Draft Eligible College Pitchers with Unique Release Heights — Prospects Live (2023)

In my last 2022 draft preview article, I highlighted college pitchers in the upcoming draft who utilize sweepers in their arsenals. In an effort to continue focusing on micro level components that contribute to the success of a pitcher’s arsenal, I have shifted the attention towards release height. Release height is defined as the height of the ball from when it is released from the pitcher’s hand.

One of the hotter topics that is being discussed in the baseball world today is the significance of a pitcher's release height and how it has an impact on their arsenal. When examining 2021 Major League Baseball release height data, the average release height amongst pitchers with a minimum of one-hundred pitches thrown was 5.9 feet. Below is a dot plot which further emphasizes the different release heights at the major league level.

As one can observe, there is a dense population of pitchers who hover around the 5.9-foot release height. Release heights ranged from as high has 6.9 feet (Ross Stripling, Toronto Blue Jays) down to 1.2 feet (Tyler Rogers, San Francisco Giants).

As player development technology continues to advance, athletes are rigorously looking for ways to continue to separate themselves from the middle of the pack. In this case, it would be pitchers who deviate from the average release height and have either an above or below average release height.

To take the release height concept one step further, I have filtered through draft-eligible pitchers who have unique fastball profiles when it comes to their own release height. Since Rapsodo and Trackman introduced the concept of induced vertical break (IVB), it was generally assumed that pitchers who threw fastballs below 12” of IVB should throw sinkers located down in the zone, and pitchers who threw fastballs with IVB greater than 16” should attack up in the zone. Those who fell in the 13”-15” range were deemed dead zone heaters. This hurts the value of the pitcher as they are unable to generate enough carry up in the zone to generate whiffs or induce enough sink to get ground balls in the bottom of the zone with their offering. To further emphasize, these are all assumptions that are made without contextualizing a pitcher’s release height.

However, as Driveline’s Chris Langin pointed out in a recent Twitter post, evaluators must first look towards a pitcher’s release height before drawing conclusions on how the athlete’s fastball will play in game, regardless of if the pitch has rise, sink or dead zone characteristics. (I would highly recommend reading Langin’s content on his Twitter as he has helped me gain a better understanding of the direction pitching development is headed in the game today). As Langin points out, a pitcher’s release height has a significant impact on creating deception to opposing hitters regardless of the movement profile.

Generally speaking, pitchers who throw from a higher release height or an over-the-top slot tend to throw more efficient fastballs in terms of spin efficiency. This is because their tilt sits in the 12:00 to 12:30 range for right-handed pitchers and the 11:30 to 12:00 range for left-handed pitchers. The longer a pitcher can stay behind the ball, it leads to a more efficient fastball, which leads to a greater IVB output and allows the pitcher to attack up in the zone effectively.

(Video) UPDATED: 2023 Perfect Game Mock Draft

On the other hand, low slot pitchers tend to have a difficult time getting behind the baseball due to their lower release. Thus, it pushes tilt closer to the 1:30 – 2:00 range for right-handed pitchers and 10:30 to 10:00 for left-handed pitchers. In doing so, this kills IVB and as a result the offering plays better at the bottom of the zone.

With this baseline understanding in mind, my goal is to highlight college pitchers who do the opposite of what was laid out above. Meaning, low release pitchers who can get behind the baseball and generate ride up in the zone, as well as higher slot pitchers who are able to throw sinkers and find success pitching at the bottom of the zone.

To compare this idea to pitchers currently at the major league level, Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers and Blake Treinen of the Los Angeles Dodgers are prime examples. Hader is an anomaly in the sense that he releases at a 5-foot release height with 11:00 tilt. Hader can throw very efficient fastballs (99% per Baseball Savant) and finds success up in the zone despite throwing from a lower release. He also has one of the flatter approach angles which also adds to his unicorn fastball profile. On the flip side, Treinen releases from a higher 6’3 release height and is able to dominate hitters at the bottom of the zone with his iconic seam-shifted sinker.

With this context in mind, I have listed a handful of draft eligible college pitchers who demonstrate these characteristics in their arsenal.

