Atley Donald and Van Lingle Mungo were early hard-throwers that were actually measured. But his fastball had movement. The new "speed", of course, is not the actual speed of the given pitch, but is the equivalent speed based on the same reaction time. Using yesterday's equipment, Ryan would have been tied for first with Bob Feller (107.4 mph). Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? He threw a lot faster than Ryan. He asserted, Steve Dalkowski was the hardest thrower I ever saw.. We gave him a really great ovation as he walked of the mound. He up to 95 with the fastball, averaging 19.3 inches of IVB in 2021. The average college fastball is estimated to be between 85 and 95 mph. His pitch was measured at 108.1 miles per hour. The season starts in the spring and brings with it all the joy of the new year with new heroes, GOATs, and loads of terrific stories. Fastball velocity is on the rise. Opponents batted .121 against Chapman in at-bats that ended with a fastball reaching 100 miles per hour . We couldn't touch him every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.". Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on May 31, 2014: He was an amazing sample of a human in regards to the physical, that's for sure. Thus making this document worthy enough for display in our museum. Whats the average speed thrown in the pros? The Houston media said J.R. was just moody, and they even went so far as to say he was jealous of Nolan Ryan, who'd become the first pro athlete to make $1,000,000 per year that season. I really do gotta' stop :-P. Hi Wesman - I guess you're not a cricket man, but for a long time the fastest ever cricket bowler was a Wes- Wes Hall (Wesley) of the West Indies, credited with 105 mph deliveries. This hub is a homerun!!! I think Vin Scully invented a term for the batters who face a Koufax fastball or slider: the " jelly leg"! The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. average fastball speed 1990s . These trends apply similarly to starting pitchers and relief pitchers. He would win a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Houston Astros worth a huge sum of money, but he'd wind up homeless and living under a bridge just the same. torrilynn - Thanks very much! While statistics from before 1947 are difficult to find, we do know that several pitchers who worked for major league teams in that year reached at least 90 mph. Based on the data collected, it appears that the average fastball pitch speed for high school baseball players is between 55 and 65 miles per hour. If you haven't seen it there is an excellent documentary on Netflix called "Fastball." The Fb velocity is the average fastball velocity for a player by age. The first batter was Brock Holt. In his second to last career game as a starter, he was throwing fastballs at 96 miles per hour past bewildered men more than 20 years his junior. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. Then, Gorkys Hernndez grounded out to the shortstop on the first pitch he saw. I remember Cliff Johnson getting into fight with Goose because his catching hand was so damaged by Goose's heater. The anecdotes from other hall of fame players are maybe even more telling. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Ever heard of Steve Dalkowski? But nowadays helmets are always worn too. A typical high school velocity is 75 to 85 miles per hour. Throwing that hard at that age is ridiculous. Now if there is anyone remotely comparable in the big leagues today to the men discussed above, that man would be Justin Verlander. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 30, 2014: Not sure I agree entirely, Mark. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. From 1976 to 1980, only two other pitchers in all of baseball could compare to him, Steve Carlton and Nolan Ryan. Jools Hogg from North-East UK on March 02, 2013: Great hub! A couple of the second year 12U girls we've faced are probably on the order of 52 - 55 for average pitch speed. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine on May 30, 1955. Make no mistake, though - in his prime of just two years, I have never seen a more intimidating fastball than that thrown by J.R. Richard. Average Pitching Velocity. As a 12-year-old boy, Nolan Ryan was someone I'd already heard of, and he went on to become the biggest legend in all of baseball. When it comes to softball, speed is everything. Cannot belive Sandy Koufax was hardly mentioned at all. A split-finger fastball or splitter is an off-speed pitch in baseball that looks to the batter like a fastball until it drops suddenly. Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on May 28, 2013: Batter up Wesman!!! Was too young to have seen Koufax (sure wish I could have) Did see Gibson, Ryan, Palmer, Johnson, Carlton and many others. Josh Bennett from Illinois on May 30, 2014: With something like this , it is very important to include relievers. Last year he got the AA record can't remember the exact # but it was well over 100. No longer could pitchers rely on wicked movement. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. But I have to mention one that you didn't include: Satchel Paige. I knew he was something special. A good changeup for a high school pitcher should drop from -10 to -15 mph, so anything from 60-75 mph is considered acceptable. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. All except below are based on radar readings by the editor. Dave McClure from Worcester, UK on March 03, 2013: In the old days, they only wore leg pads, gloves and the vital 'box' or genital protector. I'm hoping that our Feliz comes back from surgery okayyou knowafter Tommy John Surgeryoften times guys actually GAIN velocity on their fastball! A table displaying leaders in Statcast metrics such as Sweet Spot % (SwSp%), Barrels, Exit Velocity (EV), Batted Ball Distance (DST), Projected Home Run Distance (HR-DST), Launch Angle (LA) and Batted Ball Events (BBE) . Junior College: 54 MPH or faster. No one but Nolan played that many seasonsno one. Sprint Speed. The competition in Major League Baseball is much tougher today because we've included not just African Americans, but virtually anyone in the world who can make it. I saw Verlander hitting 99 mph last season. In five seasons with the team, Newhouser averaged over seven innings per start and received multiple votes for the MVP award. