Should I play baseball this season?

[JellyPenguin515]

I'm just reposting this from tmisc so here ya go:

Sooooooo it's my senior year of hs and I have not played a sport throughout my four years here. Thought about wrestling this year, pussied out last second, I wish I had started it freshman year I'd be sick now. I honestly haven't played baseball since like 6th grade? But our baseball team is probably our least competitive sports team. I suck at batting/hate it, the last baseball I've batted against was at least 5 years ago and it was probably 40mph at best. Now I will be facing pitches 65+ mph at the least. I'd be playing on the JV team. My plan was to spend all winter pitching and hopefully get my fastball into the 80mph range but the season starts sooner than I thought and I got tied up with lifting/school work/ work. I honestly have no idea I can pitch but I'm 6'4'' with good mechanics, a strong core, so I'm hoping it's kind of fast. Pitching is really all I wanted to do and if I don't pitch fast it's really not worth me playing because I suck at everything else except base running. But I really have no idea how fast I can pitch because I don't have a radar gun and I don't want to go to practice thinking I can pitch fast when it's only like 50mph haha.

There is an interest meeting tomorrow, I have like two decently close friends playing but they will be on varsity, the rest of the kids are football and basketball players, with a mix of unathletic kids. I don't think practice starts for a few weeks though so I would have time to build speed/work on mechanics. As much as this is about getting out of my comfort zone and actually playing a sport, I don't want to play if I'm not going to be good. I really have no idea how I will bat, I was decent in 6th grade but I was insanely weak, my strength is now above average I'd say but power is only one aspect of it. I am a fast sprinter and a smart baserunner, and I think I am a decent outfielder if I had to fallback on that.

I'd be the only senior on the JV team so I really don't want to play if I suck ass, my decision comes down to my pitching ability. Like I mentioned earlier, my shoulder is in good health, I can move fast, I have a long stride, strong core, and my legs have gained quite a bit of strength. I'm also 6'4'' around 180 if that means anything. Do I have potential? There are only like 3 or 4 decent pitchers and I think most or all of them will be on the varsity team. What kind of speed is the norm on a JV team. I know I'm making a big deal out of this but I either want to succeed or not play. I'd really hate to join the team, find out I suck and have to quit.

What to do tmisc - thanks

tl;dr
haven't played organized baseball since 6th grade, haven't played an organized sport all of high school and i'm a senior now. I used to be a good pitcher, but I have no idea how I will do now. Do I have potential to pitch fast?

[89FoxBody]

lol. Senior in HS you will be seeing 75-85 mph most likely, plus they will be throwing actual breaking pitches unlike in 6th grade. Anyone can go into the cages and hit fastballs but hitting breaking pitches is a different story entirely.

As far as your pitching is concerned, everybody's body is different. Some people can throw hard. You are decently tall so you probably have long arms which is advantageous for leverage reasons. But have you learned any pitching grips? Arm action? Arm slot? There is a lot more that goes into pitching than simply chucking the ball. You need balance, leg strength, endurance, arm strength + flexibility, the ability to repeat your delivery in exactly the same fashion every time you throw the ball, etc.

I'm all for trying out, but don't blow up your arm trying to prove something. Getting your arm stretched out is important. If I were yo I'd look into a couple of sessions with a coach to give yourself a good foundation.

[ven33]

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