Danny Sheaffer

Spring Training 1982…Talking hitting with Red Sox legend, Ted Williams. Greatest hitter of all time in my opinion.

As a pitcher, “velocity” may get you drafted, but the ability to “pitch” is what keeps you in the game over a long period of time. Scouts don’t care how hard you throw ball four!!! Change speeds. Backing the ball up. Ability to spin the ball. Commanding both sides of the plate. Working ahead in counts. Disrupt timing. Those skills separate pitchers from throwers. Old-school Major League pitching coaches have been saying it forever: pitching is “location, deception, movement, and timing disruption.” At higher levels in the game, hitters can handle velocity. It crosses the plate at 98 and goes out at 108. Hard and harder rarely works over the long haul—especially as a starter in the big leagues. If you don’t have a changeup, you’d better develop one quickly. It’s the best pitch in baseball. The ability to break speeds and disrupt timing is essential for long term success at elite levels in the game of baseball. Velocity opens the door. Pitch-ability keeps you there. Good luck!

2030 shortstop Davis Seivers from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina is headed to Covenant Health Park for our upcoming Going Yard Eastern Scout Games!

Why does everyone want to make it more complicated than it already is? Just catch the white ball and throw it to the base you’re supposed to throw it too!