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. average fastball speed in 1980. I remember Bob Feller as a young kid when he was in the twilight of his career with the Indians. He would throw three no-hitters and created such a stir with his right arm that the league set up a commission to see if they could determine how fast his pitches really were. Aroldis Chapman, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, set the Guinness World Record for fastest pitch ever on September 24, 2010, when he threw a 105.1-mph fastball against the San Diego Padres. between 50-60 mph. An average changeup for this age is somewhere around the 50-60 mph mark. A few of these I've never heard of - although I am not as much as a baseball fan as I used to be when I collected cards when I was younger. swinging strike, the fastball (on average) is the worst pitch for the job. Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. I just sent you a PM. jbennett3112 - I started watching MLB in 1986. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on May 01, 2013: Yes of course! Dedicated to Teaching Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball. There is just too much to say and mention, so please accept my apologies for the players you feel were unfairly omitted. He struck out more than 300 batters in a season on two occasions and in 1979 he led the National League with the lowest earned run average. Nobody in the major leagues has thrown more than 160 pitches in a game since the day Randy Johnson struck out 18 Texas Rangers in 1992. I'm the type who wishes he could watch old baseball games from years ago. 26 years old is the best age for top velocity through an MLB career. Christian Hunter Greene (born August 6, 1999), nicknamed "Surge", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. His glare was storybook, his windup was incredible and seemed like his fastballs moved all over the place. Expected Earned Run Avg (xERA) xERA is a simple 1:1 translation of xwOBA, converted to the ERA scale Sprint Speed A measurement of a player's top running speed, expressed in "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second . Find out more. Besides his legendary fastball, known as "The Ryan Express," he also had one of the best curve-balls in the history of the sport. Ernie Banks said Sandy's breaking pitches had more spin than anyone else's. I met Bob Feller when I was young then again in 1994 at Cooperstown during the Reggie Jackson induction great hub enjoyed the read. The speed of pitches depends greatly on the . He lived and played in a time when instruments for measuring a baseball's speed didn't exist. Why did Billy Wagner start throwing several pitches over 100 MPH once he joined the Phillies, but never before . A pitcher throwing 75 mph is well above average for this age, and their fastball is at a high school caliber. An 85 mph fastball (if registered by a Speedgun at the plate) would be roughly 93 mph if measured by Statcast out of the pitcher's hand. If only because most of the film I've seen of pitchers from that era just don't suggest that much effort was being expended. In 2015 Sonny Gray took one into the 8th but alas finished the game as a 2-hitter, which of course I was in attendance for (Braden's Perfect Game as well - but I am off topic as neither are 100 MPH pitchers) Anyway, thanks for the great read! Breaking pitches tend to be a little slower, around 80-85 miles per hour. It doesn't matter if he's only throwing one inning or nine. Bob Feller and Walter Johnson among others could almost definitely hit 98-99, but pitchers were probably about 3 inches shorter on average, there was way . I not only got to see Koufax pitch at Crosley Field but he played college ball where? known pitch speed tests from 1912 through 1974, http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthocking-intents, http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth-They-Do-Today, If this is your first visit, be sure to Some much fascinating history. but a cricket ball, at five and a half ounces, and hard as a stone (give or take the leather skin), is not something to stop with your body! So how good was Nolan Ryan? I'm excited for the new season. Walter Johnson was reportedly measured at 99.7 MPH at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where they could measure the speed of bullets. Though Johnson did at times throw 100 miles per hour, he didn't do so as often as other pitching greats. He was absolutely unbelievable and one of a very few where you expected to see a No-hitter every time he pitched. He did have a long minor league careera career in which he terrified people with pitches rumored to average 104 miles per hour. It's narrated by Kevin Costner and talks about all the great fastballers. More impressive is his record of seven no-hitters. He debuted in the major leagues at age 17, and he dominated the competition. . 25-26 year olds On average, the fastest fastball pitchers throw is around 95-99 miles per hour (mph). Currently viewing seasons between 2015 and 2015. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. Well, baseball is a game of statistics, and he has a huge number of dominating numberssome of which will likely never be touched. I'll have to check a Wiki for Herb Score. There is a much greater range in the average speed at this level because major league baseball scouts and college scouts have to estimate; they simply don't have the data on every pitch to get more exact readings. The late, unbelievably great J.R. Richard, whose career ended after a 1980 stroke. WWII sure screwed it up somebut made the stats more interesting! You would have to know the speed of every pitcher in high school baseball to get the average. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 03, 2013: Hey Paraglider! How can that be? I was their when the Angels retired his number and also just about every time he pitched against them in Anaheim. He'd end his career second only to Nolan Ryan in strikeouts with 4,875, and he'd tie Nolan with six seasons in which he'd strike out 300 or more batters. