I'm Calling BS

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Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
I see (and hear) this stuff all the time. I know places where the radar gun is apparently juiced, because when I clock someone with my PocketRadar or my Jugs gun I get a very different reading than what they're getting. You also see it when they go to a camp and the speeds are posted. A kid doesn't just lose 5-8 mph one day - or gain it the next!
 
May 27, 2013
2,353
113
The rankings also depend upon getting votes from the general public too. So parents, coaches, etc. can all ask their buddies to vote for their kid.
 

Top_Notch

Screwball
Dec 18, 2014
512
63
A good friend tells me his daughter throws 55 and my daughter, where it is clear she throws harder, is 60mph. My DD has never hit 60mph on pocket radar. 55 Max.

DD went to a tryout for one of the area truly elite teams (the only one that actually has tryouts and doesn't 'draft' directly) and had metrics. I think they clocked her at 57-58mph so
I was happy about those numbers. So, it can work for you. And, no, unfortunately she did not make it even being one of the harder throwers. Always next year!
 
Mar 23, 2011
492
18
Noblseville, IN
Its a fair guess that approx 90% of girls whos bucket dad says his dd is a 60 mph pitcher, actually throw 53/54 mph.... and 65% of them have no clue about spin axis. My percentages are purely a guess. However its a fact that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population. (had to get at least 1 number correct!!) lol

What sucks is that there is no margin for honesty. It is painful for me to talk speed since I give honest/accurate numbers and it's always going to be compared to someone else's juiced numbers.
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
Its a fair guess that approx 90% of girls whos bucket dad says his dd is a 60 mph pitcher, actually throw 53/54 mph.... and 65% of them have no clue about spin axis. My percentages are purely a guess. However its a fact that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population. (had to get at least 1 number correct!!) lol

Every camp we've been to this winter has used radar. Coastal had the Rapsodo. I love it.. can't beat the radar gun. Rapsodo was great, not only speed but spin in 3D!
 

#10

Jun 24, 2011
398
28
909
Flo Softball is an exclusive club for certain organizations to market their players. While there certainly are elite players featured, don't believe the hype.
 
May 7, 2015
842
93
SoCal
I bring my pocket radar to all games. Absolutely, parents and pitching speed is like fishing, rare to hear the whole truth. I think that a 4-5mph discrepancy is the norm. Anyway, one phenomenon that I see all the time is practice or warm up speed vs pitching to a live batter. We have a girl who will throw 55 in mid inning warm ups and 51/52 to batters, weirdest thing. Must be the act of locating the pitch that brings some velocity down.

From my observations for 12u... Most pitchers 49/50, start of the "good" pitchers 51/52, 57/58 pretty darn rare, 1 girl who throws 61. YMMV
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
In related news...My personal favorite was the dad who borrowed my Pocket Radar to measure his 12yo princess during a game. At the end of the inning, he was very excited to tell me that his DD threw one at 64. She was a decent 12U P, with a legit 55-57 in games. 64 was an exit speed.

I'm admittedly pretty new to all this (a year or two in) and did see a girl with an exit speed (off a tee) at 64. If someone ever pitched that fast at 12U, they would be immediately accepted to all colleges simultaneously.

The ball was going so fast and was hit so hard (by a teen).
 
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