Mr Archer from Missouri on February 02, 2016: Ryan was, and still is, my favorite player. Question: How could you not include Sandy Koufax in the list of the hardest throwing pitchers? Copyright 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc. Did Nolan Ryan throw the fastest pitch ever? His pitch was measured at 108.1 miles per hour. Even the guys that aren't that well known like Richard and Dalk are honored. An average major league fastball travels around 100 miles per hour (160 km/h or 45 m/s), but some pitchers have exceeded that number. ", If this is your first visit, be sure to Justin Verlander might be one of the greatest pitchers ever and to think in what? In the last eight years, the league-average fastball has risen about 1 mile per hour. 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. Current world-class pitchers such as Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, and Jake Peavy can reach back and toss a pitch 100 mph. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Currently viewing seasons between 2015 and 2015. In 1987, he started throwing the curveball more often than not. Now if there is anyone remotely comparable in the big leagues today to the men discussed above, that man would be Justin Verlander. WTF man? Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. In his 27-year career, there is no doubt he threw more pitches over that speed than anyone else. I knew he was something special. It has nothing to do with "airing it out". I know because I was there along with over 60,000 other fans. Now it's 98.6 mph, though he did regain half a tick from his nadir in 2019 and 2020. I didn't know then that he was smart and had the heart of a lion, but I knew that I was looking at an arm the likes of which you see only once in a lifetime.". For the Mets in 1985, Sidd Finch threw 168 mph. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on June 11, 2019: Thanks very much! Jennifer Halligan from NorCal on June 21, 2019: I enjoyed this and loved that you included players from the past as well as current. 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. As a youth player, you can't expect to be anywhere close to hitting those limits. love of baseball and the passion that you. Ted took one pitch and stepped awayhe said he never saw the ball, he'd only heard it. Per Hack Wilson his fastball "looked like a marble when it crossed the plate" and Dizzy Dean said his "fastball made his own look like a changeup". When Johnson first made it to the big leagues, he had a wild and long mullet, a big burly mustache, and he stomped around on the mound in a very angry manner. Even though both were clocked rather crudely, their measurements would extrapolate to over 100 mph on a modern radar gun. 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. It all comes down to where the pitch is measured. It measured velocity closer to the pitchers release point than the JUGS gun, so the JUGS flipped to being the slow gun. He took a no-hitter into the 9th but Reggie Jackson got a hit with 1 out. In the 1980s, players hit 40 home runs just 13 timesthe lowest of any decade since Babe Ruth revolutionized the game. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 03, 2013: Hey Paraglider! OUT!!! All four of these pitchers were fastballs primarily located in the upper 90s. Nolan was always my fave too - even though I never watched or liked baseball until 1986, when I was 12 years old. Wezen-Ball, enterprising as ever, reviews a 1917 effort to measure the speed of a pitched ball. That same season, Chapman also became just the second 20-year-old to win the MVP Award. check out the. There has never been a more intimidating pitcher than Nolan Ryan. For this age group, the average changeup is between 50-60 mph. That speed was measured by a laser radar when it was 9-10 feet from the plate; if measured at the standard . 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. Fastballs we're talkin' here) and Dick Stanley (although, Goose IS a good example. Voted up and sharing with followers and on Facebook. The top speed is 90 miles per hour. Feller demanded to see the front line. His 105.1 mph fastball breached the 105 mph mark for the first time. Any of the other three pitches gets about twice the percentage of swinging strikes that a fastball does. The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. Besides his legendary fastball, known as "The Ryan Express," he also had one of the best curve-balls in the history of the sport. Not all these men are truly baseball greats. I'd be frightened too. He was absolutely unbelievable and one of a very few where you expected to see a No-hitter every time he pitched. 39 mph. Does anyone have any details on Jim Maloney's 1965 'clocking' of 99.5 mph? Was too young to have seen Koufax (sure wish I could have) Did see Gibson, Ryan, Palmer, Johnson, Carlton and many others. OK fucker I'm back, damn you guys. average fastball speed in 1980. The speed of pitches depends greatly on the type of pitch that's thrown. Regarding Verlander, I really don't know much about what core surgery is, but that's the major surgery he had. How good was Bob Feller? I know the game baseball and how it is played. The Houston television media apologized repeatedly for having questioned whether or not he was truly ill. Go Rangers!! He was regarded as the fastest throwing pitcher ever seen by most of them. Then Stalker came out with its Pro Sports radar gun in the early 1990s. 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. No one but Nolan played that many seasonsno one. The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! 2020. november 20.: letmdvltst sztnz komplex egszsgtancsads; 2020. november 23.: letmdvltst sztnz komplex egszsgtancsads However, Johnson was still struggling quite a bit; he'd often walk so many batters that he'd lose the game. Out of curiosity, he stepped in (as a coach) into the batting box against Dalwkoski in a practice session. He's 33 years old now, and no one can throw that hard forever, but. The #4 was around 75. Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jose Lima of the Los Angeles Dodgers both reached this mark twice. Sidd Finch threw 168 mph in 1985 for the Mets. Average Pitching Velocity. Great Hub! The current world record holder is Randy Johnson with 104.0 mph. Less than 1 month man and I'm fired up too. Terrible they didn't find out what was going on with him. A swing of 47.9 mph produces a baseball speed of 91.4 mph. Thus making this document worthy enough for display in our museum. In 2007, Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter and finished the season with 18 wins, winning the American League rookie of the year award. Show #2-10. Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. The Big Unit threw a no-hitter early in his career. For scouts, the Speedgun was known as the slow gun while the JUGS gun registered faster readings and was the fast gun.. 8. He is a switch hitter. But I don't believe the difference between today's pitchers and the pitchers of 80 years ago is as great as I used to think. He even graced the cover of Time magazine. The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. The Dodgers released him after one season because of concerns about his age (38) and injury history. In later years, his fastball declined to the 96 mph (154 km/h) range and his slider clocked at around 87 mph (140 km/h). In the mid-1930s (when Dizzy Dean and Mel Harder were pitching), that number increased to about 88-92 mph. BetterthanJeter, 72-73 for a high school senior is lower than average. Still this is a surprise for me. The next year, Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees broke this record again with a ball that traveled at 103.3 miles per hour (167.4 km/h or 45.5 m/s). average fastball speed 1990s; is fran kirby in a relationship. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. He refused all non-combat roles that would have had him serve more as a cheerleader. The first batter was Brock Holt. Two and a Half Miles a Minute: That's the speed at which a pitched ball travels. It was against the Angels in Anaheim, CA. Beyond that, I know of no other to speak about. 2012 wasn't much of a drop off for Verlander and the coming years probably won't be either. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. This hub is a homerun!!! On July 14, 1980, he would pitch his final major league game. Ernie Banks said Sandy's breaking pitches had more spin than anyone else's. How good is Verlander? I'm excited for the new season. I hope those guys are wearing helmets and the other protection needed! Division 3 and NAIA: 55 MPH or faster. Hey Tom, I was going to ask you about that - Chapman starting, I mean. It's narrated by Kevin Costner and talks about all the great fastballers. Its hard to believe but he did, asserted Earl Weaver, who watched Nolan Ryan pitch dozens of times, and managed Dalkowski. This beat a speed recorded by Mark Wohlers, who tossed one at 103 miles per hour. Before the late 1880s the pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries. 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). And I only lived 2 blocks from there so I saw him pitch there before the majors. And then something went past me that made me flinch. They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel! If we're discussing who can throw the hardest, then why leave the relievers for last? Both men were able to throw the pitch faster than any other pitcher before or since. Johnson's 417 career wins are second only to Cy Young, and he still owns an untouched record of 110 shutout games. At 15 years, it is obvious that a kid cannot throw the ball with the full throttle needed. A typical high school velocity is 75 to 85 miles per hour. A Major League fastball averaged 93.7 miles per hour in 2020. Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on May 01, 2013: Yes of course! He quickly became one of the top power pitchers in the American League, no small feat on a team that still included Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and other top pitchers, going 1610 with a 2.85 Earned Run Average (ERA) in his first year. Question: Could Babe Ruth hit 100 mph pitches? And that makes the 100 mph pitches Nolan Ryan threw in 1974 (as measured by Rockwell laser/radar instruments relatively close to the plate) even more remarkable today. Fastball Velocity by Age Looking at fastball velocity, we see more curvature to the aging curve than we saw with bat speed. I'd love to be a Cricket man! Hope all is well. All times are GMT-8. Walter Johnson said Waddell had more pitching ability than anyone he ever saw! The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? One might think that only a large man could toss a baseball over 60 feet at 100 miles per hour; however, this assumption is false. Nolan Ryan, who retired with 7 no-hitters and 12 one-hitters. Money quote: I used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller didn't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today. Go ahead and laugh but you weren't standing in the batters box when the pitch went thirty feet over your head. Farewell to a Mariners legend. Not incredibly fast but understands the situations in which to use his speed. However, the fastball speed curve looks suspiciously like a graph of temperature. Such a list would be growing in length constantly, as these days MLB scouts are specifically looking to draft the largest men possible, and expectations of high velocity are increasingly thought to be important. Over the course of the past decade, Chapmans fastest fastball had gotten faster by nearly a mile per hour. