hitting Really Fast Pitchers

Quasimodo said:

I was here some years ago, but the name is the same. I did not re-enroll. Should I go away again? I am not intentionally so, but I am a burr under some peoples saddle.

OK Strike3, here is a more honest photo that I entered in the "Brad Pitt" look alike contest this year. I didn't win!
I am 69 here, almost 70. I doubt you recognize me from other than the ASA hat photo.

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I think this is the guy I may have been confusing you with @Quasimodo

@stevehuff

pattar said:

More data to support the DFP supported theory that being good at 12 is almost perfectly negatively correlated with being good at 18...

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I am not sure I believe this. There are quite a few very good pitchers in 10U pitchers that didn't make the transition well to 40' and a 12" ball, but by 12U you kind of have an idea of what these players are going to be stature wise. Sure some will grow more than others but I think the main driver of success at 12U plus is work ethic and other interests (perhaps injuries too). Boys are different story because they mature later.

If you have a girl throwing 55+ at 12U and does not do well it was likely something else other than natural ability that caused the downfall (volleyball, boys, etc).

BrianTx01 said:

I am not sure I believe this. There are quite a few very good pitchers in 10U pitchers that didn't make the transition well to 40' and a 12" ball, but by 12U you kind of have an idea of what these players are going to be stature wise. Sure some will grow more than others but I think the main driver of success at 12U plus is work ethic and other interests (perhaps injuries too). Boys are different story because they mature later.

If you have a girl throwing 55+ at 12U and does not do well it was likely something else other than natural ability that caused the downfall (volleyball, boys, etc).

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I was being sarcastic

BrianTx01 said:

This girl is definitely an outlier and she can throw consistent strikes. There are a few others that can throw around 55 but even they are rare. Most 12U pitchers....even at the A level are right around 50 or even a little below. I personally would not bet against this kid not succeeding at higher levels. To be honest she is probably faster than many College pitchers right now and she has got lots of time to develop.

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I am not sure what the average speed is now among D1 pitchers. In 1990 it was between 59-60mph. I saw few pitchers during that time that threw 65mph. Oh how times have changed! I know it is a higher average now, but there are quite a few D1 pitchers still, who throw 60mph, so I am sure you are right.
And as long as she and especially her parents don't get the big head, she certainly has the potential.

In the early 2000's there was a 12U and then 14U girl that was considered the top player in Utah. She was a 3rd baseman. She was 5'8" at that age, and didn't grow more after she was 12; just thicker! By the time she got to her Freshman year, her mom told everyone local, willing to hear, that her daughter was "too good to go to any high school except the perennial State Champions an hour away. When she practiced in High School, she even refused to learn the "cross-over" step with the other infielders, sat on the side, and rolled a ball between her knees. Needless to say one of her biggest flaws was fielding range. She needed it more than anyone. Of the teams 31 errors that season in 32 games, she made 19, the rest of the team: 13! This, exclusive of the balls she should have easily gotten to and did not! In her first 3 seasons I know her stats. She had 1 extra base hit, a double to left-center field. She was still one of the biggest girls in the State, big and thick, but she learned nothing! She was too good, and her mom knew it!

STRIKE3 said:

I think this is the guy I may have been confusing you with @Quasimodo

@stevehuff

Perfect Circle's friend!

Can someone please get a hold of Perfect Circle for me. I can't seem to find him or any email source. I have a mutual admirer of his that sent him some photos!

www.discussfastpitch.com

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That is me

Crank up your pitching machine. For 12u, I would set it up about ~37 feet from plate, to account for the release point, and crank it up to 60mph. Simulate a pitching motion as you release the ball, it takes some practice to make it appear fluid to the batter. Don't be that guy that simulates the motion, then releases the ball a full second later...

IMO, Moving your pitcher up closer to the plate for live batting practice is a bad idea, unless she has a screen.

Cranking up the pitching machine doesn't help a lot. What's missing is the unconscious decision making process of swinging at good pitches. When my daughter was 12 we used to go the local batting cages. She could hit off the 'super fast' baseball machine. Her secret, she started her swing when she saw the ball drop into the machine. If the pitch was anywhere near where she was swinging the bat she could make contact. She made contact on about 40% of the pitches, on the rest she was no where near the ball. On machines the hitters learn to swing at everything, in games they have a decision to make.

Yes, Yes, No. Every pitch is a strike until it isn't I preach it every at bat to every hitter no matter the speed of the pitcher. And practice check swings as part of cage sessions.

Pay $20 per hour to a college kid or someone from the 18U level to come throw BP to your team. I agree, working with the machine is great... if the pitcher is throwing down the middle. Since the pitcher you faced is likely not throwing everything the same speed, same place, you're better served taking REAL BP off someone. I used to do as much BP as I did pitching lessons at one place at one point in time. With batting off me, I could turn it up or down to whatever the team/person needed. I could teach them how to look for things to see the pitch before it's thrown. Etc. Learning when NOT to swing at a fast pitcher is equally as hard as learning when to swing.

ArmWhip said:

Cranking up the pitching machine doesn't help a lot. What's missing is the unconscious decision making process of swinging at good pitches. When my daughter was 12 we used to go the local batting cages. She could hit off the 'super fast' baseball machine. Her secret, she started her swing when she saw the ball drop into the machine. If the pitch was anywhere near where she was swinging the bat she could make contact. She made contact on about 40% of the pitches, on the rest she was no where near the ball. On machines the hitters learn to swing at everything, in games they have a decision to make.

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"Our girls were so far behind it wasn't even funny."

Got to fix the timing issue before pitch selection is even worth talking about...

Live BP is great... but it is not efficient use of team practice time... And when my DDs are throwing live BP, the coach tells them... "throw it down the middle, we need them to hit..." <facepalm>