Youth Pitcher

By Steven Ellis, former Chicago Cubs pitching pro

Qualities of a good youth pitcher include:

The ability to pitch with control - I don't care how fast you throw, but you must throw strikes. Walks will almost always come back to haunt you!

On our team, the players that pitch will be the players that can throw strikes consistently. Make the other team "earn" their way on base. Throw the ball over the plate and let your teammates help you on defense.

The ability to pitch with confidence and poise - I want you to know that you're going to get them out. I don't want you standing out there hoping you'll get them out.

The ability to throw hard - At this level, throwing hard is not nearly as important as throwing strikes! It's nice to have a 98 - 100 MPH fastball like Joel Zumaya, but you gotta throw it for strikes!

If you'd like to receive more of my best tips and techniques to help your pitcher throw harder with better control while reducing the risk of injury, I invite you to subscribe to my free baseball pitching tips here: www.youthpitching.com/free