My Daughter has 5 pitches

[96Coach]

Yes my dd has 5 pitches, it's not what your thinking. I'm not a daddy that says my dd can throw a fastball, change, drop, screw and rise or curve. My daughter throws a 4 seam and 2 seam fast ball. The spin and movement for both pitches really throw off the batters. She has 2 change ups one where she grips hard and drags hard and throws like a fast ball the other is a backhand towards the catcher giving the ball maximum spin. She just turned 14 and is the number 1 on her team. Her other pitch is a drop ball. We have started using a new grip for the drop ball that I will open up in a new thread with pics. It's a variation of the peel that has to be thrown hard with a short stride and really good follow through.

I'm posting this to get the opinions of the masses on only doing these pitches. I believe in changing the plane of the ball north and south as opposed to east and west. She throws in the high 50's and low 60's. Her fastballs have around a 5 mph difference and the change ups are 10 to 15 mph difference from fast and between the two change ups there is also a 5 mph difference. Of course these are averages over many pitches. Her drop really drops and has very descent speed.

She can locate all pitches for strikes, with ease. I think she can do this because she has only concentrated on those pitches and the mechanics surrounding them. I feel having her learn all the pitches will hurt her dominate pitches she has now. Granted I'm starting her on the rise because she no longer leans towards the catcher. I guess I just don't like the screw and curve.

Opinions please, and sorry for the long ramblings.

 

[Coach JV]

Last season my DD relied heavily on the drop curve and rise as well as her fastball.
She is primarily a 'power' pitcher and prefers to not throw the screw or curve as they are
a bit of a 'finesse pitch' that come in slower. When one of these does not break it becomes
a HR.

This year she is using the change-up more regularly to set up the fastball. Her drop curve and rise
are still used as well as a rise curve. She chooses these because they come in close velocity to her
fastball. It is a lot of pitches, but her and her catcher are very 'heady' and call their own game. It is
a relief to the coaches as we have become confident in their game. In 14U she throws very few
fastballs, as at this level, even a high 50's fastball will get pounded. When she throws hers, she keeps it
low and inside.

I like the N-S direction of a power pitcher.

I also have a junk ball thrower who throws mostly curves and screws. She is very effective and a nice change.
She throws zero fastballs as power is not her game. Hitters are kept off-balance and she rarely makes a mistake.

A good argument can be made for both sides

 

[cshilt]

96, I like your thinking and feel like you have made a good decision. The change of speeds and plane will really have batters wiffing at air.

 

[Greenmonsters]

If she's really mastered the pitches she has, and develops her rise, why wouldn't learn the screw and curve to supplement her arsenal? While its great that she may be dominant now at 14, the hitters will continue to improve and the more tools she has in the tool box, the better prepared she'll be down the road whether its during HS, Gold, college, NFP etc. Not sayin to turn her into a junkballer, but show those pitches a couple times early in the game and it gives the batter more to worry about!

GM

 

[redhawkridge]

If she can spin the ball sufficiently to make the ball rise, throwing curves and screws are fundamentally the same ball spin with the orientation of the wrist being adjusted.
jim

 

[sluggers]

She needs to learn how to make her fastball move left to right or right to left. She doesn't need to develop a "big" curve or a big screw. She needs something to give the batters a little more problem when she gets behind 3-0 or 2-0.

When she gets down 3-0 or 2-0, the good hitters will look for a fastball. It won't matter to the good hitters if it is a 2-seam, 3-seam, 4-seam or 20-seam fastball. The only way to get a ball past a batter is to throw a fastball for a strike where the fastball is moving horizontally.

If she throws a vertically moving pitch, she may throw a ball, resulting in a walk. If she throws a flat pitch, the batter will hit it out of the park.

What age group is she playing?

 

[96Coach]

I have her in 14u, She will be moving up to 16u soon. I like to have her throw a drop in a 3-0 and 2-0 situation. For the good hitters I have her throw the backhand change, they are looking for the fastball, so I throw them off. I also take a peak at what the third base coach is doing. Majority of the team he has the hitter taking on 3-0, then I have her throw a 2 seam fastball which tails away from the hitter and has weird spin.

She either doesn't have strong wrists or she can't grasp the curve and screw wrist movement. She couldn't learn the turn over drop.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

For strong wrists, I have a gizmo that I bought, but it can be easily made. Get a 2 inch wooden rod, about 18 inches long. Attach a cord to the center of it, tightly. I guess the cord hangs down about 2 feet. Buy a one pound weight or make something that can attach to the bottom of the cord, that is 1 pound.

Stand and hold on to the rod with both hands. Roll the cord and weight up and then down.

 

[sluggers]

18U A and above batters keep their hands back and observe the pitcher's habits. They are very quick and very strong.

Most good college pitchers have one vertical breaking pitch and a change, and then can make the ball move horizontally, both left to right and right to left. They can throw all their pitches for strikes. D1 pitchers usually cruise around 62 mph or so. (The only college pitcher I've seen with a drop and a rise is Osterman.)

Right now, she can make the ball move right to left. So, she needs to learn to put some screw spin on the ball. I'm sure she can do it.

The 14U competition explains part of the problem. Most kids at that age haven't seen anyone as good as your DD. Someone like your DD should try to get 18U A or 18U gold as soon as possible. She isn't getting better playing weak competition.

And...you should stop coaching her team.

 

[96Coach]

And...you should stop coaching her team.

To some this could be taken the wrong way, I understand what you mean by this quote though. I will be starting a new 10U team for my younger dd and having my older dd play for a different team.

She needs the direction of a more expierenced coach, I agree.