Summer Pitching Development

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

As summer baseball gets into full swing, pitchers throughout the country should be feeling great. With most high school seasons that were filled with cold weather, rain and missed starts now over, pitchers can settle into a regular summer rotation. Throughout our summer game schedule we need to continue to work on improving.

In my opinion, young pitchers should concentrate on two areas: fastball command and arm strength. Let’s look at each.

First, and most important, is fastball command. This means that you, as a pitcher, can throw your fastball exactly where you want. Keep in mind that command is different than control. Control means that you can throw your fastball for strikes. Command means that you can throw it to your target. This may mean on the inside corner, it may mean low and away, it may even mean throwing it intentionally six inches off the plate with an 0-2 count on the hitter. Being able to command your fastball is the single most important part to being a successful pitcher.

In order to have command, you must be able to repeat your delivery and release point every pitch. There are many stories of pitchers in the Major Leagues who drew the strike zone on a wall growing up and threw to spots on that wall in and out of the strike zone. Their command got so good that they wore out certain spots on the wall. Whether you work on this on your own or in organized bullpen sessions, work hard to throw your fastball where you want it.

Secondly, continue to work on arm strength. To this day, the only proven way to improve arm strength is to play long toss. Even throughout your summer season, you need to find days that you can stretch out your arm and throw long. This helps to build arm strength and arm speed, ultimately resulting in improved velocity.

All pitchers should implement a regular program over the summer that includes their game starts, side sessions with an emphasis on fastball command, and long toss sessions. After several months of following that schedule, your results are sure to improve.


Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt currently serves as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.

Tool Talk: Fastball

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Throughout my travels, I always try my best to take some time and catch up with each tool. It is always interesting to learn about players from the point of view of the tools themselves. Some have more to say than others, not only about their own particular importance and value, but also about the relationships they have with other tools.

Most recently, I sat down for a chat with Fastball. While there is not really one tool that defines position players, the Fastball tool defines most pitchers...though not always for the right reason. Fastball had a few things to say about that, among other things.

Fastball: First, let me apologize for Hitting. I know you spoke with him previously, and sometimes he can get a little hot under the collar. Oops, Hitting hates it when I use the term “collar” around him.

Andy: Oh, I’m used to it with him. Who knows what Power will have to say though…

Fastball: Don’t worry about him, he’s not so tough. If a pitcher can do a good enough job of establishing me on the inner half, my friends Curveball and Changeup can keep Power on the bench all day long. Heck, Hitting too for that matter.

Andy: I certainly couldn’t disagree with you there. However, you and I both know that young pitchers today are most often concerned with only one of your components.

Fastball: Yep, they all want velocity. Why not movement, or command? One component alone certainly does not make a fastball. Though in reality, the only one with even a chance to stand alone would be command.

Andy: Thank you. I have been trying to get the same point across about Running. A 60-yard dash alone most certainly does not constitute a Running grade. It is simply one component of the eventual grade.

Fastball: Running and I, we both often get judged too quickly – both good and bad. Just because a pitcher throws 78 miles per hour for example, doesn’t mean he has a poor fastball. He may throw me with late movement, or be able to move me around the zone – in, out, up, down, move the hitter off the plate. On the other hand, the pitcher that throws 88 doesn’t necessarily have a great fastball. Sure, the velocity is pretty good, but what if it is straight and he either can’t throw strikes or just throws it down the middle all the time? What about that will get hitters out?

Andy: Let me build on that quickly, using the 20-80 scouting scale to help. First, let’s take our 78 mph fastball. On most scales, 78 mph would grade out at 20. Let’s say that fastball has pretty good movement, we’ll give that 40. The command, in this example, is even better. We’ll make that average by Major League standards, which is 50.

So, we box it out like this:

Fastball Velocity = 20
Fastball Movement = 40
Fastball Command = 50

What was certainly a 20 fastball if you only looked at velocity, could end up at least at 30 (maybe higher for some) when all components are considered.

Just to prove the point, we’ll box out our 88 mph fastball like this:

Fastball Velocity = 45
Fastball Movement = 35
Fastball Command = 30

In this case, what could have been a 45 fastball based on velocity has likely fallen down to around a 35.

People weight components differently of course; there are no hard and fast rules. In our examples, the two pitches ended up only a half grade apart when all components were considered. Remember that if we only looked at velocity, they would have been two and a half grades apart.

Fastball: Well, thanks for stealing my thunder. And also, that wasn’t a quick explanation. But…hopefully at least a few people will read this and it will help them realize that there is more to me than most people think.

Andy: I hope so too. Thanks for your time Fastball, I know you are very busy. After all, you are by far the most important pitch for any pitcher to have.

Fastball: Aw shucks, thanks. Oh, I gotta go. I think I hear the phone ringing in the bullpen.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory.

Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.