Switch Pitching 101

"If you're going to make it as a pitcher, kid, you've gotta have a fastball. Develop a good one, and you'll go far." "Unless you are already at the professional level, velocity is what matters for continuing your career."  –  Ben Brewster, pitcher - Chicago White Sox organization Velocity is very important in college "If you want to pitch in college, then you need to spot a good fastball (87-90+ mph)"  – D1 college pitching coach Are You Ready to Pitch in College? In order to have real success as a starting pitcher in college, you will likely need to throw above 80 mph. -  theulitmatepitcher.com Why they are not recruiting you You do not throw hard enough. College coaches are looking for pitchers who have college velocity. Average College Fastball (Stalker Gun) Pro Level: 90-92 mph Top 25 Division: 89-91 mph Division 1: 87-89 mph Division 2: 85-87 mph NAIA:85-86 mph Division 3: 83-85 mph High School: 78-80 mph  Rea

Watch to see what New York Yankees ambidextrous minor league pitcher Pat Venditte has in his repertoire.  Venditte pitches for the Trenton Thunder , Double-A Eastern League Pitches Thrown LHP: fastball, slider, changeup   Velocity is low to mid 80s, go-to-pitch is the slider RHP:  fastball, slider, changeup        Velocity is low to mid 80s,  go-to-pitch is the slider    Throws a little bit harder from the right side, using a side-arm delivery Mentality on the Mound: One out at a time. Execute the next pitch. Do what you have to do to get the team in the dugout and get the bats going Learn about Pat Venditte >> ...

Albert Trujillo  Perris, California Perris  baseball   - Perris Valley Historical Museum From an oral interview with Norman Hughes (a long time Perris Valley resident) in March 2004 a glimpse was given of some members of these teams. Norman remembered the names of three players. They were Elmer Rieger, Jimmy Kincannon and Albert Trujillo who were all pitchers. Norman reported that Albert was ambidextrous and won both games of a double header. He pitched one game right handed and the other game left-handed.  .

SECOND MERKLE HEADS TO TECH BY JULIAN GARCIA , ANTHONY MCCARRON NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday, January 6, 1998 Talk about baseball bloodlines. Kellenberg's Tom Merkle signed a letter of intent to play for New York Tech next fall, meaning he and his dad, Larry, a pitcher and 1970 grad, will be the first father/son combo in school history. Tommy Merkle hit .340 last year and is also blossoming as an ambidextrous pitcher . "Tech plans to use him as a lefty pitcher and as a righty," Larry Merkle said. Read more

Sens HOF inductees announced June 24, 2014   By CURT SYNNESS Independent Record The Helena Senators American Legion baseball program has announced the inductees in its inaugural Hall of Fame class. Those selected were Dick Muffick, Herb Plews, Clayton Linebarger, Terry Screnar, Kirk Johnson, Kim Hurley, Ace Kindrick and Keith Sell. Keith Sell has been involved with Senators baseball in various capacities off and on for more than 40 years. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he has served as an assistant coach, head coach and general manager. A former Copper League pitcher, Sell was ambidextrous , and would throw batting practice for the Senators with either hand “with something on it,” according to a former player. The annual Keith Sell Tournament bears his name. Read the article

How to Throw an Eephus Pitch - lob the ball 15 to 20 feet up in the air and have it land in the catchers mitt. The Eephus pitch is easy on the throwing arm, but it takes practice to master the arc and location of the pitch. The concept is to change the batters eye level and mess with their timing. It's difficult for a batter to sit back and wait on a slow pitch. Dave LaRoche "La Lob" Eephus Pitch Strikes Out Willie Wilson

Screwball Grip of Hector Santiago The screwball enables pitchers to throw a ball that breaks away from opposite-handed hitters. It's moves in the opposite direction of a curveball. The Mystery of the Vanishing   Screwball By  BRUCE SCHOENFELD JULY 10, 2014 nytimes.com Hector Santiago of the Los Angeles Angels was sitting at a restaurant table in Glendale, Ariz., in March, holding an orange in his left hand. He formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger, then spread his remaining fingers around the fruit with half an inch between each one. He was demonstrating how he throws his screwball, which is the best in baseball mostly because nobody else has one.  The secret, he said, is to exert no pressure with the pinkie or ring finger. As he moved his arm forward in a slow-motion simulation, he pushed hard with his middle finger on the inside of the orange until much of his hand was beneath it, creating a clockwise spin. “Like driving on your right wheels going around a

Stories about young pitchers who threw too many pitches  ... Some experts attribute rash of pitcher surgeries to overuse as kids John Shea sfgate.com Updated Sunday, June 29, 2014 The numbers keep getting updated. Fifty-two professional ballplayers have undergone  Tommy John  surgery this year, including 48 pitchers, 22 from the big leagues. The reasons keep getting debated. Overthrowing. Underthrowing. Throwing too hard. Throwing too many sliders. Throwing with bad mechanics. Throwing year-round in travel ball. Youth coaches doing a poor job monitoring the throwing. Ditto for parents. Read more Overuse of young pitchers fueling MLB's Tommy John surgery problem by Tom Verducci | April 15, 2014 si.com The elbow of  Jameson Taillon  gave out last month at the age of 22 and after just 382 professional innings, all of them monitored with extreme caution by the team that handed him $6.5 million out of high school, the  Pittsburgh Pirates . Taillon had been t

Ambidextrous pitcher Henry Knight throwing fastballs and changeups during a bullpen session at the K Center in Seattle. Watch the circle changeup at  0:30 The circle change looks like a fastball on release, but comes in 8-10 mph slower to the plate and then drops low in the strike zone. From the side it can look like a curveball to the spectator – due to the drop the ball makes in front of the plate. UW starting pitcher, Tyler Davis , gave Knight valuable tips on throwing the circle changeup. Jamie Moyer proved that the changeup is one of the best pitches in baseball. The changeup keeps hitters guessing and off-balance during the swing. Pitches in video: Fastball (4-seam & 2-seam), Circle Changeup ... How to throw a changeup with Tim Collins Pro pitcher Tim Collins demonstrates two changeup grips: Palmball and Circle Changeup. ...