Jake Saum LHP University of California Los Angeles:

The 5-foot-11-inch Saum experienced a breakout summer on the Cape with the Orleans Firebirds after he had his 2021 campaign cut short by an injury. Saum can effectively attack hitters up in the zone due to his ability to get behind the baseball in the 10:30-10:15 range and generates lift. He is used primarily as a reliever and has a four-pitch mix in which he commands all offerings. His fastball sits in the low 90s and he has shown the ability to consistently throw strikes up in the zone with the pitch. Below is a heatmap which showcases the whiffs Saum generates up in the zone.

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As the heatmap conveys, Saum is able to find success pitching up in the zone with his low release high hop approach. Saum will return to the Bruins this spring and will look to anchor down the backend of the bullpen. He profiles to be a reliever long term in pro-ball.

Cooper Hjerpe LHP Oregon State University:

Standing in at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds., Hjerpe’s long levers paired with his low release height help to create deception in his operation which creates fits for opposing hitters. He demonstrates great control of his fastball which is reflective in his 70-percent strike rate. He commands the pitch well up in the zone and is able to generate lift with the offering despite throwing from a lower release. Similar to Hader, Hjerpe has a flatter approach angle with his fastball which provides him additional resources to be successful in attacking hitters up in the zone. During the 2021 spring season, the fastball sat in the 89-92 mph range. However, he has spent the offseason working on a throwing program with an emphasis on velocity training. If Hjerpe can add a few additional ticks on the fastball and continues to showcase his strike throwing ability combined with his durability, he has a chance to shoot up draft boards in what is now a recently depleted college starting pitching crop on the surface.

Parker Messick LHP Florida State University:

Boasting one of the better fastball changeup combinations in the country, Messick checks in at 6-foot, 225-pounds. He creates deception by using an unorthodox delivery as he hides the ball well throughout his delivery. Similar to Hjerpe, he demonstrates great control of the fastball as he consistently fills the zone with strikes, especially up in the zone. In addition to the above average command, his fastball plays well up in the zone due to the IVB, approach angle, and velocity (90-93mph). The ability to successfully elevate his fastball allows him to work north and south with his plus changeup, which has tremendous depth and lateral movement. Messick will look to build off of his strong sophomore campaign and will play his name into early round consideration when evaluating his arsenal and performance as a starter.

Jonathan Brand RHP Miami Ohio University:

On the rubber, Brand stands at 5-foot-9 and has compact physical build with a clean repeatable delivery. Aside from his appearance, Brand generates elite carry on his fastball when accounting for his release height. He is able to get behind his fastball in the 1:00 – 1:15 in reference to his tilt. The fastball sits in the low 90’s has been clocked as high as 96 mph. When evaluating Brand, I was reminded of former Central Arkansas right-hander Ty Tice who made his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 when considering his physical build, release height and fastball profile. Brand rounds his arsenal out with a curveball, slider, and changeup. He figures to anchor down a spot in the RedHawks weekend rotation and will be an analytical darling to keep an eye on in the middle rounds of the draft.

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Jonathan Cannon RHP University of Georgia:

Cannon elected to return to the Bulldogs for his junior season after he was deemed a draft eligible sophomore in 2021. I had the chance to see all three of Cannon’s starts this past summer where he has a was a standout in his brief stint on the Cape for the Firebirds. He posted a 0.69 ERA with a .205 batting average against. From a physical standpoint, he has a tall, lean athletic frame with some physical projection remaining. On the mound, he has a three-pitch sinker, slider, changeup mix. Cannon lands on this list because of his sinker. Coming from a high release, Cannon sits in the mid 90s and demonstrates the ability to locate his sinker down in the zone and consistently keep the ball on the ground by inducing soft contact. The heatmap below shows that outlines Cannons strike throwing ability with his sinker down in the zone.

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As he returns to Georgia, there are improvements to be made in order to develop a more consistent swing and miss offering in his arsenal. With a strong spring, Cannon has the chance to garner attention and increase his draft stock if he is able to continue carving up SEC lineups.

