Posted by Just asking on January 26, 2025, 12:58 pm
I've noticed very few Organizations have hitters facing live pitching around this time of year. Is this the norm. I was wondering because so many kids are attending camps all over the states and some camps do live hitting and a lot kids haven't faced pitching since October or early November. That seems to be a disadvantage when schools are watching
Re: Live pitching
Posted by William Holden on January 26, 2025, 2:01 pm, in reply to "Live pitching "
I think it depends on your team’s level. Most A-level clubs are going to incorporate at least some live hitting into most practices.
OGX had an interesting X post on this recently - the tax on pitcher’s arms over winter when going to so many camps, plus balancing regular training and winter tournaments or games.
It’s a lot.
I think the best college programs understand the challenge faced at the HS level - there is hardly any time off and pitchers, in particular, often drag from season to season. They also spend the time going to see actual games in the summer season of the kids they are interested in to get a real feel for their in-game performance, behavior in the dugout and mental toughness.
At many of these camps, even Big Ten, you’re throwing off of football turf with a portable pitching rubber to a catcher you’ve never worked with. It doesn’t give you a great sense of the hitter or pitcher.
Re: Live pitching
Posted by Common Sense on January 27, 2025, 5:58 pm, in reply to "Re: Live pitching "
This isn’t overly complicated. Having a strict rule against live pitching or hitting during the off-season is excessive. It’s all about common sense and clear communication with your coaches. If your coach wants you to throw to live hitters, communicate that with your pitching coaches. Similarly, if you have an upcoming camp, let both your travel coach and pitching coaches know so it can be factored into your plan.
Pitching in a controlled environment and tracking your data is valuable—it helps you compete against yourself. However, it doesn’t give any insight into how a player will perform against live hitters. External variables can greatly affect results. The game is about competition, and when you get a chance to simulate live reps, take that opportunity. Players who go 4–5 months without simulating real-game situations often discover they had a false sense of readiness. That doesn’t mean you need to overdo it—again, it’s all about using common sense.
The OGX hot take missed the mark. Criticizing college coaches for wanting to see a player perform in front of them doesn’t make sense. Saying, “We send them the data,” only shows performance in a controlled environment, which tells nothing about how a player handles live competition. You see players posting their max velocities online, but those numbers often don’t translate to real-game performance. They’re not pitching a whole game—at best, they might get one inning. What’s wrong with that?
Some programs don’t have the resources to travel across the country in the summer or a players team might not be at a tournament. When they have a chance to evaluate a player in person, and they’re interested, the player should seize that opportunity. How is that a bad thing?
If my job depended on evaluating a player in a cage with no batter and minimal noise versus a simulated game with other players, more noise, and live competition, I’d choose the simulated game every time. It provides a much clearer picture of how to allocate recruiting time for that player moving forward.
Go out, compete, and use a little common sense.
Re: Live pitching
Posted by Answer on January 26, 2025, 4:53 pm, in reply to "Re: Live pitching "
If your organization wants you to pitch BP to your team's hitters, tell them no. It's time for camps, pitching coaching adjustments, and as much rest as possible.
Re: Live pitching
Posted by Just asking on January 28, 2025, 8:54 am, in reply to "Re: Live pitching "
I guess that's why the California and Florida girls are the top choices for high level schools. They get plenty of rest.
