My pitching philosophy is simple. I have 4 big KPIs for all my pitchers in our organization and the older kids can recite this: 60% strike rate, 1st Pitch Strikes, At Bats with 5 pitches or less, and 15 pitch innings.

I am adding an element to this and prioritizing 1st pitch strikes. With data I have compiled from our 12u season thus far with a sample size of 381 total at bats and when we start a hitter off with strike 1, the outcome is an out 61% of the time. When starting the hitter off with a ball, an out is recorded 48% of the time.

To increase our chances of positive results for the team, we want to prioritize getting ahead early and focusing on strike 1. 

If you look at our 1 tournament sample size, the pitchers that had the highest strike rates, also had the highest percentage of 1st pitch strikes. We also see a direct correlation with strike rates and opportunities to win games, especially at the 13u level.

Throw strikes and secure the outs!