Stop Breathin' Wrote:
DHRjericho Wrote:
Stop Breathin' Wrote:
Senator NMI LooGAR Wrote:
Hope your insurance covers those Tommy John surgeries

We no do the breaking balls yet.
Perfect. I wouldn't let him throw them until he's 16 (maybe younger if his body is more mature). Change-ups are a young pitchers best friend.
It's debatable. I've talked to a few college pitching coaches, and they all agree that someone his age can throw one without arm damage, but the mechanics have to be near perfect. I'm not taking any chances. 65 followed by 35 makes 12 year-old batters look silly. Pitching is just like real estate. Location, location. That's what we work hardest on.
Sixteen seems a bit old, seeing as we were throwing them in ninth grade. Our coaches always told the parents of the kids growing up to use hand size as the determining factor. If their hand was large enough to grip the ball properly, then give it a go, but start slow.
I never could throw a 12-6 breaking ball anyway. My shoulder is set funny, so I stuck to a 3/4 slider and a cut fastball. Of course, I never quite got that location down either and switched to the other side of the plate.