Too much emphasis on velocity?

Kevin11....

Thanks for the props....glad to know we could help.

 

Of course there is too much emphasis on velocity. It certainly won't make him a great pitcher at the next level...but some may not want to hear the truth. The scouts love velocity...and yes, one can increase their velocity to a degree, but that's for another discussion. But if a kid is throwing high 80's and 90+...he wasn't taught that and that's what the scouts want....the god given talent; Because in their view, they can teach everything else.

In the real world many of us see the players pitching many, many times. We will have a better understanding of the makeup, the changing of speeds, location and the competitiveness of the player. It's awful hard for a recruiter to say with complete confidence that he knows those factors of every pitcher they scout. They don't have the time, but they can sure check one's velocity in a weekend tournament.

I had one college recruiter at a major school tell me last year that they don't recruit kids "that aren't hitting 90's". There you go....black and white...that's their standard.

We could argue all day long about the silliness of that statement, but that's the direction they take and he is one of the decision makers of a school that many people would want to attend.

 

I think there is a misconception out there about the pitchers just hitting 90+ getting looked at. Do they get looked at more often, sure they do. The reason being is that in a majority of instances velocity is something that isn't taught. Just like running the 60, a coach can't expect to make a 7.4 runner run a 6.6. It just doesn't happen. Will they improve some with better mechanics and technique, sure. But in a majority of cases, velocity (along with running, hitting for power, etc) is something that can't be taught, you have it or you don't. The pitchers that get drafted are usually pitchers that have the ability to hit in the 90s or above AND have control. I've seen many pitchers that don't have the control but can really light up a radar gun get left out of the draft.

Secondly, I think pitchers that don't throw as hard but have pinpoint control (i.e. Robert Woodard) get drafted after proving they are capable at a high level of baseball. They might not have gotten drafted as high as they would have preferred, but they do get the opportunity to prove themselves.

Lastly, if you don't think velocity matters, watch hitters face someone that throws in the upper 90s and watch them against pitchers in the low 80s. Part of being a pitcher, especially as you continue to go up in the level of baseball, is creating fear in the hitter and not allowing him to be comfortable hitting. Usually the guy throwing harder has an easier time creating that "fear", and is therefore more successful if he also knows how to pitch. It means nothing if the batter doesn't have to worry about the pitcher throwing strikes. A perfect example was the highlight from a few years ago where Randy Johnson threw the ball behind one of the guys in the all star game. It completely scared the guy to death, then Johnson ate him alive.

 

Bingo

Absolutely, in my opinion. Several years ago, an unnamed HS pitcher who threw in the upper 90's wanted $7 mil to sign right out of high school. Teams were smart enough to realize he wasn't worth the money, so he signed with an ACC school and had a mediocre college career. He signed for half a million after his junior year in 2005, and has bounced around between short season and low A ball since. Earlier this season his ERA was over 100, and recently I saw he was back in low A with 21 BB's and 2 K's in something like 12 innings. Here's a pitcher with velocity who has never learned (or been taught) to get the ball over the dish.

 

to use a football analogy, there a hundreds of 5'10" 250 lb. d'linemen who absolutely dominate in high school. how many 5'10" d'linemen do you see in the nfl or even d2 football. the short guy while a great player in high school has no where to go. he's not tall enough to put on more weight, his arms won't be long enough do handle the o'linemen,chances are hios coordination and speed are maxed out. on the other hand you often see 6'5" guys who look clueless be highly recruuited,why? potential. in short he's peaked. next level coaches and scouts look for one thing and that is ceiling, has it been reached or not. there are fortunately many levels of college baseball and unlike the other sports you can get to the next level just as easily from any collegiate level. don't believe me look at the draft and you'll see tons of colleges you've never heard of.

 

Velocity forces hitters to respect off-speed pitches!

 

You can't teach a hoop star to be...

...7 ft. tall. You can't teach a track star to run a 8 sec. hundred. And you can't teach a pitcher to throw heat. BUT you can teach to the masses (pitchers in this example) to hit their spots, control, etc. My point here is very simple. Those who have the heater, or are 7 ft tall,........will dominate a game. Thats why coaches, at any level, place emphasis on speed and power. I will say that roles are out there for a variety of players regardless of size, power, etc. E. G. Steve Nash JMO

 

Absolutely correct. I said earlier that there is always a place for "pitchers" in college. It may not be the college that they dreamt of, but if they want to continue to play baseball, there is a college for them.

 

i totally disagree. you can not teach the masses to hit their spots. mlb is now scouting worldwide and still pitching is probably as weak as it's been in ages. the combination of ball movment command,velocity and poise is truly a rare combination and not one the masses has in abundance

 

That's a good point, too. As applejack once said; a good pitcher has command and poise, but combine that with velocity makes him a great pitcher.