Throwing Harder

I am sometimes frustrated by how concerned all of my pitchers are about how hard they throw. I know I know.... stop yelling... I know scouts care about how hard you throw. That doesn't mean it is the most important thing with which they are concerned. On the forum I post on, there are current threads about how a pitcher can throw 90 - genetics or hard work and all of the different ways to generate velocity. I think my biggest concern is that young pitchers will loose sight of the thing that scouts are really concerned about. Can you get hitters out. I am sure it has been said before but I will say now... "If you could stand on your head and throw underhand and consistently get hitters out... a professional team would give you a job." I truly believe this. Certainly, throwing harder gives hitters less chance to react to certain pitches. Still, a lot of hitters love to hit pitchers that throw above 90. It is the pitchers that have a lot of movement and great off speed stuff that give hitters fits.

Again, I know throwing hard helps. I also know it would be awesome from a bragging rights stand point. But I also know that there are far more important things to work on. Developing secondary pitches, repeating your delivery, and throwing better first pitch strikes would all be much better ways to spend your time. The good news is if you work long and hard enough on your throwing mechanics and other pitches, the consistent throwing and extra work, just may parlay into better velocity on your fastball. Just make sure it isn't the only thing you are concerned about as you work off the mound.

Until Next Time