Originally Posted By: abolt300
Originally Posted By: SkiTar
Originally Posted By: doekiller
70 mph for a 10 year old is about normal for a good pitcher. So the softball pitcher isn't any different for the age.



There in NO softball pitcher throwing 70 at 10 years old. As a matter of fact, if someone told me that their 12 year old daughter could throw 70 I would take that bet for at least $1000, any day of the week. The best pitcher in the history of softball, Jenny Finch, averaged around 70 +/- as an adult. My daughter throws 45- 50 at 12 years old and she is above average for sure. Once a girl breaks 50, additional MPH are VERY hard to come by. If they add 3 MPH each year until they are 18, they have become VERY good.

A 10 year old baseball player that can throw 70 would be an absolute FREAK of nature. I'm not going to say that they do not exist but I would have a better chance of riding the space shuttle than actually meeting one. 55 MPH is absolutely bringing the heat at 10 years old as a baseball pitcher. The best pitchers in baseball don't typically see 70 MPH until 8th or 9th grade. The best pitcher on the #1 ranked 14U travel team in the state, averages around 72 on his fastball.


If the best pitcher on the #1 ranked 14U travel team averages 72, he throws nothing but junk, there's not much baseball talent in AL or you're playing in a very low classification. Betting money that it is the latter. When my oldest son played 14U he was 77-78 consistently and all 6 of our pitchers threw 70+. We played teams from south FL and GA at every tournament that had kids throwing in the low 80's consistently. Come over to NW or South FL or head on over to East Cobb and play in the "major" division and you'll see every pitcher out there breaking 72 with most in the high 70's low 80's with junk.


The two best 14U teams in Alabama, in the "Major" division, are Alabama Elite and the Birmingham Believers. I know most of their kids and I know for fact that they aren't throwing in the 80's. They are throwing in the low to mid 70's at best. As a mater of fact, two of the best pitchers on the Dulins Dodgers out of Memphis ( possibly the best team in the southeast), are from here in Birmingham. I know them well and if they are throwing 80+ I would have to see it on a radar gun to believe it. Also, Keep in mind that the kids I'm talking about are the top 1% of pitchers in the state. Not even close to being "average".

A 75 MPH fastball looks WAY faster than a 72 MPH fastball. I think what happens is that a bunch of parents are standing around watching a tournament game and in comes this pitcher throwing 73 -75, well it looks SO MUCH faster than anything they have seen all day so someone pipes up and says "hes got to be breaking 80" without ever seeing him on a radar gun. That's how rumors and myths about 14 year olds that throw as hard as the pros get started.

At all Birmingham Barons games, they put the pitch speed up on the big screen after every pitch. Most of these minor league pitchers are averaging 88 - 92 on their fastball. Can they bump 94- 95 every once and while, yes, but it certainly isn't their average. There is no way a 14 year old is with-in 10 MPH of those guys.

Last edited by SkiTar; 05/05/17 04:02 AM.