What is the most difficult pitch to hit?

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Mar 10, 2022
5
3
Good Morning!
Question:
What pitches do your Hitters struggle with the most?
I am mom to a pitcher and looking for your feedback so I can make decisions on what pitches to focus in. She's too slow for a riseball but besides that what are hardest to hit?

Background:
My daughter is a first year 12U.
She has great command of fastball 45mph and change up 36mph. She has good spin on curveball but only throws it right (so it moves) about 30% of the time. Same with her offspeed curve.
I'm thinking of ditching curve for a drop ball. Even when thrown right I feel like changing planes would be better.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
SMH.. I was just thinking about this and how you move determines whether you hit heat or junk better. Up and down, out and in.. I hate this crap. 😑
 
Aug 1, 2019
962
93
MN
My first question on pursuing a drop ball is whether her fast ball already behaves like a drop. Does it have good 12-6 rotation? If so, you won't gain much by trying to force a drop.
I like pitchers changing planes, so I have started pitchers working on a rise while they still throw under 50, with the expectation their speed will increase and it will become more effective as they grow into it.
 

Top_Notch

Screwball
Dec 18, 2014
512
63
For many years my daughter's strike out pitch was the screwball...until she learned to throw the rise ball.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
The riseball is really hard for batters, and once she has a decent one it probably becomes her strikeout pitch. However, like you say, it needs to be fast to be effective. I read a scientific study (undoubtedly posted here somewhere) where a really dorky science-type-person proved that the ball has to go 56mph for the riseball to be effective.

I'm in the camp that believes that a rise ball doesn't rise, but rather descends more slowly than a fastball. And my DD is instructed to get a bit lower at release so the ball has more of an upward initial trajectory. So while it's probably not the right pitch for you today, it will be soon. And being ready for it and practicing it before you'll use it in a game could be beneficial. Perhaps as she passes 50mph.

That said, many young pitchers go far with a well placed fastball and a great changeup.
 
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