How many MPH should a pitcher gain each year?

[Noragarm]

How much speed should a pitcher gain each season?

[Guesswho?]

As much as possible! You want to be throwing faster than anyone- if that tells you anything (no set limit).

[GradfromtheNest]

It all depends where you are currently at. If you follow a rigorous offseason training program then you should definately make some gains. Of course if you're already at 92 it's going to be harder to gain 5 or 6 mph than if you start around 82. I have several friends who after a year or two playing college ball have increased their velocity 5 or 6 mph or even better. I know one guy who was consitently throwing about 86 in high school and after 2 years in college was throwing 94 on average. It just depends on several factors - body type, what kind of strength and conditioning program you're on, how hard you work. IT doesn't matter what you do, if you don't work hard day in and day out you won't get better...that's with everything in life!

[EastRidge010]

How Fast Should A Sophmore Be Pitching??

[bizazz]

#1 Velocity is not everything. I've seen plenty of good HS pitchers who barely touch 80.

 

#2 Learn to "pitch" and take care of your arm first.

 

 

There are a lot of guys that finish their high school careers with arm problems by trying to light up the radar gun without learning #2 first.

 

Ultimately, some velocity will be necessary to excel at the next level. But sophomores shouldn't be too concerned about it.

[Guesswho?]

#1 Velocity is not everything. I've seen plenty of good HS pitchers who barely touch 80.

 

Correction-thats exactly what scouts look at first (velocity). There are plenty of pitchers that throw not-so-fast and are really good for the high school level. College coaches and scouts want to see that radar gun light up with a pretty high number. Those are the facts

[GradfromtheNest]

I wish I could remember the names, but several years ago at the University of Tennessee, they had two very different pitchers. One was around 6' 5", a righty, and threw 98mph. The other was a 5' 10" lefty that threw low 80's. At the end of the year the big righty had one win. The lefty was the Vols most effective pitcher that year.

 

You're right bizazz, velocity is not everything. But unfortunately in todays game people automatically put guys that throw upper 80s in the category of a good pitcher.

 

The reason that a lot of these guys that throw 88 - 92 are so effective is because these hitters don't ever see that velocity. So they get up there and just swing - not knowing what they're swinging at. All thise strikeouts they get come from over anxious, scared hitters who aren't up there to hit anyways.

 

Work on your mechanics....if you're mechanically solid and effective you will get noticed. Hit your spots and get ground balls and pop flies. I don't care how many strikeouts my pitchers have!

[GradfromtheNest]

And guesswho, velocity is NOT everything. You are definately going to turn some heads when a scout reads his gun and it says 92!!! But scouts look for a lot more in players than just the obvious. A lot of scouts arrive before the game to check out a player's pre-game routine, his work ethic, his fundamentals. And for pitchers they really like to see the pitcher throw in the bullpen before the game. Everyone is so enamored by the radar gun, that they tend to overlook the small complexities of pitching and just playing baseball. Scouts look for a lot more than they act like.

 

Also, scouts look at attitude, grades, and they talk to others.

Edited March 4, 2004 by GradfromtheNest

[MilanDog9]

It all depends where you are currently at. If you follow a rigorous offseason training program then you should definately make some gains. Of course if you're already at 92 it's going to be harder to gain 5 or 6 mph than if you start around 82. I have several friends who after a year or two playing college ball have increased their velocity 5 or 6 mph or even better. I know one guy who was consitently throwing about 86 in high school and after 2 years in college was throwing 94 on average. It just depends on several factors - body type, what kind of strength and conditioning program you're on, how hard you work. IT doesn't matter what you do, if you don't work hard day in and day out you won't get better...that's with everything in life!

I agree 100%.....my senior year of high school I was throwing consistently 80 mph.....Now as a freshman in college, I've gained like 6-7 mph just by working hard every day. I think on an average, I'm hitting like 86. But I'm gonna keep working hard and try to get that to around 90 next year. You seem to really know what you're talking about GradfromtheNest.

[MilanDog9]

#1 Velocity is not everything.  I've seen plenty of good HS pitchers who barely touch 80. 

 

Correction-thats exactly what scouts look at first (velocity). There are plenty of pitchers that throw not-so-fast and are really good for the high school level. College coaches and scouts want to see that radar gun light up with a pretty high number. Those are the facts

Once again, great post Grad.....pitching isn't all about throwing hard. You can throw low 80s in college and still be more effective than a low 90s pitcher. All you have to do is hit your spots. If you can hit your spots and keep a good hitter off balance, then you can be as effective as any guy that throws high 80s to low 90s. And that's fact in itself! Guesswho, I'm not trying to come down on you, but it's like I said in an earlier post, I threw 80 consistent my senior year in high school....my ERA was like a 1.92 also.....and I was offered scholarships by like 6 different schools....now don't get me wrong none of the schools were like Tennessee or Mississippi St.....but to name a couple, Union and Jackson St. looked at me.....and I chose Jackson St. So like I said, just understand that velocity ISN'T everything a scout looks for.

[GradfromtheNest]

Thanks MilanDog, I know a little bit...

[davidlimbaugh]

two words:

 

Jamie Moyer