ESPN guns recalibrated this year.

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Feb 15, 2017
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From what I watched pitching speed is down across the baord according to ESPN guns this year. I wanted to check this out and spent some time at the Clearwater invitational last last few days and in person the ESPN guns are much slower than before and more in line with what I'm getting on pocket radar. I wonder what gives? You're seeing a lot more low to mid 60's than before and fewer high 60's and 70's. The one 71 I saw in the gun came up 69 on the ball coach. This gun was about a good 15 feet up aimed down towards the mound.



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Last edited:
Feb 25, 2020
953
93
From what I watched pitching speed is down across the baord accordong to ESPN guns this year. I wantrd to check this out and spent some time at the Clearwater invitational last last few days and in person the ESPN guns are much slower than before and more in line with what I'm getting on pocket radar. I wonder what gives? You're seeing a lot more low to mid 60's than before and fewer high 60's and 70's. The one 71 I saw in the gun came up 69 on the ball coach. This gun was about a good 15 feet up aimed down towards the mound.



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Im sure theyll be juiced for the tourney haha.

Joking aside, thanks for posting that.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
I wonder how much actual damage ESPN is doing to the game by posting obviously inflated speeds. How many aspiring pitchers who throw 55 see all these pitchers "throwing" 65+ and think they have no shot to pitch at a high level, when it reality, if they add a couple mph to their speed they could be at an SEC school?

The difference between just working a little harder to get a little better and being physically unable to reach someone else's level might be small, but it could completely alter a 16-year-old's college plan.
 

LEsoftballdad

DFP Vendor
Jun 29, 2021
2,838
113
NY
Even Gi Juarez said the ESPN guns were way off last year. She said she throws 64-65, not 67-68. She went on to say if she did throw that hard, her pitches would be flat and get hammered.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
The hitters will tell you if a kid is throwing “hard enough”. That is why coaches want to see their potential recruits playing against kids who are at (at the very least) the same level they will be facing in college.

Guns are good for gauging progress, I don’t need to see them in games.
 
Last edited:
Oct 14, 2019
897
93
I like seeing the guns for the contrast in speed among a pitcher’s repertoire. I saw a pitch at 38 in one of the Clearwater games.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
Even Gi Juarez said the ESPN guns were way off last year. She said she throws 64-65, not 67-68. She went on to say if she did throw that hard, her pitches would be flat and get hammered.

I suspect this had something to do with it. Juarez called them out publicly and got a lot of attention for it.

I agree that it’s better for the game for HS-age pitchers to see players getting outs throwing 57-62. DD tops out at 54 as a freshman, near 60 seems so much more attainable than 67-71.


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May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
I like seeing the guns for the contrast in speed among a pitcher’s repertoire. I saw a pitch at 38 in one of the Clearwater games.

I saw a posted speed of 35 in the UCLA-FSU game yesterday. Something was definitely wrong with the radar because that pitch looked just like the upper 60's pitches before and after it.
 

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