How fast does a pitcher have to throw for teams to respect the hard pitches?

[Chilixa]

In most cases, for 18u cruising around 60 won't really feel "slow" to anyone. IF (and this is a big IF) the pitcher has the ability to change speeds. If everything is at one speed then even 65 doesn't seem terribly fast to above average hitters after the first time through the batting order. We had a pitcher who could blow people away with 58mph because of her elite change up. Just anecdotal, but my dd would rather have faced 65 without a change up than 60 with a good change up.

That is kind of what I was getting at with the original question. 60 with an elite change up seems like it could be highly effective. 60 is fast enough that even good players have to respect the speed even if they can handle faster. Almost all great hitters can adjust to one speed.

But I have seen good pitchers that only throw 55 with a good change up. But the fastball doesn’t really scare teams so they can kind of sit back on both pitches. Adding 3-4 mph seems to make a larger difference than I probably expected. I guess that is why everyone chases speed.


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[Orange Socks]

But I have seen good pitchers that only throw 55 with a good change up. But the fastball doesn’t really scare teams so they can kind of sit back on both pitches. Adding 3-4 mph seems to make a larger difference than I probably expected. I guess that is why everyone chases speed.


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55 is a number for "most" HS kids that don't really play TB or stopped at the younger ages. And yes that number does not scare an experienced player. The question is very nuanced.

 

[cnardone]

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but 56 mph seems slow for anyone over 13 y/o. And 60 is a decent HS kid but they would not be considered fast. I realize radar isn't necessarily accurate but I know a lot of girls gunned in the 60s.

60 in a practice walk through is very different than actually pitching in games.

This past summer, 14uB level in north east.
We had a pitcher sitting 55-57. She was wild with a hitch in her motion that my daughter says made timing more difficult.

She could just throw the ball by a large portion of the teams we faced.

 

[DonnyS]

Always worry more when our team faces pitchers rather than throwers.

But I agree with others, 60+ seems to be a threshold for a lot of players. Probably as much mental as anything. Mid-to upper 50s for HS.

 

[Tango]

In our area 58 puts you in a different bracket. Then 61/62 and anything above is the third level.

 

[DropcityUSA]

At high level PGF, 60mph at 14u is pretty common.

Saw a girl at nationals hitting 67mph. She also got rocked all 4 games she pitched, so versus high level hitting speed alone doesn’t mean a whole lot.

There was a different girl in Colorado that hit 69mph as a 2028. She pretty consistently sits 66-68mph.

I’d guess there are a few hundred 14u girls that pretty consistently throw 60mph or more. New rules and better pitching instruction has increased speeds over the past few years.

But percentage wise, yes a few hundred out of tens of thousands is a small percentage.

 

[bsbs]

My daughter played some 16b this year. The pitching was pretty hit and miss. The girls on that team would crush the slower pitching but look silly against girls near 60. It's not their fault, they rarely see it. At 14a the best pitcher we saw probably hungout around 60 but threw a change that was 12 miles, or so less, whenever she wanted. They definitely crushed some 14u girls trying to throw 60 by them.

 

[Tazman]

At high level PGF, 60mph at 14u is pretty common.

Saw a girl at nationals hitting 67mph. She also got rocked all 4 games she pitched, so versus high level hitting speed alone doesn’t mean a whole lot.

There was a different girl in Colorado that hit 69mph as a 2028. She pretty consistently sits 66-68mph.

I’d guess there are a few hundred 14u girls that pretty consistently throw 60mph or more. New rules and better pitching instruction has increased speeds over the past few years.

But percentage wise, yes a few hundred out of tens of thousands is a small percentage.

This is different from my experience. At pgf 14u premier last year I probably saw a handful of girls over 60 and in 9ish games didn't see a single girl at mid 60s though I know of a few out there. At 16u premier this year I saw many in the high 50s and low 60s but only a handful at mid 60s and one high 60s but she was playing up at 18u. A low 60s kid that can spin and spot it has multiple P4 coaches watching at big events. Mid 60s spin and spot has half of last years top 10 watching.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

This is different from my experience. At pgf 14u premier last year I probably saw a handful of girls over 60 and in 9ish games didn't see a single girl at mid 60s though I know of a few out there. At 16u premier this year I saw many in the high 50s and low 60s but only a handful at mid 60s and one high 60s but she was playing up at 18u. A low 60s kid that can spin and spot it has multiple P4 coaches watching at big events. Mid 60s spin and spot has half of last years top 10 watching.

That's my experience, too.

I started bringing my Pocket Radar to every tournament last summer to see how hard my daughter was throwing after her injury. After the first event, I started walking around the complexes and gunning random girls to see how my daughter stacked up. I had one girl from BSC Briggs at 65 during the IDT. She was the hardest I witnessed in any event. At Top Gun in June, I had Reimer at 64 consistently, and an Impact Caymol TN recruit at 63. These girls were all 2024 pitchers except the BSC girl, who I think was a 26. Another 2026 threw 65-66 in games at Death Valley. There's a reason she's at camps for OU and UCLA.

I'm not saying girls don't throw harder. I'm just saying it's highly unlikely that the numbers are accurate, especially in games.

For the record, there were times when people thought I was a coach. I used to wear a red hat and golf pullover. I got a good chuckle out of messing with people.

 

[Tazman]

That's my experience, too.

I started bringing my Pocket Radar to every tournament last summer so I could see how hard my daughter was throwing after her injury. After the first event, I started walking around the complexes and gunning random girls to see how my daughter stacked up. I had one girl from BSC Briggs at 65 during the IDT. She was the hardest I witnessed in any event. At Top Gun in June, I had Reimer at 64 consistently, and I had an Impact Caymol TN recruit at 63. These girls were all 2024 pitchers except the BSC girl, who I think was a 26. Another 2026 threw 65-66 in games at Death Valley. There's a reason she's at camps for OU and UCLA.

I'm not saying girls don't throw harder. I'm just saying it's highly unlikely that the numbers are accurate, especially in games.

For the record; there were times people thought I was a coach. I used to wear a red hat and golf pullover. I got a good chuckle out of messing with people.

The bsc girl is one of the top recruits in the nation and one I was referring to with half of last years top 10 watching. She hits upper 60s at times. Impressive but a unicorn.