Switch Pitching Videos

Switch Pitchers on YouTube >>

Make sure to take pitching lessons from an expert before you start switch pitching. Many of the video clips posted online show young pitchers with very poor pitching mechanics, which will lead to arm or shoulder injury. Here are a few examples of good and poor pitching mechanics.

Switch Pitchers with good mechanics

Pat Venditte - minor league switch pitcher
This is the switch pitcher featured all over the news. He was a walk-on pitcher for Creighton University, then was drafted by the NY Yankees organization.
Glove: Switch pitches using six-finger custom glove
Feature on Venditte

Venditte had instruction from college and pro pitching coaches, which helped to develop his mechanics. Note the good glove control - he blocks the glove out in front of his body.

Pat Venditte Northwoods League Allstar Game 2007
Venditte warming up left- and right-handed

Ambidextrous Pitcher Drew Vettleson
Features pitching and hitting videos of Drew when he was on the NW Timberjacks Baseball team.

Drew Vettleson has a high leg lift, long stride, stays closed and maintains good glove control when throwing right-handed. Sometimes the glove moves behind his back on the left-handed throws, then he adjusts the glove position after the pitch so he is ready to field the ball.
Vettleson was selected in the recent MLB draft to play for the Rays organization and most likely will be an outfielder since he is a solid left-handed hitter.

Drew Vettleson selected No. 42 overall in Major League Draft

Cole Critchfield - 14yo ambidextrous pitcher

Caesars Baseball #6

Good pitching mechanics, nice glove control and follow through. Knows how to locate pitches in the strike zone. Using an ambidextrous glove to pitch.

Cole Critchfield pitching video - throws right-handed, then left-handed

Switch Pitchers who need to work on their mechanics

Jarett Massey - Clovis, CA
Jarett is a young switch pitcher who could do well with professional pitching instruction. His pitches are around the strikezone, but he needs work on bimechanics including controlling the glove side.
Glove: Switch pitches using two separate Rawlings gloves.
Dominant hand: right-handed
Jarett Massey pitching video - throws left-handed, then right-handed

Note the lack of glove control - the glove moves way behind his back on the follow through - putting the glove out of position for fielding balls hit up the middle. Left-handed, Jarett separates his hands early, opens up too soon and lands open, resulting pitches out of the strike zone. Right-handed, he tilts backward on the leg lift, putting him off balance, then he opens up too early on the throw.

Jesse Harris - 12yo, demos use of ambidextrous glove
Jesse Harris is ambidextrous and pitches with a custom made six finger glove made by Mizuno.
Jesse Harris pitching video - left and right-handed
Fun to watch, but note the poor throwing mechanics and lack of glove control. A short stride plus the unbalanced landing results in the pitcher falling off the side of the mound. With the glove way behind the back, it would be difficult to field grounders or hard hits back to the pitcher.

Video of Jesse Harris pitching in a game. He throws some good pitches, but notice the lack of glove control. It looks like he gave up some hits/walks since there were three different runners on second base (#21, 1, 14).

Read - Pitching Tips

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RainierBaseball - YouTube

Featuring ambidextrous pitchers from Little League, high school, college and the minor league.

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Fastball Velocity - How fast do kids throw?

How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? The average fastball is between 50-60 mph for a pitcher in the Majors division of Little League (11-13 yo). Pitchers in the Little League World Series throw fastballs 60-70+ mph. Only a few pitchers touched 70+ mph in 2015 and 2016. One man-child hit 81 mph on the radar. This velocity is almost unhittable from 46 feet and extremely rare for a 13 year old. #18 RHP Carlos Gonzalez - Panama 79-81 mph fastball 105 mph MLB equivalent reaction time #18 RHP Jaekyeong Kim - South Korea 75-76 mph fastball #19 RHP Ryan Harlost - Mid-Atlantic, Endwell, NY 71-74 mph fastball Threw a complete game to win the 2016 Little League World Series Loreto Siniscalchi , a 6'1" pitcher from Canada, threw in the mid 70s and completely dominated the hitters from Japan. He led Team Canada to its first victory over Japan in 18 years. Big right-hander Isaiah Head from Kentucky threw 70-73 mph fastballs. His record was 3-0, 12 I

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting. The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches, solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule 1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ) Off

Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers

Custom made Mizuno ambidextrous glove Looking for a glove for a switch pitcher? Before spending hundreds of dollars on a custom glove, please think about age of the player and how much time they will spend pitching. Here are glove options for ambidextrous pitchers, based on age: Age 3-5 Kids don't pitch at this age. They should be learning the proper way to throw. Young kids should try catching the ball with two hands. Use tennis balls or foam balls for throwing. Forget about the low quality plastic glove - it's in the landfill within a year. Gloves are awkward for young kids. If they learn two hand catch when they are young and continue with the skill, they will do well fielding balls when they are older. Learning to throw with both arms is easy at this stage. If a child can throw with either hand when they are three-years-old, it doesn't mean that they are talented or ambidextrous - it just means that they are a typical kid. Gloves: Buy a small leath

Switch Pitching 101

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