What are some basic rules of pitch selection in the circle?

[Towny9]

Some general guidelines I go by:
1. Start on the plate and work your off. Too many pitchers are too fine early in the count and fall behind the have to try to get one over.
2. Make them hit your best pitch.
3. When a pitch is supposed to be in make sure it is in. Up middle down doesn’t matter as much as long as it is in.
4. If a pitch is supposed to be away make sure it is down. Up and out over the plate is a recipe for getting hit hard. (Nasty riseball out of the zone not withstanding).
5. Throw the change up when they are looking for a fastball. 1-0, 2-0, 3-1 are great changeup counts. 0-2 and 1-2 are when most young pitchers throw offspeed, but it’s actually when good hitters are looking for it the most. This is sometimes called “pitching backwards”.

 

[schwabach]

To which I would add:

… You don't tug on superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

 

[abbygale]

Have her learn inside, outside, and even more outside. Toss in a change and have fun.

 

[Rick M]

DD spends the last 15 minutes of her pitching lessons working on sequencing (she’s 15 and has been pitching for five years). Her pitching coach knows her strengths and weaknesses, and has worked with her on how to best set up her strongest pitches.

In HS, she spent time with her primary catcher, going over what she wanted to do and what to look for. Catcher calls the game in HS and they developed a good rhythm.

Same catcher on TB, but coach insists on calling the game. DD spends a lot of time shaking him off — she knows what she wants to throw and when.

If your DD’s pitching coach is competent, encourage them to work together to find the best sequences for her skill set.


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[jfitch12]

How is that different from the coach calling out a number? With even a half-way decent system, it would be extremely hard for any batter to know what's coming based on a number.

Correct. I’ve seen pitchers verbally call out the numbers (Regan Krause, now at Stanford, did that in club ball the year her team won PGF). My daughter does not like to yell, so she just finger signs the numbers off the card.

The reason to have the catcher call (rather than the pitcher) is that they have a better view of where the hitter has set up and can see what pitches are working better, among other things. I also think it is hard for some pitchers to think more than one or two pitches ahead (or behind) because they are also focusing on execution. My daughter called all her own high school games for the last two years but preferred travel where her coach or catcher did it because she felt like her own sequences often became predictable, or she sometimes could not remember how she had pitched the same batter the last time or two through the order. She definitely liked the freedom and strategy of calling the game but also has said that it was more fatiguing.


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[sluggers]

She's only 18 months into pitching and three years into playing the game. Realistically, I expect she'll have solid location, a reliable change-up, and decent drop. Top speed goal is 50.

Sounds like you are making the classic Daddy mistake of wanting to get into the "theory of pitching" way too early. If she is throwing 50 MPH to a decent 14U team, it doesn't matter if you have a supercomputer calling the pitcher--she is going to get murdered by a good team.

To execute a real pitching strategy requires more than "solid control". Your DD has to consistently (i.e., greater than 95% of the time) hit the low inside and low outside corners of the plate.

To complicate "low inside" and "low outside", each umpire call those locations differently. And, of course, each batter has a different low inside and a low outside.

If you want to teach her something, teach her this:
The strike zone varies from umpire to umpire. She needs to understand the umpire's strike

 

[CoachJD]

Some general guidelines I go by:
1. Start on the plate and work your off. Too many pitchers are too fine early in the count and fall behind the have to try to get one over.
2. Make them hit your best pitch.
3. When a pitch is supposed to be in make sure it is in. Up middle down doesn’t matter as much as long as it is in.
4. If a pitch is supposed to be away make sure it is down. Up and out over the plate is a recipe for getting hit hard. (Nasty riseball out of the zone not withstanding).
5. Throw the change up when they are looking for a fastball. 1-0, 2-0, 3-1 are great changeup counts. 0-2 and 1-2 are when most young pitchers throw offspeed, but it’s actually when good hitters are looking for it the most. This is sometimes called “pitching backwards”.

1. First time through especially. Get ahead! Some of this depends on your stuff though. Pitchers who can't dominate opponents probably need to be a little more careful.
2. Yes! Play to your strengths.

