Can't blow it by everyone

[halskinner]

'Junkballer'

Very nice post Hal. Around here we call this the "triple kill". Sure you will have more bat contact than a 12 inch breaking ball, but usually the hit is weak if not foul.

And they will all call you a 'Junkball' pitcher. AND, seldom does one of your pitches go past the infield!

 

[halskinner]

I believe in fastballs, I used fastballs. However, if you do not posess awesome and overpowering speed you can still get pounded.

You throw a curveball, it had better curve. Throw a drop, it better drop. Throw a fastball, it better be DANG FAST!

You set batters up with movement. You set batters up with location. You set batters up with speed.

With every pitch you throw, even the first pitch, you set the batters up for the NEXT pitch.

Speed is a weapon and must be used intelligently. If that is too much for some coaches to comprehend, they usually just stick to fast and slow. We call those teams 'Cannon fodder'.

 

[marriard]

As a father and as a coach there is nothing more satisfying to me than watching my DD or one of our other pitchers strike some poor batter out on a CU or watch them take some late half-swing as they realize way too late that the pitch is coming in for a strike.

I watch lot of girls 'practice' all sort of different pitches but never have the guts to throw them in a game.

 

[Coachmom]

And they will all call you a 'Junkball' pitcher. AND, seldom does one of your pitches go past the infield!

My dd is a so-called junk ball pitcher. She has 3 speeds (or more) because of her change up and her off-speed curveball. Her new tb coach told her she throws too many change ups in spite of the fact that she pitched a shut out game for him last Sunday with only 1 hit that went out of the infield!
I don't understand it. At 17 years old she has developed this pitching strategy because she is not an overpowering pitcher and she knows it. Coaches constantly try to remake her into something she is not. I can't even remember the last time she gave up a home run and I know it's not more than 5 in her entire pitching career to date.
We keep hearing that good hitters will adjust but I have rarely seen this happen when you can throw three speeds.
Coaches just don't get it.

 

[Jojo]

My dd is a so-called junk ball pitcher. She has 3 speeds (or more) because of her change up and her off-speed curveball. Her new tb coach told her she throws too many change ups in spite of the fact that she pitched a shut out game for him last Sunday with only 1 hit that went out of the infield!
I don't understand it. At 17 years old she has developed this pitching strategy because she is not an overpowering pitcher and she knows it. Coaches constantly try to remake her into something she is not. I can't even remember the last time she gave up a home run and I know it's not more than 5 in her entire pitching career to date.
We keep hearing that good hitters will adjust but I have rarely seen this happen when you can throw three speeds.
Coaches just don't get it.

Mine was the same way and was considered a junker.
She rarely threw a fastball, threw every pitch at a different speed and that is what made her effective.
She threw 5 shut-outs during her Jr. year in HS during play-offs and the comments from the other coaches about why they had trouble hitting her was because they could never get comfortable in the box. She threw all over the plate and off the plate and every pitch was a different speed.
She threw backdoors and off-speeds.
Luckily for her, her coach let her and her catcher call the games.
When her college coach scouted her she also offered her catcher a scholarship as well.

 

[YOCOACH]

I just wanted to thank you all. As a new FP coach and my DD being a pitcher in training, you've given me a lot of insight and food for thought.