Switch Pitching 101

A  knuckleball  (or  knuckler ) is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown slowly with a special finger grip to minimize the spin of the ball in flight.  The slight rotation causes voritces over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction making it very difficult to hit and catch.  Knuckleball 101   - Blog - Learn how to throw the knuckleball   As used by Eddie Cicotte, the knuckleball was originally thrown by holding the ball with the knuckles, hence the name of the pitch.  Now the  knuckleball  grip includes digging the fingernails into the surface of the ball or gripping the ball with the finger tips. Is there an ambidextrous pitcher who can throw a knuckleball? Watch Switch Pitcher Henry Knight throwing the knuckleball. Great knuckleball pitchers: Tom Candiotti,  Charlie Hough...

Videos of an ambidextrous pitcher throwing the cut fastball. Switch pitcher Henry Knight throwing the cut fastball (cutter) in a bullpen session. Knight throws the cutter both right- and left-handed to induce swings and weak contact for easy outs. When in high school, Knight learned how to throw the cutter from UW pitcher Tyler Davis, then practiced using the grip throughout the off-season. Below are videos of him testing out the cutter on a left-handed teammate. Henry Knight throws a cutter to Aiden at the K Center in Seattle. Note how the pitch moves into the left-handed batter. Knight tries out his cutter on a lefty hitter. Aiden yells and slams his bat on the ground -- after fouling the ball off. Then he describes the cutting movement of the ball toward his hands. Learn to Throw a Cutter like Mariano Rivera Tyler Davis Shows How to Throw a Cutter .

Congrats to Vanderbilt Baseball for winning the 2014 College World Series! It will be fun to see Aubrey McCarty in the pitching rotation Source: Vanderbilt Baseball Aubrey McCarty is a Switch Pitcher and Switch Hitter Aubrey McCarty photo: Vandy Baseball Aubrey McCarty    Coquitt County High School, Moultrie, GA  ( Class of 2013) Hometown: Doerun, Georgia College:  Vanderbilt  ( Class of 2017) 2013 MLB Draft: Selected by the SF Giants in the  35th round  (#1062 overall) Positions:  BH P, 1B Throws:  Switch pitcher (ambidextrous) Bats:  Switch hitter Ht/Wt:  6-3"/210 lbs Aubrey McCarty  Bio - Vanderbilt Read More about Aubrey McCarty Aubrey McCarty BHP - Perfect Game Profile Aubrey McCarty - player bio and video AUBREYMCCARTY55 ON TWITTER BHP = Both-Handed Pitcher .

Tip for young pitchers: You can learn a lot about how to pitch by catching bullpen sessions or catching a game. Catching helps you learn the strike zone and how umpires call balls and strikes. Catching gives you a perspective on the movement of different pitches and the strategy for calling a game. Make sure to talk to the pitchers about their grips and approach to pitching to batters. Have fun catching. For tips on catching, follow Jerry Weinstein @ JWonCATCHING

Henry Knight with Tyler Davis (UW) at Husky Ballpark University of Washington All-American pitcher, Tyler Davis , serves as a mentor for switch pitcher Henry Knight of Seattle. Davis had a stellar year for the Huskies, posting a 11-2 record with a 1.60 ERA . Contrats to Tyler Davis for pitching a complete game shutout  against powerhouse Georgia Tech in the NCAA Regionals. Dawgs won 8-0 Tyler Davis was on the list for the 2014 Golden Spikes Award! ...

Do ambidextrous pitchers get recruited to play in college? Yes , a few ambidextrous pitchers played in college up to the Division I level.  Two switch pitchers played for Harvard University in the Ivy League. Switch pitcher Pat Venditte initially was a walk-on at Creighton University, but was later offered a scholarship to play college ball. Alex Trautner is the latest college recruit as a switch pitcher for the Blue Jays. A few ambidextrous pitchers have been recruited to play for the top college teams in the country... Recent college recruits Alex Trautner , a switch pitcher from San Ramon Valley HS in Danville, CA will be pitching  for the Creighton University Bluejays in 2015.   Aubrey McCarty , a switch pitcher from Georgia is playing for Vanderbilt University under coach Tim Corbin. Vanderbilt plays in the SEC and won the College World Series in 2014. Ryan Perez , an ambidextrous player from Illinois, can throw 90 mph with both arms. Perez swit...

Draft opens with selections of high school pitchers Aiken taken No. 1 overall by Astros; one pick later, Kolek goes to Marlins A pair of high school arms were picked at the top of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft for the first time in history on Thursday night, with the Astros and Marlins both banking on youth and projectability. Read more MLB Draft Tracker >> 12 RHP and 8 LHP were selected in the first round, along with 2 switch hitters 119 RHP (70%) and 50 LHP (30%) were selected through the 10th round MLB Mock Draft: Brady Aiken emerges as No. 1 pick In the first round of the 2014 MLB draft, which takes place tonight, teams will be forced to make a crucial decision: Should they go with a project or a safe pick? The difference is a matter of how long a team is willing to wait to see their potential star of the future contribute. Will they go with a raw, talented player who will take time to progress through the minors? Or will they gravitate toward a mat...