Pitching Speeds

An important part of pitching which shouldn’t not be overlooked is the velocity a person can throw ball. Many pitchers goal is to achieve a high velocity, and the fact is that college and Major League Baseball scouts look at a pitcher’s fastball velocity. Coaches as young as the Little League age seem to put a lot of emphasis on fastball velocity and how hard a pitcher can throw, well because at younger age velocity is harder to hit.

The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. The average change up speed for this age is about 10 mph slower, putting the velocity between 30-40 mph.

Pitchers in the 11 and 12 year old age group are playing in the majors division in Little League. This leagues are where teams are more involved in developing kids rather than playing for fun. The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. However, at this age the players may start to hit puberty, however it is not uncommon to see a pitcher throwing near 70 mph. The changeup velocity at this age is typically between 40-50 mph.

The pitchers in the 13 and 14 year old age group can be heavily involved in travel baseball, finishing up their Little League experience, or tournaments. A typical fastball from this age group is anywhere from 55 mph to 75 mph. A pitcher throwing 75 mph is above average for this age, and their fastball is at a high school caliber. An average changeup for this age is somewhere around the 50-60 mph mark.

A high school pitcher can be anywhere from 14 to 18 years of age. This plays a factor in determining an average fastball velocity, however remember that most high schools have a Freshmen, Sophomore, and Varsity program to break up the large age gap. On the average, a typical Varsity high school fastball is between 75-85 mph, although many good Varsity pitchers will be seeing the upper 80s and low 90 range. The Freshmen pitchers will usually be throwing at a very similar speed to the 13 and 14 year olds, and the Sophomores will be somewhere in the middle. A good changeup for a high school pitcher is a -10 to -15 mph drop from their fastball, so anywhere from 60-75 mph is very common for a high school pitcher.

Once a pitcher its done at high school, they have most likely reached their maximum fastball velocity, however some small gains are still possible, some people work harder than others or they just develop at a older age. The average fastball for these upper level pitchers are 90 mph, but there will always be a rarely group of guys who can throw near to 100 mph. At the lower levels of college baseball, there will still be guys in the low to mid 80s. Changeups for this group should be at about a -15 mph drop from their fastball, bringing the velocity near the upper 70s.

Reference:
Boddy, Kyle. “On Velocity Being the Most Important Thing in Pitching.” Driveline Baseball, Driveline Baseball, 2 Feb. 2018, http://www.drivelinebaseball.com/2013/10/velocity-important-thing/.