Are Power pitchers born or made?

[Cleveland Steamers]

There are a few things you can do to add some MPH but I think youre born with the ability to throw 90+. Any leg and core work help quite a bit. Doing medicine ball training while concentrating on plyometrics can add a couple MPH on the fastball. While doing a consistent workout, you have to make sure to continue to strengthen the rotator cuff by using resitance bands and/or JOB excercises with dumbells. Work hard with the training, the arm excercises, while working to perfect mechanics will lead to increased velocity.

[DK]

It's not so much arm strength as the hip rotation. Anyone who's studied pitchers will tell you that there is absolutely a direct correlation between the speed of hip rotation and the speed of a fastball. If your hips are moving faster than the average correlation to your fastball, chances are there's a flaw in your mechanics or you're not bringing it as fast as you can, or just have a weak arm. If your hips are moving slower, chances are that you're putting a lot more strain on your arm than necessary and are headed for an injury-plagued future.

That last sentence is why I'm currently staying away from Scott Kazmir. His hip rotation is much slower than his fastball would indicate, which says that he's putting a ton of pressure on his arm and will most likely have serious arm problems in his future.

[Nerfherders]

Throwing harder doesnt necesarrily make you more of a power pitcher. Usually at the MLB level, if a pitcher significantly increases his K-rate is because he's added or refined an offspeed pitch. Look at Roger Clemens for example. He throws low 90's now but he has a splitter that batters can't lay off of. That's his K pitch. Maddux used to have pretty good K rates and that was off changeup and backdoor fastballs. It really takes two or three pitches to be a K pitcher. You have to keep batters off balance by changing speeds and you need a dominant breaking ball.

[davidmarver]

Thanks for the comments. I'm curious though have you guys seen pro pitchers jump from 7 k's/9 to 9k's/9? I'm curious if there is a fairly deep precedent for doing what Brett Myers did last year or if he will regress back to the mean. Thanks

Peavy went from 7.21 in '03 to 9.36 in '04.

In '05 he had 9.58 K/9.

Using Peavy as an example, it's possible Myers improves next season.

[Yoda]

Thanks for the comments. I'm curious though have you guys seen pro pitchers jump from 7 k's/9 to 9k's/9? I'm curious if there is a fairly deep precedent for doing what Brett Myers did last year or if he will regress back to the mean. Thanks

Peavy went from 7.21 in '03 to 9.36 in '04.

In '05 he had 9.58 K/9.

Using Peavy as an example, it's possible Myers improves next season.

It's possible but I doubt it. Peavy is just a better pitcher in a better ball park.

[Cleveland Steamers]

Yeah, but when I saw Myers hot he was one of the top pitchers I have seen in the majors in the last year or two. The guy is still young, was a top prospect, has an electric arm, and a devastating curveball. Say hello to 2004's Ben Sheets in 2006.

[bigh0rt]

Every pitcher who is worth a damn, whether they're power or not, is made. Anyone who believes all the "natural ability" garbage that announcers jam down your throat needs to switch to a new flavor of Kool-Ade. If you're not coached, and coached well from the time you're about 10-11 until the peak of your career in whatever sport, then that "natural ability" isn't going to amount to much when you stand next to somebody who has been.

Granted, I only coach High School Soccer, but I'll take a true soccer player (meaning they've gotten high level training/coaching from the time they hit the 10-11 year old mark until they hit HS) over a more gifted athlete who hasn't been properly trained during their developmental years any day of the week.

[davidmarver]

Thanks for the comments. I'm curious though have you guys seen pro pitchers jump from 7 k's/9 to 9k's/9? I'm curious if there is a fairly deep precedent for doing what Brett Myers did last year or if he will regress back to the mean. Thanks

Peavy went from 7.21 in '03 to 9.36 in '04.

In '05 he had 9.58 K/9.

Using Peavy as an example, it's possible Myers improves next season.

It's possible but I doubt it. Peavy is just a better pitcher in a better ball park.

I won't dispute Peavy being the better pitcher of being in the better ballpark, but the Phils are making stadium improvements. Myers also is only 24 (same age as Peavy) so the two are a little closer than one may expect, although I think Peavy developed a little sooner. I don't think Myers will ever be an "ace" but I think he can win 15 year-in and year-out with his talent.

[Music2004Man]

Thanks for the comments. I'm curious though have you guys seen pro pitchers jump from 7 k's/9 to 9k's/9? I'm curious if there is a fairly deep precedent for doing what Brett Myers did last year or if he will regress back to the mean. Thanks

Peavy went from 7.21 in '03 to 9.36 in '04.

In '05 he had 9.58 K/9.

Using Peavy as an example, it's possible Myers improves next season.

Thank you David. This was exactly the type of example I was looking for when I posted this topic.

[bellings]

I don't know if anyone saw this article on Slate, but I found it pretty interesting. It explains why all of the other sports see athletes getting more talented, but pitch speed isn't increasing over the decades.

http://www.slate.com/id/2116402/