Age/pitching question

#1

hello, i would like to ask what you think of my situation. I pitched in high school and made my college baseball team but was unable to play because of time issues, i did well in high school and have always loved pitching. I am now 25 however and really want to give baseball a real shot and attempt to go to an MLB tryout in a year or two when i feel confident

my questions are do you think im too old to make this attempt? my arm is very fresh as i never threw many curves in high school and kept in shape, all i have really is a decent fastball (mid 80’s to low 90’s that i know of) and a slurve that i throw… im trying very hard to learn to throw a sinker/changeup but i am having serious issues learning how to throw with my wrist pronated. do you think its too late for me to be able to effectively learn how to pronate my wrist and be able to throw a good changeup/sink? i recently just started again and have thrown 2 times this week, both times when i attempt to pronate my wrist while throwing it just feels so uncomfortable and hard to get the ball to go accurate or have any real velocity on it.

anyways any advice you can give to me on the situation would be very helpful, thanks!

#2

Don’t even worry about pronation or supination or, for that matter, chicken noodle soup with or without the matzo balls! You have a decent fast ball, and you can throw a slider, and there’s a whole closetful of changeups to choose from—many pitchers do very well with those three deliveries. You want to find a grip that’s comfortable for you and that enables you to pitch effectively, and you can work on it and experiment until you find what you want.
Let’s address the changeup. There’s the palm ball—that was the first changeup I acquired as a kid, and that’s an easy one to handle because you throw it with a fastball motion; you grip that one with all four fingers on top and the thumb underneath, just be careful not to grip it too hard because you don’t want to squeeze the juice out of the ball! The circle change is another good one—you grip the ball with the thumb and index finger on one side of the ball, forming a circle, or if your hand isn’t quite large enough you can use a backwards “c” (as my old pitching coach suggested I do). The same goes for the split-finger pitch, which is a first cousin to the forkball but somewhat easier to handle because you just hold the ball with your fingers spread wide enough apart to be off the seams. You throw that one with a fastball motion as well. There’s lots to experiment with, so have fun and find a pitch or two that is comfortable for you and that you can throw effectively.
The slider—mmm, my favorite pitch. That was the one that I would go to when I had to go for the strikeout, and let me tell you, when thrown correctly it’s a lot easier on the arm and shoulder than anything else. I learned it from an active major league pitcher, and it was simplicity itself—“Throw it like a curve, but roll your wrist, don’t snap it.” Since I threw my curve with a karate-chop wrist snap, it was easy enough for me to simply ease up on it. I was, by the way, a natural sidearmer who used the crossfire extensively, and that gave me twice as many pitches! You get that one, you’re all set.
And 25—is that how old you said you were?—is definitely not too old to give it a shot. Just be sure you’re in good shape, and get out there and show them what you have and can do. Good luck. 8)

#3

My son’s orthopedic surgeon whose father is a former MLB pitcher and who, himself, pitched in college said players that make it to the MLB level don’t peak until about age 25. So, no, you’re not too old.

#4

I’m glad I read that haha… least I know somewhere wherever you are there is another person who is trying to do the same thing as myself. Hey I’m turning 26 this friday man, dont let age, a number in general affect anything about you! Everyone grows at their own pace, late bloomer myself and I feel like I’m just hitting my prime. Give them workouts all you got everyday!~ and good things will happen, good luck to you in the future.