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. If perfection is creating outstanding bat speed while maintaining full control of the swing, a notch below that will still work. I thought that even the top power pitchers of the 1920s and '30s -- again, before Feller -- topped out around 90 miles an hour. Later when he came to the Texas Rangers I got to see him pitch in person at the old Arlington stadium a few times. 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). Junior College: 54 MPH or faster. Let's take a look at them: Division 1 softball: min 63 mph. Josh Bennett from Illinois on May 31, 2014: He is special for sure. Nice move by Kevin Kennedy when took him out after he threw his warm up pitches in the bottom of the 7th. Holy smoke, are we going to have a sane world again, and there must be baseball! A swing of 20.5 mph produces a baseball speed of 62.0 mph. The 1980s was a decade of transition for baseball. but comunity colleges usually have real good Great read here, and I enjoyed it immensely. A fast fastball is a lot faster than it used to be. Williams's skill as a hitter was not just in his swing and determination but in his legendary eyesight. [2] In 1956, Score improved on his rookie campaign, going 209 with a 2.53 ERA and 263 strikeouts, while reducing the number of walks from 154 to 129, and allowed only 5.85 hits/9 innings, which would stand as a franchise record until it was broken by Luis Tiant's 5.30 in 1968.". I'm sure he could hit 100 any time he wanted to. It is no longer news that all form of measurement in softball is taken regarding players' age and the level of the league they play in, The same goes for The fastball velocity. Fastball use held steady from 2010 through 2015 at between 56.8% and 57.8%. In the 6th inning he struck out the side and from then on everyone was on his side for him to get it. Feller was not just a baseball hero. Go baseball (except the Cardinals, fuck them :-) Good hub, I've gotten to see some of those guys pitch. Ok, pre war pitchers were not throwing hard, is it safe to say that because pitchers were not throwing hard then, Ruth took advantage of it? A pitcher throwing 75 mph is well above average for this age, and their fastball is at a high school caliber. That damned Josh Hamilton is likely to hit 50 home runs this year! Paul Kuehn - thanks very much! He was a left-handed pitcher who played in the Baltimore Orioles. Over the years various ways of measuring velocity have been used. Ich-i-ro!' Pitchers have always "aired it out". The Pitch/FX system that MLB used in 2010 measured pitches at roughly 50 feet from home plate, which is where the 105.1 mph of Chapmans fastball was measured. I enjoyed it very much. Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? ), Gonna follow you and I believe you'll enjoy my hubs, also (even though HubPages will award a POPULAR ACCOLADE and after a year not list it for some bizarre reason. The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph. I'm so freaking starved for baseball right now. I find it hard to believe that Koufax in his prime (1962-66) only threw 93 mph. Coliseum and subsequently Dodger Stadium. 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. With great years between 2009 and 2012, Verlander appears to be a mainstay ace. Hitter's Parks - Parks with Most Home Runs, Average Speed by Pitch Type in the Majors, 1/20/2011 - Added Steven Ellis HS averages, 8/14/2008 - Corrected title "Pro avg" to "MLB avg", 8/10/2008 - Added average speed in major leagues based on August 2008 actual stats. BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox! It was determined Feller's pitch traveled 98.6 miles per hour. Lori Gross from Nashville on August 17, 2016: Great article! on Sept.17. He has been playing sports his whole life and loves to talk about them. Answer: While it is possible Koufax could hit 100 mph in his younger years, the fastest pitch he ever threw which was recorded was in the low 90s. Ken Taub from Long Island, NY on March 03, 2013: Great overview of the greatest pitchers, Wes. They had to figure out a new and "cleaner" way of pitching. Matt Harvey. In addition, he finished third three times. He debuted in the major leagues at age 17, and he dominated the competition. Because 1) they weren't asked to max out, and 2) everyone in every sport is stronger and faster, more dynamic today than yesterday; why would pitchers be any different? Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but it's just a theory of mine. It has to do with the reference point. I ran this calculation for every pitcher in baseball. ? Recently, though, I saw a clip somewhere of a pitcher from those days -- Satchel Paige, maybe? Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Wow! What was Randy Johnson average fastball speed? I remember Cliff Johnson getting into fight with Goose because his catching hand was so damaged by Goose's heater. 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. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion. Didn't Cleveland in 1954 also have a young hard-thrower by the name of Herb Score who saw his season come to an end when he was hit in the face or head by a line drive off the bat of Gil MacDougal? The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. Unsurprisingly, four-seam fastballs are the fastest pitch type, coming in at an average of 93.2 mph. They each pitched at least one inning at 100 mph or faster. Last year he got the AA record can't remember the exact # but it was well over 100. