What is more important with high school pitchers, learning to hit corners or learning to change up speeds with pitches? What would you focus on first?

Why does it have to be one or the other? Assuming some potential for playing at a higher level they need to throw the fastball enough to keep developing it, working on both velocity and location. Assuming some competition at the HS level, and less than perfect command of the fastball, they need to work on changing speeds and being able to throw strikes with off speed pitches to be successful in HS games.

It probably wouldn't hurt to focus on fastball location for a few weeks and then to start working in the off speed pitches. A few scrimmages where they have to rely on the fastball only will let them know they have to locate it well to have some success and they'll also very quickly realize that they'll have to also change speeds to really pitch well. That approach is OK if all the pitchers are doing it, but if they are competing for a spot against pitchers who are throwing off speed pitches they need to have their off speed pitches ready to go.

My initial reaction is depending what kind of competition you are playing, they are both very important unless you are throwing 90+. Good HS hitters will be able to hit fastballs no matter where you put them.

However, if I had to pick one to work on first, it would be location. The reason being is that if you can learn how to spot your fastball, you can take the same technique and use it to spot your off speed pitches when you start throwing them. Fastballs down the middle will get creamed at the varsity level where my son plays. However, he has beaten some very good teams with nothing other than well placed fastballs and changeups. Both need to be placed, or they will get hit. Therefore, I say work on location first.

bballman,
Upper 80s with a bit of movement or downplane and good location will dominate all but the very elite HS hitters, even without an offspeed pitch. You just don't see that type of location from HS pitchers very often. I've only seen one HS pitcher who had really good location and he was effective throwing 80ish against top HS competition for a nationally ranked team. Of course he was also throwing offspeed pitches but he mostly relied on locating the fastball.

Later that summer he was somewhat less effective vs. Connie Mack competition in our area, as that tends to be a bit stronger than top HS competition.

Could be, but our region is pretty tough. There were a total of 23 D-1 signees and 4 players drafted out of our region. I know when my son threw too many fastballs, he got hit. He was throwing 82-84 with movement and location. One game he threw about 90% fastballs and got rocked. Another he did very well for 3 innings in relief mixing things up - 0 runs, 4th inning, almost all fastballs and had 4 singles hit off him to lose the game. Problem is, he was a freshman pitching varsity and was not comfortable enough to shake off the catcher yet.

On the other hand, he beat several other teams who had multiple D-1 signees and a couple of Draftees by mixing up his pitches. He went against a team that at the time was #3 in the state and threw almost all fastballs and changeups. Complete game, 71 pitches and lost 1-0. It is very important to mix things up as well as be able to locate.

Our league had 3 draftees sign and two or 3 who didn't sign. The league only had about a dozen D1 signees including the draftees, but not including the underclassmen who have committed. Depending on how you define the region of course we probably had hundreds of D1 signees.

There's location and there's location. Typically 6 players in a lineup at a good HS can't handle over about 85 or 86 mph. 8 or 9 out of 9 can't handle 87 or 88 located well. Location means hitting somewhere near the target pretty often and seldom missing in the middle of the plate. HS pitchers just don't do that, especially the harder throwers. A lot of big league pitchers don't do that.

At the area code games I watched 91 mph go right by kids who were totally overmatched and this was from a kid who didn't particularly have much of a breaking ball and at that point wasn't getting it over. These were the elite of the elite. A few of the fastballs were well located.

I'm not arguing about the importance of mixing up pitches and changing speeds. I'm just very used to people overestimating the ability of HS hitters to handle a good (not just fast) fastball.

I remember the kids telling me a few years ago about how they liked facing Robert Stock because he threw hard but didn't have location and how they had hit him pretty hard. I checked the stats and they lost 2-1 and only had a few hits and a lot of K's.

Heck, Jarrod Washburn threw about 90% fastballs at mostly 88-89 in the big leagues early in his career and was successful.

If I'm a coach, I pitch the guy with the best velocity who can also locate.

I'f I'm a pitcher, I worry about velocity first and control second. But it's not an either-or proposition. Those with the best velocity usually have the best control, too.. perfecting mechanics and a repeatable arm action result in both.

Coach:

CADad is spot on, however it depends on how the kid or kids are throwing. If they are working high 80's or low 90's then D'oh work location.

In my book velocity - velocity - velocity should be the number one developmental focus for a young HS pitcher....since most don't have it.

CADad, we're not far apart on what we are saying. I said 90+, you are basically saying 87 or 88+. I am not sure where the OP's son sits, but I would venture if he is asking about location or change of speed, he is not one of those throwing 88+. If a HS pitcher is throwing low 80's or below, he better be spot on with location and have an off speed pitch as well. My son fell into that category during the HS season. He was hitting 82-84 and when he didn't mix it up, he wound up getting hit. Sometimes hard and sometimes just a group of singles. He pitched against one of the kids in the AFLAC game. In the last inning, the kid hit an opposite field 310 ft HR off him on a fastball my son said was about a foot off the plate below the knees. That's why I say location won't totally matter unless you are throwing real gas. I'll agree with 88+.

BTW, when I say our region, that is basically our division for HS ball. We are in AAAAA - largest classification - region 6. That includes about 10 schools in the northern part of our county.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach Yosten:
What is more important with high school pitchers, learning to hit corners or learning to change up speeds with pitches? What would you focus on first?

Command your best stuff. Do not compromise stuff for command. IMHO.

If you cannot command your best stuff then work at it. Balance throughout your delivery...a delivery you can repeat......Control your body.......

Develop the fastball. Then learn to command it. Your best stuff is the fastball.