Changeup Location

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May 17, 2012
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It's rare you have a pitcher that has a change as her primary pitch. If you do then you are throwing it the majority of the time while mixing in the other pitches.

Short of that even at the highest levels there aren't many pitchers that can locate a change consistently. You are just hoping they can throw it for a strike when needed.
 
Jul 22, 2015
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She had a high changeup that absolutely froze our hitters, they interpreted the initial trajectory to be a ball and gave up on it. I have seen this changeup before but usually as a mistake, this time I think it was deliberate.
This is the type I was referring to in my earlier post. I've only seen it paired with a good rise ball. Batters tended to give up on the pitch and almost never even took a swing. I"d have a hard time coaching someone to do it but I have seen it be very effective for 2 pitchers.
 

radness

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Dec 13, 2019
7,270
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This is the type I was referring to in my earlier post. I've only seen it paired with a good rise ball. Batters tended to give up on the pitch and almost never even took a swing. I"d have a hard time coaching someone to do it but I have seen it be very effective for 2 pitchers.
Curious to ask how do you know its high on purpose?
Did that strategy come from coach, or instructor?
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
93
Curious to ask how do you know its high on purpose?
Did that strategy come from coach, or instructor?
Yes (for one of them anyway). I was curious and spoke to one of the pitching coaches. Teaches it to certain girls with good rise balls so that it starts in the same "tunnel". When a batter seemed to stop going after the rise he started calling the change near the top of the zone (not at the letters, more like ending at the belt). He said they were rarely hit hard, but when they did it went far! I rarely saw batters swing at it. It's not a pitch I'd want to throw if I was in the circle though.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
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My DD's instructor wants her change to take a similar path to a drop. She likes the change to bite and drop at/before the plate. She then wants to pair the pitch with the drop.

It's too bad my DD can only pitch those correctly about 25% of the time. :p
 
Nov 20, 2020
995
93
SW Missouri
My DD's instructor wants her change to take a similar path to a drop. She likes the change to bite and drop at/before the plate. She then wants to pair the pitch with the drop.

It's too bad my DD can only pitch those correctly about 25% of the time. :p

This is how DD’s change is. It’s right down the middle but takes a nose dive right before the plate.

Problem being she hasn’t mastered it. So many times it’s in the dirt early. But when it works…it’s a thing of beauty. Work in progress.

The main thing is deception. Let it read fastball/drop ball until it’s not.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
This is how DD’s change is. It’s right down the middle but takes a nose dive right before the plate.

Problem being she hasn’t mastered it. So many times it’s in the dirt early. But when it works…it’s a thing of beauty. Work in progress.

The main thing is deception. Let it read fastball/drop ball until it’s not.

Exactly. I suppose as long as your DD isn't 18, pitching is a work in progress. Mine is 11 -- change-up will improve. :)
 
Jul 31, 2015
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This is the type I was referring to in my earlier post. I've only seen it paired with a good rise ball. Batters tended to give up on the pitch and almost never even took a swing. I"d have a hard time coaching someone to do it but I have seen it be very effective for 2 pitchers.

Throwing a high change in the same tunnel as a rise is a great idea, but its use will be limited, esp in 18U and college. Because once they’re aware of it, great hitters will look for that pitch and crush it.

Better, safer to keep the change down and away.
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
83
I like throwing a good inside change to get a foul ball strike against an aggressive hitter on the first pitch. If the pitcher throw it hard and it runs over the plate is the issue. Normally get away with it if it’s not hard.

I like to call pitches away a lot and sneak stuff in with my DD.My daughter speed is average but hits spots at an elite level normally. Her last three TB coaches pound the ball in and it has worked. Interesting to me.
 

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