Luis Ramirez RHP Long Beach State University:

Ramirez’s arsenal is capable of landing on additional lists when evaluating his changeup which flashes plus potential. However, with his fastball, he is more of a hybrid pitcher as he is able to tinker with the tilt of his fastball and throw’s two variations of the offerings, a four-seam which is used up in the zone, and a sinker down in the zone. A prime example of a hybrid pitcher in the major leagues would be San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb in the sense that he has a four-seam fastball that is used effectively up in the zone and is able to shift the orientation of his fastball down to a sinker which operates well below the waist. Ramirez’s sinker sits in the 90-92 mph range and the high release allows the offering to play well down in the zone. He is effectively able to kill spin and IVB with the offering and creates lateral movement across the bottom of the zone. Ramirez profiles as mid-round back of the rotation starter prospect.

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Tristan Stevens RHP University of Texas:

The fifth-year senior returns to Austin for his final season and projects to play a prominent role for the Longhorns as the team looks to return to Omaha. As a prospect, Stevens finds success by attacking hitters at the bottom with his sinker which sits the 89-93 mph range. He releases from a high three-quarter slot and gets good tilt on his sinker. The offering has good depth and lateral movement at the bottom of the zone as opposing hitters tend to pound the ball into the dirt on contact. Considering that he is a battle tested college arm with no years of eligibility remaining, a major league organization may look to use that to their advantage and swoop Stevens up in the later rounds of the draft.

Trent Turzenski RHP Valparaiso University:

Turzenski is an imposing figure on the mound as he stands in at 6’6 220 lbs. Physically, he is high waisted with long arms and legs. He works primarily out of the stretch position with a short arm action and an over-the-top release. His sinker has plus lateral movement as it runs across the bottom of the zone and away from left-handed hitters. Turzenski does struggle with command issues at times, but that can be a product of his mechanics and how he moves down the mound through his kinematic sequence. He also would benefit from a velo program to add a few ticks on the sinker, as it currently sits 88-90 mph. However, there are no other draft eligible pitchers who release from almost 7-feet and can locate sinkers down in the zone. When he is able to locate his sinker down in the zone, it dominates opposing hitters as it was evident in the North Woods League this past summer when opposing hitters batted .077 against the offering.

FAQs

What do MLB scouts look for in college pitchers? ›

Although clubs differ slightly on how they evaluate players, most rely on assigning grades for fastball, fastball movement, curveball, slider, any other pitches (cutter, forkball, etc.), control and velocity. This just measures one thing - how hard a pitcher can throw.

What makes a pitcher eligible for a win? ›

First, a starting pitcher must pitch at least five innings (in a traditional game of nine innings or longer) to qualify for the win. If he does not, the official scorer awards the win to the most effective relief pitcher.

What is IVB in pitching? ›

Induced vertical break is not what is sounds. IVB simply means the pitch is "breaking" upward from the average level a pitch falls from release to home plate. This is a stat that you want to stay away from being average at. Fortunately, this can be tweaked slightly depending on release height.

How do you determine the winning pitcher in high school baseball? ›

If the pitcher against whose pitching the opposing team gained the lead continues to pitch until his team regains the lead, which it holds to the finish of the game, that pitcher shall be the winning pitcher.

What do college recruiters look for in pitchers? ›

College coaches want pitchers that can change speeds confidently anytime in the count. Doing this ONE thing, in addition to hitting spots, helps keep even the best colleges hitters off-time to contact! Many college coaches are looking for pitchers that can throw pitches at 3 different speeds.

How hard do D3 pitchers throw? ›

Division III players have a pitching velocity of 77 miles per hour to 82 miles per hour on average.

How does a starting pitcher get a no decision? ›

A starting pitcher who leaves a game without earning either a win or a loss is said to have received a no decision.

What does whip mean MLB? ›

Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP)

How many innings do you need to be a qualified pitcher? ›

In baseball, a quality start (QS) is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start was developed by sportswriter John Lowe in 1985 while writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

What does KL mean in pitching? ›

K-L: Strikeouts looking. SB: Stolen bases. CS: Caught stealing. PIK: Picked off. SB%: Stolen base percentage.

What does BK mean in pitching? ›

A balk occurs when a pitcher makes an illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems to be deceitful to the runner(s). As a result, any men on base are awarded the next base, and the pitch (if it was thrown in the first place) is waved off for a dead ball.

