How Does Your Youth Pitching Speed Compare To These Averages?

By Steven Ellis, former Chicago Cubs pitching pro

A lot of youth pitchers want to know where they stack up against other pitchers their age in terms of baseball pitching speed and fastball pitching velocity. Here are some general youth pitching speeds for various age groups.

Age 10 and under: 40-50 mph
Ages 11-12: 50-60 mph
Ages 13-14: 55-75 mph
High school: 75-85 mph
College and pro: 80-95 mph

The average pitching speed of a fastball is 91 mph in the majors.

It's also interesting to note that the ball (pitch speed) will typically slow down 8-10 mph by the time it reaches the front of the plate.

What About The Speed Of Off-Speed Pitches?

In my experience, a good change up is usually 12 to 15 mph off the fastball for high school pitchers and above. A good breaking ball is generally 10 to 12 mph off the fastball speed. What's tough about these generalities, though, is that everyone's different, particularly with their breaking balls.

However, in my opinion, the key to being a successful pitcher more than youth pitching speed or anything else is deception, movement and command.

In other words, do you have the confidence in your stuff to throw an off-speed pitch with the bases loaded and a full-count on the batter, if that's what the situation dictates?

Finally, remember this: Almost all of the best pitchers in baseball throw a good, hard fastball. Focus on the fastball first, and your youth pitching speed will come along on its own.

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