Pitching Questions

Question
Dear Jon,

My name is Thiago and I am a young pitcher. I just have a couple of questions to ask.

My first question involves the speed of a pitch. I am 13 years old, 6 feet tall, and weigh 130 pounds. My average fast ball is between 65 mph to 75 mph. I once topped out at 78 mph, but that's on a good day. I have a good amount of control over it, which I believe makes it one of my best pitches. In terms of speed, how good would you say my fastball is? It's hard to judge not being able to watch someone pitch, but when I say in terms of speed, I mean compared to the average velocity on a fastball for kids around my age. Should, and if I should could I, do anything to add a few clicks onto my fastball?

Secondly, I'm not sure whether or not to incorporate a curveball into my artillery of pitches. This is because I already have a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a (nasty) cutter, a slider, a changeup, and a circle change. My pitch selections are deep enough as it is. Do you think I should use a curveball more?

My last question is about my arm's health. Not many young pitchers think about their arm's health when they are 13. I'm worried that throwing a fastball that fast at such a young age is dangerous. I remember I had a long practice where I pitched by myself for over 2 hours almost nonstop. Since then, I've been having a slight pain in my right (and pitching) arm. Actually, the pain is really small and is on my back, near where the lowest part of the shoulder blade. I believe it is a muscle injury or a bruise, but should I worry about this for future pitching experiences?

I just want to say thank you for taking your time to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance,
Thiago

Answer
Thiago-
Your fastball sounds like its fast enough. try working on the location of your fastball down and to both sides of the plate.

I don't think you need you add a curveball. Instead try taking off and adding speed to the breaking pitch you use the most already. tinker with the break and getting it to look like your fastball when it comes out of your hand.

After watching the Little League World Series all week, i think its very important to follow their rules for pitch counts. 85 pitches was the max. Throwing more than that is putting your arm at risk. Think quality over quantity. At your age, go slow, if you want to make a career out of pitching you need to take care of your arm.

Jon