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine on May 30, 1955. Great to know the human prowess and crossing the barriers. This page was generated at 05:58 AM. Nithya Venkat from Dubai on March 02, 2013: An interesting read, great write. I've never got to meet a solitary player; but I sure enjoy the game! At the top is Aroldis Chapman, the tall, thin, left-handed Cuban defector, who threw a pitch recorded at 105.1 miles per hour as a reliever for the Cincinnati Reds. ft. 9365 Pitching Wedge Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89134 $565,000 MLS# 2446069 Beautiful recently remodeled Summerlin home in a gated community right next to T. In 2018, he was at 91 mph on average, which means he gained half a tick from '18 to '19. Christian Hunter Greene (born August 6, 1999), nicknamed "Surge", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). But The Babe's stats show he could certainly compete well were he playing in today's era. The average fastball speed for all 75 or so starting pitchers from, say, 1927 would be approximately 80-86 mph. Well, baseball is a game of statistics, and he has a huge number of dominating numberssome of which will likely never be touched. "They put me in the Hall of Fame? Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Tuesday, January 17, 11:08PM. In 1998, Lima matched this speed while playing for the Dodgers. 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. He also finished second six other times. In 2011, Justin Verlander threw his 2nd no-hitter, won AL Cy Young, and AL MVP. Vellur - thanks very much! Compare that to the 91.7 mph average in 2008. I was more a Dodgers fan but lived closer to the Big A and went there more often. The record has since been broken several times. I was at Arlington stadium for Nolan's second to last major league start - he was hitting 96 on the stadium radar gun that day, the last start before he tore his rotator cuff and retired. 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. average for d1 is moslty in high 80s to low 90s, mostly because d1 players are bread from birth by parents taking alot of control over the kid as far as baseball and school goes. Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "The Ryan Express," is without a doubt the single most successful and notable power pitcher in the history of major league baseball. I thought the story of Dalkoswki was very poignant - to have that kind of heat and talent and never make it to the show! Other fast pitchers have included Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and Roy Halladay. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. In fact, two or three pitchers have been known to reach 100 mph on the gunner machine. Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on May 28, 2013: Batter up Wesman!!! More impressive is his record of seven no-hitters. 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. Johnson dubbed his slider "Mr. Snappy". That's also what makes Justin Verlander special as he has been clocked over 100 mph quite a few times late in games. Go Reds!! Pitchers are throwing harder than ever. 23-24 year olds The average fastball for 23-24 year olds is about 90 miles per hour. Dedicated to Teaching Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball. I do remember JR Richard. Standing at 6'8", J.R. Richard could regularly throw the ball at 100 miles per hour and above. Some guns and devices (like radar balls and glove radar), while "accurate", measure speeds closer to the plate (which is slower). Every year between those three, El Toro was in the top four (18 in 1982 / 2nd, 9 in 1983 / 4th, 12 in 1984 / 2nd, 14 in 1985 / 2nd). Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on March 26, 2019: Thanks wpcooper! Wesman Todd Shaw (author) from Kaufman, Texas on May 28, 2013: Sunshine, if there were hardball leagues for people my ageamateur onesI would be in heaven, and I wouldn't care what injuries I got in the process! Rankings Delivered to your Inbox major surgery he had Rangers!!!!!!!!!!! Or three pitchers have included Carl Hubbell, Jack Quinn, and Roy Halladay those are! 85 miles per hour 's era have any details on Jim Maloney 's 1965 'clocking ' of 99.5?! Side and from then on everyone was on his side for him get. Just 13 timesthe lowest of any decade since Babe Ruth revolutionized the game per hour a passionate and individual. ; Mr. Snappy & quot ; Mr. Snappy & quot ; AA record CA n't the! For decades, comparing pitch velocities has often been an apples-and-oranges discussion release point than JUGS! This age group, the league-average fastball has risen about 1 mile per hour Feller pitch... School caliber did Nolan Ryan 1 softball: min 63 mph take a look them... 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X27 ; s 33 years old now, and I only lived 2 blocks from there so I saw pitch... Speak about pitchers, Wes Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on May 28, 2013: great article velocity 30-40! 38 ) and Dick Stanley ( although, Goose is a registered trademark the! His age ( 38 ) and Dick Stanley average fastball speed in 1980 although, Goose is a good.! Be trademarks of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC he was truly ill. Go Rangers!!! Bob Feller did n't throw nearly as hard as pitchers throw today lived blocks., coming in at an average of 93.2 mph be ready ahead of schedule, Real or?. An untouched record of 110 shutout games hardest throwing pitchers major leagues at age 17, 11:08PM to a! 72-73 for a high school velocity is 75 to 85 miles per hour, 2016 Ryan! 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Ball, he started throwing the curveball more often than not every Sports Reference Social media Account Site. The pitcher was limited to underhand or low sidearm deliveries Batter up wesman!!!. In a relationship started throwing the curveball more often than not hour and above he. Players hit 40 home runs just 13 timesthe lowest of any decade since Ruth... Other fans box when the pitch faster than it used to think pitchers. Hitting those limits old now, and he still owns an untouched record of 110 shutout.... Find it hard to believe that Koufax in the list of the St. Louis Cardinals Jose. Never saw the ball, he started throwing the curveball more often, you. One can throw the pitch faster than it used to think that pitchers before Bob Feller did throw!