What does R mean in pitcher? ›

IP: Innings pitched. H: Hits allowed. R: Runs allowed. ER: Earned runs allowed.

What is a good high school pitcher ERA? ›

What is a good ERA in baseball? An ERA between 2.00 and 4.00 is considered good for high school pitchers.

How many pitches should a high school pitcher throw? ›

Number of pitches: (Game) As a general rule, 15 pitches per inning times the number of innings in a regulation game is a good cutoff point. (Example: 15 pitches x 7 innings = 105 pitches, which should be the cutoff point for high school pitchers. For college pitchers, 135 pitches would be the cutoff point.

How many pitches should a high school pitcher throw in a season? ›

105 pitches, 95 for freshmen and sophomores.

How do you get noticed by colleges in baseball? ›

8 Tips To Help You Get Noticed by College Baseball Scouts
  1. Put in the WORK. ...
  2. Know college recruiting rules and schedule. ...
  3. Write down your target list of schools. ...
  4. Show off your skills with video. ...
  5. Build profiles on recruiting websites. ...
  6. Get a Rapsodo Certified Assessment. ...
  7. Reach out to coaches on your target list.

How do you know if a college is trying to recruit you? ›

How to know if a college coach is interested in you
  • Recruiting questionnaires. ...
  • Personalized camp invites. ...
  • Emails from college coaches, recruiting coordinators or coaching staff. ...
  • Social DMs. ...
  • Phone calls or texts. ...
  • In-person contact. ...
  • Unofficial or official visit invites. ...
  • Verbal offer.

What's a good ERA for a college pitcher? ›

In terms of statistics, elite pitching recruits have an ERA below 2.00, average at least one strikeout per inning, and walk less than one or less batters every two innings. On average, they have the ability to throw many innings, and most often they are only used on the mound and rarely as position players.

How fast does a pitcher have to throw to go D1? ›

Prototypical Division I pitching recruits throw anywhere between 87 and 95 MPH on a consistent basis. It is important to remember that coaches are looking for pitchers to consistently throw at this velocity, not just touch it every once and a while.

How fast do AA pitchers throw? ›

The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. Although at this age the players may begin to reach puberty, and for that reason, it is not unusual to see a pitcher throwing around 70 mph. The changeup velocity at this age is generally between 40-50 mph.

What exercises increase pitching velocity? ›

Here are five exercises that will help increase throwing velocity - one for each of the five pillars mentioned above.
  • Side-Lying Windmill (Maintain Your Mobility) ...
  • Skater Jump w/ Band (Use Lateral Exercises) ...
  • Bulgarian Split Squat (Train On One Leg) ...
  • Kneeling Anti-Rotation Chops (Hip & Shoulder Separation)
Aug 23, 2021

What age do starting pitchers decline? ›

Generally, pitchers see their velocity peak in their early 20s and steadily decline by a full mile per hour by age 26. After that, velocity drops more sharply and continues a steep decline into a pitcher's 30s.

What is the lowest ERA for starting pitcher career? ›

Ed Walsh holds the MLB earned run average record with a 1.816. Addie Joss (1.887) and Jim Devlin (1.896) are the only other pitchers with a career earned run average under 2.000.

Can a pitcher step off and fake a throw to first? ›

It can be pretty confusing whether or not a pitcher can fake to first base or not, so remember the following rule: If you step back off the rubber, first, a fake is legal. If you perform a pick off move where the first move is NOT a step back, off the rubber, then a fake is NOT legal – it is a balk.

What does BAA mean in baseball? ›

In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats.

Who has the lowest career WHIP in MLB history? ›

Addie Joss is the all-time leader with a career WHIP of 0.9678. Jacob deGrom (0.9947) and Ed Walsh (0.9996) are the only other players with a career WHIP under 1.0000.

What does FIP mean in baseball? ›

Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP)

Do starting pitchers sit in the bullpen? ›

A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if they have not yet played in a game, rather than in the dugout with the rest of the team. The starting pitcher also makes their final pregame warm-up throws in the bullpen.

How many days rest do MLB pitchers get? ›

A starting pitcher in professional baseball usually rests three, four, or five days after pitching a game before pitching in another. Therefore, most professional baseball teams have four, five or six starting pitchers on their rosters.

