arm strength?

by kevin
(new york)

Kevin asked: I recently asked you a question about what it takes for a pitcher to make it to an elite college. I am setting those goals, but is 81 mph fast for a tenth grader in january? And do scouts look to see if pitchers can hit also bc I am a pretty good hitter too.

Rick Answered: 81 is good for a tenth grader.

The hitting portion comes about because I believe you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket.

You never know how things will develop year by year. The more baseball abilities you have cultivated, the better prepared you will be for what comes along.

Trevor hoffman was a college shortstop, drafted and eventually became a tremendous MLB pitcher.

Rick Ankiel was a MLB pitcher, who is now a MLB outfielder.

Just a couple of examples of the numerous athletes who ended up doing something other than what they thought they might be doing.

Teams never have enough hitters. If you can hit, it increases your value.

There is generally a fascination with the radar gun. While it is interesting to see how hard you throw, it is one small part of the entire pitching package.

The ability to locate that velocity with some movement and create a definitive gap between the speed of your fastball and the speed of your change will ultimately become the true measure.

I saw Pedro Martinez , in an ALCS series, strike out a hitter with 3 consecutive changeups, each one 4-5 mph slower than the one before, and with different movement. Very impressive.

Pedro Martinez quote: "I'm sorry if you can't hit a changeup, you're going to see it again!"

Get ahead, stay ahead and finish. The best pitch in baseball is strike one!

Have a good spring.

Yours in baseball,

Rick