How many pitches should a fastpitch pitcher have?

[Ken Krause]

Seven? Maybe Rick will weigh in and mention age appropriate numbers. Ken, do you find that in HS if a pitcher has 4 pitches, they are predictable? I know I might be out of touch but if a pitcher has command of a couple of pitches and a good change, they are going to do just fine. The change, imo, is the great equalizer. My dd had 4 pitches she threw in HS and lost one game in her career in the circle in HS.

CB, part of that depends on how good the opponents are. For some that will be enough. For others, perhaps not.

Part of it is the math. If you have three pitches, and I look for one of them at the plate, I have a 1 in 3 chance of being right and jumping on it. If you have four pitches, I have a 1 in 4 chance. This, of course, is assuming I am capable of hitting any of your pitches. If not, you really only need one pitch.

The thing I'd keep in mind is the state of hitting has improved considerably since your daughter pitched in HS, thanks in part to people like you. Many changes have taken place to put more offense in the game too. Not the least of which is bats that are much more forgiving of bad swings. To me, if you can move the ball around a little more it makes it tougher for hitters to adjust to the pitcher.

 

[Ken Krause]

We're hitting her change up hard this spring, because it's so important she can be consistent with it, and because it's now the only pitch of hers I'm capable of catching. Her dad will have to catch the rest, but I practice with her more. I was never much of an athlete so once she started breaking about 45 mph I was out. Don't even get me started on the drop ball. I just get out of the way on that one.

That's smart. As CB said, a great change - one where the ball comes out at a different speed while the arm circle remains just as fast - is the great equalizer. At 10U especially. The girls at that age are just trying to find their swings for the most part, so changing speeds is like an unfair advantage. And even when they find their swings, a great change - even thrown for a ball - can be mightily effective at any age.

 

[Ken Krause]

Rise, 2 seam FB, and CU seems to be enough for one pitcher I know.

Good as she is, are you saying with absolute certainty that if she had another pitch it would not make any difference?

 

[Ken Krause]

I think that the # of pitches needed would be dependent of how well you throw each pitch. If you throw your main pitch in the top 10% you don't need other pitches.

This really comes down to how many pitches the batter gets to see during the course of a game. We know that each time through the lineup the batters gain a slight advantage. This is related to the number of times they see each pitch type from the same pitcher.

I agree with the first statement. There is no advantage in throwing 4 or 5 crappy pitches versus 1 good one. You have to build them over time, and make sure you're pretty locked down on the previous pitches before going to the next one. As for the top 10%, as I recall Cat Osterman had a pretty nasty drop, no doubt top 1%, but she threw other pitches as well.

As for through the lineup, it depends on the caliber of hitters you're seeing, and how well they adjust as a team. If you deliver a steady diet of riseballs out of the zone, a smart team is going to figure that out and lay off of them. If that's all you've got it's probably going to be a long day.

Whether you have 3 or 7 pitches, part of the effectiveness depends on the pitch calling. If whoever is calling the pitches is in love with one, it's easier for hitters to adjust as they know they will be seeing it.

 

[riseball]

Good as she is, are you saying with absolute certainty that if she had another pitch it would not make any difference?

Like the off speed pitch she is currently developing? More is always better as long as you have ownership and can effectively use what you already have.

The question is not how many pitches do you have, the question is how many pitches have you mastered? I submit that a pitch that you have not mastered is not a pitch that you have.

It is no surprise that Sarah Pauly has mastered 7 pitches. However, most pitchers are nothing close to Sarah Pauly and will be lucky to master one.

 

[Eric F]

The question is not how many pitches do you have, the question is how many pitches have you mastered. I submit that a pitch that you have not mastered is not a pitch that you have.

This ^^^ is so often overlooked. Parents bragging about the number of different pitches their kid has is just as bad as bragging about pitch speed. Whether it's a drop-knuckle-curve, or a 68mph fastball, it really doesn't matter if you can't put them where they need to be in a game situation.

 

[riseball]

This ^^^ is so often overlooked. Parents bragging about the number of different pitches their kid has is just as bad as bragging about pitch speed. Whether it's a drop-knuckle-curve, or a 68mph fastball, it really doesn't matter if you can't put them where they need to be in a game situation.

The best pitch is the one you do not leave fat. Even if a pitcher only has one pitch, if she can mix speeds and never leave it fat she will do very well. If she can do that with 2 or 7 then all the better.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Like good ol sneaky Uncle Hal, may he RIP, I am a firm believer in the old adage that "Hitting is about timing and pitching is about disrupting timing. For those that don't have dominating velocity or wicked movement, the ability to throw a pitch at different speeds is the most reliable and consistent game changer. Even if it is only fast and slow, you've effectively doubled the pitches a batter has to worry about. Fast, medium, and slow triples that number. Most pitchers I've seen just throw their pitches at the same speed i.e., the change is slow and everything else (e.g., drop, rise, curve, screw etc.) is fast and within 2-3 mph, which means a hitter can ignore the change and be locked in timing wise for anything else (until they get to 2 strikes) and just read and react to location and movement, which more often than not makes for a very productive hitting day. Constantly changing speeds makes life difficult for even the best hitters and allows a pitcher the latitude to keep the inevitable missed location or poor movement pitch from being squared up on the barrel. Nothing more frustrating than death by a thousand paper cuts.

 

[Ken Krause]

Like the off speed pitch she is currently developing? More is always better as long as you have ownership and can effectively use what you already have.

The question is not how many pitches do you have, the question is how many pitches have you mastered? I submit that a pitch that you have not mastered is not a pitch that you have.

It is no surprise that Sarah Pauly has mastered 7 pitches. However, most pitchers are nothing close to Sarah Pauly and will be lucky to master one.

That's awesome to hear, that she is developing a new pitch. Never be satisfied!

I agree on the number of pitches you've mastered, or at least nearly so, being the key. I don't think you have to master them fully, but you need to be pretty dang good at them. Having a bunch of pitches you can't control and that don't work isn't worth anything.

The point of the post, of course, is that the belief that you only need three pitches - rise, drop and change - is outdated. You shouldn't just limit yourself to that. Where you actually end up will depend on you.

 

[maksoftball]

Three on any given day. For most part, DD practices all focusing on location accuracy. She warms up and decides what's working and what's not on that day. Not uncommon to find out it's not working when live...that's why it's important to have good rapport with your catcher. Anyway, changup, your fastest non-fastball, movement pitch and another good off speed pitch. Those are good to have as your weapons of choice any day.


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