Tiger Timmons - Little League Switch Pitcher 1958

Switch Pitcher Stars in Little Loop Play
The Bridgeport Post, 18 May 1958

Birmingham, Ala. - Switch hitters are no problem for John (Tiger) Timmons. He switch pitches.

The 12-year-old Little League sensation keeps the batters bewildered with his double dealing. And it's no wonder because ambidextrous hurling is a baseball rarity.

Tiger, who likes to go three innings right-handed and then change to southpaw style, even has professional ballplayers and one major league scout guessing which is the natural throwing arm.

Bancroft Timmons says his son's ambidexterity is by no means accidental. He has had Tiger throwing baseball with both hands since he was 2 years old.

Practice was the key to the youngster's phenomenal tactics. Even during cold winter months these sessions continued indoors until Tiger was 8 years old. Pitching inside the Timmons home was stopped then - the walls were getting cracked.

"This boy is a marvel, a surefire major leaguer," said San Francisco Giant Scout Clydell Castleman after a recent visit to the Timmmons home.

Castleman, former Giant hurler, said in amazement:

"I watched him work closely and until this day I don't know whether he's a natural right-hander or left-hander. He's got good control and a good delivery. I think he's a good major league prospect - and what a drawing card."

Tiger is a five-foot, 90-pounder.

Timmons, surprisingly enough, isn't too interested in Tiger's major league prospects. "What he does later on with his baseball is up to him," he added.

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Found on Newspapers.com
John (Tiger) Timmons 12-year-old Little League Switch Pitcher
started throwing with both arms when he was 2.

Followup story ...

Birmingham Youth Is Switch-Pitcher
Gadsden Times - 18 May 1958

Recent publicity about the five-foot 90-ounder made him nervous in last Sunday's opener, and his performance for the Homewood Little League Club was only so-so -- for Tiger. The score was 4-4 after Tiger finished his regulation limit of six inning on the mound.

"That was just the pressure of the big build-up in the newspapers." said Timmons of his son. "He'll have his confidence back Sunday and start winning again."

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Little Leaguers ...
By John Morrissey
The Daily Mail (Hagerstown, Maryland), 17 Jul 1959

Taking a page from the book of Angel Macias, the ambidextrous ace of the 1957 Little League champions from Monterrey, Mexico, John (Tiger) Timmons kept opposing batters bewildered with his double-dealing in a Birmingham, Ala., league last summer.

The 12-year-old Timmons frequently would pitch the first three innings right-handed and then switch to southpaw serving for the rest of the game.

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Sports Salutes by Don Cox
Gadsden Times - Jun 4, 1958

Recent publicity given Birmingham Little League pitcher John (Tiger) Timmons because of his ability to pitch with either had set many a baseball expert to thinking. How often does a "switch-pitcher" come along? How high in baseball can he go flinging his fast ball and curve from both sides?

Off hand I recall one famous major league player and manager who went quite a ways pitching both as a left and right-hander. Strange as it seems he made the big show as a catcher. He is Paul Richards, now field manger and general manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

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Note: news articles on Tiger Timmons were note found beyond his brief time in Little League.

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 ...

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 recor...

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 smal...

Switch Pitching 101

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