you need to decide who you are pitching for and what they are looking for. a scout looks for projectability. scouts will project a kid that throws hard with a higher ceiling because velocity is hard to teach. it can happen through maturity (wagoner and oswalt were mid 80s guys entering college and then the strength fairy visited and they got their plus fastballs). there is a substitute for velocity (movement, location and changing speeds) but there is a better chance to develop these by throwing and competing on a daily basis. and if you have velocity, movement, location and change speeds, you are really special. beckett showed this last week. i’m buying the complete game dvds just for beckett’s start when he used a moving live fastball exclusively the first time through, then throws a plus curveball the next time through. that’s not fair. he’s from a different planet right now- just like koufax, ford and hershiser in their prime.
guys that throw hard and can’t throw strikes are frustrating because everyone gets excited about them and are slow to give up on them. guys that can throw strikes with movement, in good spots and change speeds can get people out. if you can do this with a mid 80’s fastball, you’ll get your shot. and if you get people out you’ll move up. you just may need to be patient.
velocity is king. getting people out is the champion.