getting ready for college

Question
ok im 16 heading into my senior year...i used to be a catcher but my varsity coach turned me into a pitcher because he said i had a "live arm"..ive only been pitching 7 months..my velocity right now is about 83-86...I have been running literally everyday, about 2.5 -3 miles, for about 6 months...im 6 ft, 160 lbs..i throw a 4 seam fast ball and 2 different changeups, one they are both circle changes but i sometimes choke the ball or have it loose in my fingers...im still working on mechanics because my control is still not 100%...i played in numerous scout based tournaments so far this summer, most notibaly the perfect game 18 u and 17 u tournament in east cobb GA...my question is how hard would i need to be throwing to pitch at a division II school? i have have no doubts about my velocity increasing...

i also do leg presses, but i dont lift weights bc ive heard alot of mixed opinions on it..

some people tell me its too late for me to become a pitcher, but then other people tell me its not too late, mike torrez a former ptcher for the yankees told me its deffientley not too late...

im sorry if ive gone a little off topic, but i just need a little direction...

thank you  

Answer
Greg: Hi! Let me say right off that it is not too late for you to become a pitcher.  Trevor Hoffman was a shortstop through college and into minor league ball.  He has made the transition quite well.  His main pitch, his change.  

I saw Pedro Martinez throw an ALCS game on TV, while he was still with Boston.  I do not recall the hitter, but I will never forget this sequence.  He threw three straight changeups, the first one in the mid-80's, each consecutive change 5 MPH slower than the previous.  The hitter never took a swing, he was locked up each pitch.  I read somewhere that Martinez throws 4 different changeups.  At the time of this game, he had not hurt his arm and was still in the mid-90's with his fastball.  

You may have an advantage right now that you haven't thrown a ton of innings in your career to date.

You are also young for an upcoming senior.  In college you will have 5 years to play 4.  A redshirt year is nice sometimes to let yourself mature.  It depends on the situation you are in at the school you select.

How hard do you have to throw, to pitch at a Division II school?  I would say that will depend on the philosophy of the individual running the program.  

Some coaches base their recruitment entirely on velocity, and some don't.  Each will have their own set of standards to help narrow down their list of recruits.

Focus on improving your overall mechanics, which will help in all phases.  Your velocity will improve, your control will improve.  

1.Look at the difference in speed between your fastball and your change.  That is where the success factor comes in.
2. The ability to throw any pitch you have for a strike,  where you want it, when you need to is a tremendous asset.  


It doesn't matter if you throw 95, or 82, if you are unable to do those 2 things, it will be a struggle.


There are numerous pitchers in MLB who can rush it up there, but they have trouble with location and leave it in the middle of the plate quite often.  No matter what level you play on, all hitters will turn around a fastball in the middle of the plate.

Jaime Moyer, Tom Glavine, Doug Davis, Greg Maddox.  None of them will blow you away with their velocity.  Everything they throw moves, they never throw the same pitch, at the same velocity, in the same spot, twice in a row.  That makes them hard for the hitters to time out.

Hitting is all about timing.  Pitching is simply the disruption of that timing.

You are off on the right track.  Work the legs, your flexibility and core strength.

You didn't say how your tournaments went.  Your opportunities to pitch there, successes and set backs, you can use to formulate a workout schedule that will take you where you want to go.

Take care of your arm.  It is virtually impossible to play baseball with a sore arm, and for a pitcher it is impossible.

Another advantage you have, you were a catcher.  You already have a working knowledge of ways to set up hitters.

Good luck to you! The best pitch in baseball is STRIKE ONE!

Yours in baseball,

Rick