I'm sure this sounds like a dumb question but, Why is the height of a pitcher so important?? I have seen many very tall pitchers and have seen average size pitchers. If your good your good no matter what size you are.

Its all projectability. If a 5'10 pitcher and a 6'5 pitcher are both throwing 85, people assume they can do more with the taller guy. They think theres a good chance the smaller pitcher has already reached full potential.

quote:

Originally posted by bballmom36:
I'm sure this sounds like a dumb question but, Why is the height of a pitcher so important?? I have seen many very tall pitchers and have seen average size pitchers. If your good your good no matter what size you are.

My understsnding has always been the taller the pitcher the longer the stride (which should be in relation to body height) the less the ball has to travel to the hitter, giving him less chance to see what's coming. Now take a tall pitcher throwing very fast and it takes less time. That would be the preferred type.
Discussions here of Tim Lincecum's success, he is short but has a huge stride and throws extremely hard and fast, one making up for the other.
Pitchers don't have to have all of the preferred tools to get noticed. What they do have to have is have the right ones to get people out.

Actually if the smaller 5'10 pitcher still hasn't shown signs of full maturity and throwing 85, he likely might have more projection than the fully bearded, filled in, 6'5" guy throwing 85.

I never even thought about the advantage of being closer to the plate. Makes sense about Lincecum, I read somewhere that his stride is like 127% of his height.

There's topic going on here at the same time, see pitching and size.