Baseball Pitching Accuracy

By Steven Ellis, former Chicago Cubs pitching pro

For a pitcher, good accuracy means the difference between a win and a loss, a college scholarship and no baseball future. Good velocity means nothing if a pitcher can't throw the ball for a strike. Having good pitching accuracy is one of the most important things a pitcher can possess.

Greg Maddux was one of baseball's all time pitching greats, a future Hall of Famer. His fastball rarely reached the upper 80's yet he was one of the best. How did he accomplish this? Maddux was one of the most accurate pitchers in the Major Leagues. He could hit his spots almost every time, with all of his pitches. He wasn't the hardest thrower in the league, but he could put the ball exactly where he wanted it to go.

The key to good pitching accuracy is repeatable mechanics. Being able to reproduce good mechanics every pitch is what makes a pitcher accurate. If a pitcher uses different pitching mechanics each pitch, he won't find much success with his accuracy.

One drill that helps with pitching accuracy is "flat work". Have another player be the catch, and spread out about 50 feet. From the flat ground, go through your pitching mechanics and practice hitting different locations (inside, outside, up, down), with all of your pitches. Doing this drill on your off days will help you repeat your mechanics which leads to better pitching accuracy.

It is important to have good, fundamentally sound pitching mechanics if you want to have good pitching accuracy. Bad mechanics will lead to bad accuracy, so be sure you have good mechanics. Repeating these good mechanics over and over will help make you a more accurate baseball pitcher.

Have a question? Ask it on the Let's Talk Pitching discussion forums!

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