Can a pitcher pitch 7 innings? ›

A pitcher shall not be permitted to pitch more than a total of seven innings in: (a) one game, (b) in two games the same day, or (c) a total of two games on two consecutive days. In (a), (b), and (c), if the player is the pitcher at the end of the seventh inning in a tie game, he may pitch a total of nine innings.

What does BF mean in pitching? ›

Definition. Batters faced is simply a count of the number of total plate appearances against a certain pitcher or team. In a perfect game -- with 27 outs -- a pitcher will record 27 batters faced. Batters faced can often be used as a reference for in-game strategy.

What does G mean in pitching? ›

For example, BA = batting average, G = games played, AB = at bats, R = runs, H = hits, 2B = doubles, 3B = triples, HR = home runs, RBI = runs batted in, SB = stolen bases. 7. Pitchers have special codes for their statistics as well. W = wins, L = losses, ERA = earned run average, etc.

What does FB mean in pitching? ›

Fly-ball Rate (FB%)

(A fly ball is a fly to the outfield, while a pop-up is hit to the infield.) Fly-ball rate can be used as a metric to evaluate both hitters and pitchers, although it's more frequently used to evaluate pitchers.

What does RK mean in baseball? ›

PTS (Points): The total amount of points that your team has accumulated since the start of the tournament. PCT (Percentile): The percentile your performance falls within, graded against all other entrants in the game. RK (Rank): Your numerical rank in the entire field of entrants.

What does GF mean in pitching? ›

A pitcher is credited with a game finished if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a given game, provided he was not the starting pitcher.

What does NP mean in baseball? ›

Number of Pitches (NP)

What does SV mean for a pitcher? ›

Definition. A save is awarded to the relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team, under certain circumstances. A pitcher cannot receive a save and a win in the same game.

What does r5 mean in baseball? ›

Definition. Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs.

What does CRA mean in pitching? ›

At this point, Classified Run Average, or CRA, and it's constituent, pCRA, have gone through quite a bit.

Can high school pitchers throw 90 mph? ›

Many high school pitchers are consistently throwing in the low to mid-80s mph by their junior year, with some notable athletes hitting the upper 80s or low 90s mph. Senior pitchers often have the fastest pitching speeds, ranging from the mid-80s to the low 90s mph.

Who has the worst ERA in MLB? ›

The lowest single-season ERA in league history was posted by Tim Keefe, whose 0.86 ERA in 105 innings pitched for the National League's Troy Trojans in 1880 led his closest competitor by . 52 runs.

What is a good WHIP for a pitcher? ›

What Does WHIP Tell Us? When it comes to Major League-caliber pitchers a good WHIP is around 1.00. Anything below 1.00 is outstanding (potential Cy Young worthy) since it demonstrates how dominant a pitcher is.

How hard does a 15 year old pitcher throws? ›

Average throwing speed of a 15 year old throw

A 15-year-old should strive to throw between 60 and 70 mph in baseball. However, this is only an average, and a young athlete's throwing speed can be impacted by a variety of variables. It's essential to remember that throwing velocity can vary between boys.

How many innings can a high school pitcher throw? ›

A pitcher may pitch one game each day in an unlimited number of innings. If he pitches in more than one game during a day, he will be limited to a total of ten innings each day. It is strongly recommended that a player who has pitched a full game the previous day not be used as a pitcher the following day.

What happens if a pitcher throws too many pitches? ›

Once the pitcher throws 66 or more pitches, he must now rest four days before he can pitch making him ineligible to throw on Saturday. The soft cap refers to the maximum number of pitches that a pitcher can throw on a daily basis (either 70 or 90).

How many days rest for 80 pitches? ›

76+ pitches – 4 days rest. 61-75 pitches – 3 days rest. 46-60 pitches – 2 days rest. 31-45 pitches – 1 days rest.

How many days rest is 85 pitches? ›

If a player pitches 61-75 pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed. If a player pitches 46-60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed. If a player pitches 31-45 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest is required.

