Expert: John Priest - 3/31/2010

Question
How seriously do high school and college coaches look at off speed pitchers? How do you get them to give you a good look?

My skinny pre-puberty 13 year old has an excellent track record and is in his 5th year of travel ball. He is a disciplined, "smart" location pitcher, with a fastball, awesome change up, and slip pitch.  His ERA for this season is 0.00 so far. He was the number 2 starting pitcher on his travel team (a top Major team in the state/ the #1 kids is unbelievable!).  He and the #1 kid were THE go-to pitchers for all the most important games. Yet even then it was the 'throwers' who get the attention/buzz - you know, kids who can throw hard but are not "pitchers".
We live in an extremely talented, competitive baseball area, and JV/Varsity positions are hard to come by. Son has a reputable pitching coach. Just wondering if my son will stop being referred to as "a good little pitcher" and be given serious consideration when he's old enough for JV try outs next year. All we ever see are folks with radar guns - not looking at the strike zone. His speed is decent, but not a "WOW" factor, but he gets the job done.

Thanks for your thoughts/advice!

Answer
High School and College coaches do look at speed as well as location, accuracy, pitch types,  stats, and making outs.  Speed always is a turn on for coaches but it all comes down to making an out and preventing runs.  If your son can keep the hits on the ground and the runners off base i wouldn't worry about the pitch speed.  The easiest pitch to hit is the fastball no matter how fast the pitch is.  The best chance for these coaches to "give you a look" is to perform in the games and go to showcase camps.  Just remember to make outs and be smart with pitch selection and location.

Hope this helps.
Thank You,
John Priest