Success Without The Velo

     MLB Network analyst Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds talks about how Jamie Moyer, 49 years old competes in the Major Leagues.  Moyer made his major league debut in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs, 25 years later he still is having success in the big leagues.  Today young pitchers are evaluated on how hard they throw a baseball.  College coaches, coaches and even parent can sometimes get caught up in velocity.  The reality is that pitching is more about location, changing speeds, and throwing strikes.
     Jamie Moyer is proof that how hard a pitcher throws is not the "end all".  Moyer tops out at 80mph with his fastball, roughly the  high school average FB at varsity levels.  By effectively locating pitches off the plate and in and out of the strike zone,  Moyer is able to make hitters uncomfortable.  Jamie Moyer throws his change-up at 73mph.  He is able to take off 7-10 mph off pitches, while having good arm action.  Moyer is still an effective big league pitcher with only really throwing two pitches.

     A great concept that a lot of pitching coaches at the professional and college level are studying is  effective velocity.  Check a look at this website where it is talked about in more detail http://baseballdebate.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=pitching&action=display&thread=1309

It is all about understanding how a 90mph fastball can look when thrown in different lanes.  Every pitcher has a tunnel they throw out of, the longer the ball is in that lane greater the deception for the hitter is created.  Understanding how to change a hitter's timing is key to any pitchers success.