How many pitches until a pitcher gets tired? ›

Youth limits

Once a pitcher throws 21 pitches (under 14) or 31 pitches (15–18) in a game, the pitcher must rest and not participate in pitching. Furthermore, pitchers may not be catchers if more than 40 pitches were thrown by the player.

How do you get college scouts to look at you for baseball? ›

8 Tips To Help You Get Noticed by College Baseball Scouts
  1. Put in the WORK. ...
  2. Know college recruiting rules and schedule. ...
  3. Write down your target list of schools. ...
  4. Show off your skills with video. ...
  5. Build profiles on recruiting websites. ...
  6. Get a Rapsodo Certified Assessment. ...
  7. Reach out to coaches on your target list.

How do you get looked at by MLB scouts? ›

Getting Noticed by Professional Scouts
  1. Send letters and information to the professional teams. ...
  2. Attend a pro try-out day, in your area. ...
  3. Attend a Major League Scouting Bureau try-out. ...
  4. Play on a quality, high level, competitive summer travel team.

What does it take to be a d1 pitcher? ›

In terms of statistics, Division I pitching recruits have an ERA below 2.00, average at least one strikeout per inning, and walk less than one or less batters every two innings. On average, they have the ability to throw many innings, and most often they are only used on the mound and rarely as position players.

How do scouts grade pitchers? ›

Definition. Scouting grades have been a staple of MLB.com's prospect coverage for years, and they generally match how clubs grade players as well. Players are graded on a 20-80 scale: 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average.

What percentage of high school baseball players play college baseball? ›

“Am I good enough to play college baseball?” “How good do you have to be?” These are two questions that student-athletes ask most. Less than two percent of high school players go on to play Division 1 college baseball, but there are more opportunities at the other division levels.

Is it too late to get recruited as a senior? ›

The answer is no, it is not too late to get recruited senior year. It may seem that all players get recruited before their last year of high school, but this is not the case and there is certainly opportunity for you to still be recruited as an upperclassmen.

How hard do you have to throw to play D2 baseball? ›

Lower NAIA/D2 Pitcher

Pitchers in this tier typically throw velocities of 77 MPH - 82 MPH. These pitchers will have control of at least one off-speed pitch and be developing another.

Do MLB teams hold open tryouts? ›

Due to all the camps and showcases in the country and with the Major League Scouting Bureau dissolved, Major League Baseball teams hold a limited the number of professional tryouts. Only a handful of teams still hold open tryouts, usually during the summer and after the annual draft.

How do I get notice from the scouts? ›

It may seem overwhelming, but there are ways to get scouts to notice you.
  1. Ask for Help From Your Coach. Your high school coach can be a big asset when it comes to getting noticed. ...
  2. Make Yourself Visible. ...
  3. Sell Yourself. ...
  4. Utilize Social Media.

What is the salary of a MLB scout? ›

The estimated total pay for a Area Baseball Scout is $69,939 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $51,452 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users.

How fast does a freshman pitcher throw? ›

Freshmen pitchers, on average, throw in the low to mid-70s mph range, with some reaching the upper 70s. Pitching speeds often improve as athletes advance through their sophomore year, averaging in the mid-70s to low-80s mph.

How fast do you have to throw to play D1 baseball? ›

You must have a particular degree of throwing velocity to play D1 baseball as a pitcher or position player. While your exact speed will vary depending on various things, including your position and general skill set, a decent benchmark for pitchers is to routinely throw in the 85-90 MPH range or higher.

How fast should a 15 year old boy pitch? ›

A 15-year-old should strive to throw between 60 and 70 mph in baseball. However, this is only an average, and a young athlete's throwing speed can be impacted by a variety of variables. It's essential to remember that throwing velocity can vary between boys.

What age do pitchers peak? ›

Generally, pitchers see their velocity peak in their early 20s and steadily decline by a full mile per hour by age 26. After that, velocity drops more sharply and continues a steep decline into a pitcher's 30s.

How hard should a JV pitcher throw? ›

10 Years Old And Younger. The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph.

What does CG mean for a pitcher? ›

CG – Complete Game | a pitcher earns a complete game if he pitches the entire game for his team regardless of how long it lasts. SHO – Shutout | a starting pitcher is credited with a shutout when he pitches the entire game for a team and does not allow the opposition to score.

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