Anyone have thoughts on this Twitter thread?

[kibadbo]

an on topic response about speed, spin and espn's radar guns

G Juarez

Yeah, and now all her big name pitching buddies are lining up to disagree with him too. This question has been answered, in my mind at least.

 

[kibadbo]

I don't have an opinion (my kid doesn't pitch) other than I want every pitcher (except the ones on my DD's team) to suck..

Be careful what you wish for. I've sat through my fair share of walkathons. They're brutal.

 

[_MIA_]

Be careful what you wish for. I've sat through my fair share of walkathons. They're brutal.

Me too..by “suck” I meant BP meatballs

Plus I was only kidding..I’d rather DD put good ABs together against good pitching and go 0 for 4 rather than go 3 for 4 against lousy pitching.

 

[softgabby]

Good question.
That answer is really a combination of things like what other pitches and control of pitch location the pitcher has. Analyzing and recognizing what type of batter it is to handle making adjustments.
And/or recognizing what location would be best to attack the batter with.

As for mistakes...
Both pitchers and batters can make mistakes.
But i would not rely on either of those at the highest level.
Simply because of the prepairedness of the talent level.


It was noted elite pitchers do throw at different speeds which imo is a requirement because it messes with the timing of batters.

Having caught for elite pitchers that threw Spin and junk and also pitchers that threw heat 70+ with some movement.

Both types use off-speed/change!

Control is the game changer.

I've faced good pitching but not elite pitching. So I don't know if my approach would change. I'm p there looking for something to drive and deposit into left-center field. If I have to strike out or foul a bunch of pitches off to get to that pitch, I'll do it.

 

[Eric F]

Me too..by “suck” I meant BP meatballs

Plus I was only kidding..I’d rather DD put good ABs together against good pitching and go 0 for 4 rather than go 3 for 4 against lousy pitching.

Interesting how our definition of bad pitching changes as our DDs develop in the game. By the 12U TB level, you don't get too many walk-a-thon pitchers still in the game. Bad pitching means easy to hit.

 

[Eric F]

Yeah, and now all her big name pitching buddies are lining up to disagree with him too. This question has been answered, in my mind at least.

It won't let me link the tweet, but this is from Gwen Svekis...."I literally couldn’t disagree with this more. Velocity matters, but what makes a pitcher effective is the ability to CHANGE velocity and above all HIT A SPOT."

Gwen catches for and hits against some of the best pitchers in the world. Her resume includes some impressive letters - WCWS, NPF, AU. Gwen knows WTF she's talking about.

EDIT: From Lauren Burke..."I’d argue that the toughest pitchers to face aren’t the ones who throw the hardest… In my opinion, the best pitchers prioritize 1. Location 2. Spin 3. Velocity."

 

[_MIA_]

I wonder at what point did this guy start to wish he had dropped his phone in the toilet the day he thought it was a good idea to post this...

 

[JayW]

I think these college pitchers are all assuming a baseline of velocity that most would consider exceptional. What separates those pitchers with exceptional velocity is their movement. But there is definitely a baseline requirement of velocity.

 

[softgabby]

It won't let me link the tweet, but this is from Gwen Svekis...."I literally couldn’t disagree with this more. Velocity matters, but what makes a pitcher effective is the ability to CHANGE velocity and above all HIT A SPOT."

Gwen catches for and hits against some of the best pitchers in the world. Her resume includes some impressive letters - WCWS, NPF, AU. Gwen knows WTF she's talking about.

EDIT: From Lauren Burke..."I’d argue that the toughest pitchers to face aren’t the ones who throw the hardest… In my opinion, the best pitchers prioritize 1. Location 2. Spin 3. Velocity."

Totally agree with this. A pitcher that is just a fireballer is easier to hit off of because all you have to do is learn her timing. A pitcher that can hit her spots, change speeds, and can in general throw hitters off is a heck of a lot harder to hit off of.

 

[PapaBear]

Not every pitcher is built to throw 70MPH. Not every pitcher needs to throw 70MPH....messages like this is what is causing kids to get hurt because they have to reach a certain number and are pushing their arms too much. Technology is great and velo programs serve a point, but eventually you are who you are. Kids today are having more shoulder and back pain for a reason. Not every pitcher needs to be 5'8 or taller to be successful and not every pitcher needs to throw 70MPH.