Yes, Virginia, In Pitching Speed Does Matter

[Rolling Hard]

Serious question: I often clock my daughters at games with a pocket radar but it's really hard to get the angle correct due to backstop height, umpire, and batter. I almost always get readings at games that are 1-2 mph faster than at home though my eyes say 1-2 mph slower. Any tips for how to get the best readings at games?

I try to be as discreet as possible. If the pitcher is focus she is not even going to see you. Hold it up square sensor on the back of pocket radar lines up with fencing (45 degree angle) and get as straight on as you can. Hold button down early. I find pitchers generally throw harder indoors because they they are not dealing with pre dugout mounds, wind and freedom to let it go. I am sure there are exceptions and those would probably be your best pitchers.(gamers)

 

[Tazman]

I try to be as discreet as possible. If the pitcher is focus she is not even going to see you. Hold it up square sensor on the back of pocket radar lines up with fencing (45 degree angle) and get as straight on as you can. Hold button down early. I find pitchers generally throw harder indoors because they they are not dealing with pre dugout mounds, wind and freedom to let it go. I am sure there are exceptions and those would probably be your best pitchers.(gamers)

Thx. I usually set it up below my gopro plugged into a power pack and stream to my phone on continuous. No one really notices and I can watch the speed whenever I want and look back at it. Challenge is getting it low enough on the fence. Everything I've read says that would under state speed (cosine error) but if so my 13yo is 4mph faster in games than at home which is hard to believe.

 

[MNDad]

This has long been the view of MLB and assessing prospects. But the fact is, fine motor control is just as much an athletic trait as explosiveness. Of course, they can both be improved through training, but everyone has their limit.

I understand that baseball and softball pitching are different, but at this point MLB knows, the pitchers with the best control at in the majors where also the ones with the best control as prospects.

I am willing to bet if there was some way of tracking this in softball we'd find something very similar. The college seniors with the best control were also the high school seniors and college freshman that showed the best control.

It would certainly be an interesting experiment. My gut tells me there wouldn’t be any correlation to HS seniors and college seniors due to strike zones being significantly smaller. It’s amazing how many of even the top ranked HS pitchers fail to have any level of success in college. I think you’re right about the college freshman with great control continuing that as seniors. Those are the true superstars of the game.

 

[MNDad]

Unfortunately those are the cold, hard facts.
Now the big question is…. what is considered acceptable velocity? 60+? 65+?

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60 seemed to be the magic number before the new pitching rules. It’ll be interesting to how high that goes once that’s been in effect a few years. Maybe be 62-63? Prior to the changes most D1 pitchers threw in the low 60’s. Even the P5’s usually have at least one pitcher who works in the high 50’s.

I love all the coverage softball is getting, but ESPN is setting completely unrealistic pitching expectations by adding 5+ mph to every pitch.

 

[ang2bmd]

Our high school team had a sr last year in the low 60s who went P5 but not a contender type p5. We have 2 this year on the high 50s with great spin that can't get an offer. Our travel team (15u) national team has 1 in the mid 60s, touching high 60s at times, 1 in the low 60s, and 1in the high 50s just touching 60. That one has incredible spin and a wicked change up and she has to really hit her spots to survive because if she's off she gets hit hard at our level. No pitcher can throw the ball fat and not get hit hard but the other 2 can get away with more at their speeds.

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