4. Especially for bad hitters. Bad hitters tend to be able to hit up and away best (and sometimes only up and away). Awful mechanics, being late, etc. all leads to a barrel that's just kinda cast out over the plate and up and I've seen my fair share of little flare singles because of a poorly placed pitch up and away

5. Good advice. Depends on how good the change up is, of course, and how capable the pitcher is of throwing it for a strike. I kind of like an 0-1 or 1-1 changeup. As Towny said, with two strikes they might expect it (especially if that's the pattern). Throwing it in those two counts can get you to two strikes, and now the hitter has to think about two speeds (if you'll throw it with 1 strike, you'll throw it with 2). And if it's a ball, well, you're not too far behind. But all that really depends on the quality of the pitch. I probably wouldn't have my pitchers throw a 3-1 change, but that's because they're not that good at it yet.

 

[mmeece]

My dd called her own games in HS with a wristband system just like most teams use. She had the "coach" card in hers and the catcher had the normal "player" card. As for pitch calling advice, just a few thoughts:
-Throw more change ups. I don't care how often she uses it, if she can throw a good one it isn't enough. If she isn't throwing it well then just show it outside of the strike zone.
-Don't worry too much about where a batter stands. Most of the advice you'll get based on that is wrong anyway. A batter who stands right on top of the plate WANTS the ball inside. That's why she's there.
-DDs pitching coach was fond of saying "Strikes are a last resort" You definitely have to show you can throw strikes, but after that, don't be afraid to stay off the plate until they make you come back in.
-Throw slappers inside. Most of them hate it and it forces them to hit more balls to the right side, which should help your defense. When you move back outside throw change ups. Also, most slappers don't hit the rise (or just high fastball) well.
-Missing outside tends to be less dangerous than throwing inside when facing a batter with good power.

 

[Bullseye]

Pitch calling takes knowing the pitcher, the batter and the umpire.
Catcher see's more than the pitcher.
Whoever is calling pitches should talk to the catcher. If whoever is calling pitches is not engaging with both the pitcher and the catcher they shouldn't be calling pitches.
Daughter pitches in college. Coaches talk with battery throughout the game, and she throws what's asked of her period. No shaking off signs. The coaches know where she is at each game day on the field . She knows they have done their research. Her job is to make the pitch happen.

 

[PJR202]

Sounds like you are making the classic Daddy mistake of wanting to get into the "theory of pitching" way too early. If she is throwing 50 MPH to a decent 14U team, it doesn't matter if you have a supercomputer calling the pitcher--she is going to get murdered by a good team.

To execute a real pitching strategy requires more than "solid control". Your DD has to consistently (i.e., greater than 95% of the time) hit the low inside and low outside corners of the plate.

To complicate "low inside" and "low outside", each umpire call those locations differently. And, of course, each batter has a different low inside and a low outside.

If you want to teach her something, teach her this:
The strike zone varies from umpire to umpire. She needs to understand the umpire's strike

As I very clearly stated here several times, im looking for rules of thumb and simple strategy that all experienced pitchers know and use. Many of these things have been shared here by others. Some things that have been shared are more advanced than she needs and I won't be implementing them any time soon. I appreciate EVERY one of them and the additional advice or information, including yours, although your presentation could use some work. I try and chalk these things up to some people not coming across in text the way they would in person.

But to refer to any sports parent who is trying their best to learn and putting in the work to help their child achieve their goals as DADDY or MOMMY is an insult. I see that a fair amount around here from various users and I think it's unfair. I also think it's generally just herd mentality and most people using the expression really haven't thought it through.

Willing parents, however misguided or frustrating they may be at times, are the primary reason youth sports continue to exist. Some of them are incorrigible. Some of them are crazy enough to ounch an umpire. 99% of them are fine. MANY of them reluctantly took the coaching position despite the time involved, or in my case...lack of confidence and knowledge of the intricacies of the game.

I've been on both sides of the parent/coach dynamic and most of us on both sides want what's best for ALL of the kids. DADDY is just trying to keep learning and do his best. Daddy is well on his way to spending $400+ on Paulygirl certification so he can teach local kids to pitch...for free..and beyond his girls' graduations. Daddy doesn't want to see the HS team endure yet another season of beat downs. There are other Daddys here who have the same mindset and thrown their support behind coaches, if not just having taken the coach role themselves. Losing sucks, and it kills programs. I care about our little town and all the kids in it.

SAFETY and success for my 9th grader and her 11th grade sister is success for the team, and removes some burden from their coach, who is overworked, underpaid and not a pitching expert. This is all I want, and if it doesn't happen it wont be from lack of effort and desire.

Thank you again for your input.