How Many Different Types Of Pitches Do You Need To Be A Successful Youth Baseball Pitcher?

A common misconception in youth baseball pitching circles is that “the more pitches you can throw, the better off you’ll be.” So I'm seeing a lot of guys throwing four, five, and even six different types of pitches out there on the mound. This isn't good practice.

Most major league starting pitchers throw just three pitches: a fastball (or one of its variations: two-seamer, four-seamer, cutter, or sinker), a change-of-speed pitch (like a changeup, a foshball, or a palmball) and a two-plane breaking ball pitch (like a curveball, splitter, or slider).

For major league relievers, it’s two pitches: a fastball and something else.

Most, for example, do not throw a slider and a curveball, because it’s very difficult to keep the integrity of the two breaking balls intact without them becoming a slurve. (A slurve is a combination of the two pitches that doesn’t exactly “dart” like a true slider or “drop” like a true curveball making it, more times than not, a looping, hittable "gofer ball." Not good!)

Don’t spread your pitch mastery too thin by working on a slider and a curveball -- especially at the expense of more important pitches like an off-speed pitch such as a changeup. Pick and develop just one breaking ball to master. Work on developing a good changeup, and throw that fastball a lot!

These three (and you can actually get by with just two pitches through high school) are the only pitches you need to be successful, the fastball, of course, being No. 1.