Skip to main content

The Mental Side of Switch Pitching

The Mental Side of Switch Pitching

Pat Venditte is blazing a trail for switch pitchers. There is nobody like him in the pros.
He has a great attitude and is a very hard worker.

Attitude:

- be positive
- hustle
- strong work ethic
- learm from mistakes
- be a team player
- learn something daily
- thank your coaches


Approach:

- first pitch strike
- focus on one pitch at a time
- make adjustments
- rely on fielders to make plays


Fun:

- have fun playing the game
- enjoy your teammates
- relax, it's only a game
- show other players your ambidextrous glove



Hecklers:
You will be called the "Freak" and other names.
Ignore them the best you can. Try wearing ear plugs - just kidding.
Be nice and smile. Answer any questions people may ask.

Q & A:

People will naturally ask questions like:

Why do you switch pitch?  (Give an honest answer)
Switch pitching is fun and it gives me an advantage.
My dad starting me throwing with both hands when I was three years old. 

What pitches do you throw for strikes?
Righty: 4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, changeup, curveball
Lefty: 4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, changeup, slider

Do you use a special glove?
Yes, would you like try it?

Where did you get your glove? How much did it cost?
My dad ordered my glove from Akadema. It costs $120. A custom-made glove can cost over $400.

What people are saying about ambidextrous pitchers.

Quotes:

“It’s not just the ability,” Swisher said. “But the huevos to do it in a major-league game.”


Braves catcher Brooks Conrad, a switch-hitter, presented a different challenge.

“How do I do this?” Conrad asked, before choosing a batter’s box.


“I don’t have overpowering stuff from either side,” he said. “And I think I really need this to be able to continue pitching.” - Pat Venditte

“I’m getting there, but I have a long way to go still,” he said. “I’ve only been in the lower levels of the minor leagues so far. I still have a lot to prove, but luckily I’ll have that opportunity to prove that.”


Comments by Tim McCarver:

Tim McCarver figures Pat Venditte's chances of someday making the New York Yankees as an ambidextrous pitcher comes with a catch.
"I think you have to wonder if people are going to get past the novelty of the act," said McCarver, the longtime Fox Sports Game of the Week baseball analyst.

"I'm not sure we're going to see him in the major leagues [anytime soon]," said McCarver. "But I think it's one of the most colorful stories we've had."

"And I can just imagine how the catcher must feel," laughed McCarver, who spent 21 MLB seasons behind the plate, "...trying to figure out which hand he's going to throw with next."

Read more

==============

Suggested Reading


by 












Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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

Angel Macias pitched a perfect game in the 1957 Little League World Series

Angel Macias, ambidextrous pitcher - threw a perfect game in the 1957 Little League World Series Angel Macias, an ambidextrous pitcher from Mexico, threw a perfect game in the 1957 Little League World Series. Macias set down all 18 batters, in six innings, from the  Northern La Mesa Little League to win the  Little League World Series. 1957 Little League World Series Newsreel Stock Footage The Perfect Game Movie   TIME Magazine, Monday, Sept. 02, 1957 Ambidextrous Angel By the time they got to Williamsport, Pa. last week, the barnstorming little ballplayers from Monterrey, Mexico were just about worn out. They had beaten their way across country for a month, had played and won eleven games from Texas to Kentucky. Coach  César  Faz  called on his best pitcher, ambidextrous Angel Macias, a twelve-year-old 88-pounder with a fine assortment of curves and sliders, plus a plain, old-fashioned fast ball under disciplined control. Against Bridgeport, Ang