Velocity vs. Command: Strikes Beat MPH

I first wrote this in 2012, in my sixth professional season, sitting at Long Island Ducks Field in Central Islip. Fourteen years and a lot of innings later I haven't changed my mind, so I've cleaned it up rather than rewritten it.

Every year I played, this got clearer: I valued my ability to throw strikes over how hard I could throw the ball.

In the Atlantic League I watched guys sit at 85 and dice hitters up. These were men with years of experience who genuinely knew how to pitch, and they got outs without throwing hard.

So if you're a young pitcher: don't let velocity consume you.

What I'm not saying

I'm not saying velocity doesn't matter. It does. 95 with decent command beats 85 with great command almost every time, and if that guy stays anywhere near the zone he'll usually win.

Work hard. Take care of your arm. Get your velocity as high as it will safely go.

But don't stake everything on the difference between 89 and 91. That's the trap. I've watched a lot of pitchers chase two miles an hour and lose the strike zone doing it, and it cost them more than the two miles an hour ever would have earned.

Put that same concentration into commanding your fastball and throwing your offspeed for strikes consistently.

The guy who throws 85 with great command is almost always more valuable to his team than the guy who throws 95 with no idea where it's going.

The part nobody tells you

Here's what I only learned by living on a professional roster: it isn't just about you.

The pitcher who throws 85 and pitches to contact gets better defense played behind him. Consistently.

It never fails. When you walk people, your defense makes more errors. Not because anyone is trying to play badly — because you've put them on their heels. Deep counts, long innings, standing around getting cold. Frustrated fielders make plays a half-step slower.

Your inefficiency becomes their errors. That shows up in your line, and nobody watching will ever attribute it to you.

The whole thing in one line

Command beats velocity over the course of a season, and it isn't close over the course of a career.

Strikes are worth more than miles per hour. Build your routine around that.