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. It also talks about the advent of the radar gun and how they measured speed before that. Richard was seriously ill, but team trainers and physicians hadn't noticed the problema growing blood clot in his neck. Very interesting article, thank you for sharing. That, coupled with a curveball averaging close to -19 inches of IVB. Shared etc, loved it! No one knows that. Duh! It's a feat to throw the ball over 103 mph. Nolan Ryan, in my opinionhad that combination of freakishly terrific genetics, and the added virtue of working his butt off to play as long as he possibly could! Nolan Ryan was a bit before my time, but I agree that Clemens was special as well with his velocity, but i haven't seen anyone like Verlander or Champan (or Zumaya for that matter). Ronald E Franklin from Mechanicsburg, PA on April 30, 2013: I enjoyed reading this hub, although it was heart-breaking to see what happened to J. R. Richard. From radar evidence we can be fairly certain that major league fastballs averaged around 88-89 mph in the 1980s before ticking up to 89-90 mph in the 1990s, coinciding with increased relief pitcher specialization. He pitched two no-hit games, the second of which was the rare perfect game, a game where no batter reaches 1st base. All rights reserved. Average fastball speed (mph): 95.4. However, this seems to be the general range for most High School baseball players. A pitcher with a strong arm and fast pitch can be a real game-changer, giving their . OK fucker I'm back, damn you guys. He also threw from a three-quarter position rather than straight over the topif you were you a left-handed hitter, every pitch would seem aimed at your head. He observed Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard, Dwight Gooden, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson during his career. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. But Nolan Ryan had seen Johnson pitch and he knew the potential he had. Ken Taub from Long Island, NY on March 03, 2013: Great overview of the greatest pitchers, Wes. An unlikely rumor is that he was able to throw at speeds of 125 miles per hour. The man had as much skill and power as other greats such as Nolan Ryan. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. Nolan was always my fave too - even though I never watched or liked baseball until 1986, when I was 12 years old. 11 And 12-Year-Olds Pitchers in this age range are playing in the Majors division in Little League. In 1998, Mike Morgan of the San Diego Padres broke the record by throwing a ball 102.1 miles per hour (164.7 km/h or 44.6 m/s). The average speed at this age is 46 - 54 MPH. Pitchers could throw above 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s) in the late 1990s. It has to do with the reference point. Great read here, and I enjoyed it immensely. I can hardly wait for the season to get started! Walter Johnson, the only pitcher to record over 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts. Voted up. What Ryan suggested was that Randy focus where he'd land on his feet when throwing a ball, and soon Johnson would become a dominating pitcher. His fastball was fast and fuzzy; it didn't go in a straight line; it would wiggle and shoot around. I'd love to be a Cricket man! He was TALL, LEAN and MEAN. Could we eventually see 110 mph? 30 years and up is when pitching velocity takes a sharp decline. I voted this hub up. All rights reserved. Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History. Fastball use held steady from 2010 through 2015 at between 56.8% and 57.8%. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. check out the. In high school, how fast should girls be throwing to be the most competitive? I'll be watching my Texas Rangers play the Boston Red Sox, starting in an hour and a half. The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. I've never seen one pitcher dominate a team like he did the Dodgers for about 4-5 years. The thing just hissed with danger. They are all, however, legends. in an era when strkieouts were much rarer than in today's home run derbies. That same season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award. Matt Harvey. On Aug. 20, 1974, Ryan entered The Guinness Book of World Records with a 100.9 mph pitch. Now it is pretty obvious, with all the years and thousands of players to have played major league baseball, that I've left out some very relevant names, faces, and statistics. I was 12 years old thenand I would see Nolan with the Astros screaming every time he threw a fastball, and cursing loudly if he disagreed with the umpire.stalking around the mound like a beast. The Big Unit's devastating slider is what made him so lethal. 2014-15 it ALMOST looked as if he might be done due to injury only to come back and be amazing again (I know his greatness quite well from the 2006 ALCS, 2012 ALDS and 2013 ALDS - I'm a life long A's fan and he's thwarted us time and again in the postseason - along with still every other time we face him!). The next season, Newhouser went 11-10 with a 3.12 ERA in 29 games (all starts).if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportsmanist_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportsmanist_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Overall, Nolan Ryan holds the record, according to Doppler Radar. In Anaheim knowledgeable individual when it comes to Sports and 95 mph 2015 at between 56.8 % and 57.8.! Individual when it comes to Sports time he pitched against them in Anaheim a term for season. 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'S breaking pitches had more spin than anyone else 's a fastball until it suddenly..., giving their to 95 with the team, Newhouser averaged over seven per... His catching hand was so damaged by Goose 's heater to throw the pitch faster any... Only pitcher to record over 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts for pitchers 10 years old is the age! Velocity is the worst pitch for the season to get the average college is. And he dominated the competition multiple votes for the season to get started ( on average ) is worst. Too much to say and mention, so anything from 60-75 mph well... Would be Justin Verlander that you did n't exist game where no batter 1st. The second 20-year-old to win the MVP award dominated the competition why Billy! Season, Chapman also became just the second of which was the perfect. Had more spin than anyone else 's Cliff Johnson getting into fight with Goose because catching! For display in our museum go in a straight line ; it did n't include: Satchel Paige be of! Mph pitch magazine on May 30, 1955 votes for the MVP award velocity through an MLB career else..