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How Important Is Speed In Baseball? [2022 Update]

As Major League Baseball is happening these days with many upcoming matches, we thought that this post might be helpful for our baseball players out there.

Baseball is a game that requires players to bat as well as field. This means that players need to show their skills both as hitters and as fielders too.

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Speed plays a significant role in baseball. Interesting the tradition of recruiting players based on their 60-yard dash running speed is still used in an MLB tryout camp. The fastest runners are selected right away with some other usual documentation.

You see, from the above instance, how much speed is important in a game of baseball. The faster your speed is the better player you become.

We would like to divide this post into three parts – Importance of speed for fielders, the importance of speed for pitchers and importance of speed for hitters.

Importance of speed for fielders

When you are one of the fielders, your aim is to prevent the other team from making any runs. For this, you are required to run large distances within the areas that you are assigned.

As a fielder, you need proper training to not only run aimlessly but with a fast speed and in the right direction. With the right training, you can become a great athlete who can stop as many runs as possible.

Speed also comes in when you catch a ball and throw it back to the pitcher. In such cases, you should throw a ball with a certain speed so that it reaches the pitcher in time.

Before throwing the ball back to the pitcher you must assess the situation, maybe you can run fast enough with the ball and reach the base or home plate before the runner.

So remember as a fielder speed is a key. You do not want to compromise on your running speed at any cost. To increase your speed on the field, we suggest you get yourself enrolled in one of those baseball agility drills.

These baseball drills are conducted by professionals on the field with and without baseballs. This way fielders learn when and how to raise their speed.

Importance of speed for pitchers

A pitcher has the choice to throw the ball or pitch at whatever speed that he or she prefers. Pitch speed or most commonly known as Pitching Velocity is considered one of the important traits of being a pitchers.

Trainers who look after youth baseball provide that it is important to develop technique and precision with fast speed. Youth players should not only focus on throwing hard but also on commanding their throw.

Due to the dangerous speeds at which some of the pitchers started pitching, the relevant authorities have put certain restraints and restrictions. This way the management can protect players from injuries and other unwanted situations.

Generally, for pro-players coaches suggest and prefer a pitch velocity of 90-97mph on average. This figure is hard to achieve but is not something impossible.

To increase your pitch speed, we suggest you increase your workout by picking up some more weights, do squats and lunges to strengthen your lower body and focus on the correct pitching mechanics.

Importance of speed for hitters

Being a hitter your priority is to hit home runs or at least hit the baseball far enough to score some runs via running until 1st, 2nd or 3rd base.

For this hitters need to have a combination of speed and energy while hitting. You need to spin your bat as fast as you can so that you can make contact with the fast reaching baseball.

While practicing, you should try to increase your spin speed, and hitting technique as these will determine how far the ball will go.

So, from the above discussion, we have made it clear that speed plays a vital role in every aspect of baseball. Whether you are a fielder, a hitter or a pitcher, speed will determine how good you are.

We recommend all the baseball players to focus not only on skill or technique building but also on achieving a certain level of speed for their game.