I’m not a gigantic fan of pitching machines mainly because they are so unrealistic to how a ball is going to be pitched to a batter. Here is a picture that shows the obvious problem.
No pitch will ever shoot out of a pitcher’s belly button. The ball will usually be released above and to the side of the pitcher’s head which is significantly higher then how a normal pitching machine is designed to work.
And that brings me to the most ingenious thing I’ve seen in a long time. It is shown in these two pictures.
Maybe some of you have seen this before but I had not until I worked at this high school camp in Lansdale, PA. The coach in this picture (Coach Kevin Harris of North Penn High School and Nor-Gwyn Legion) had custom legs cut to raise the pitching machine to release point level. A brilliant idea!
Now the pitching machine properly replicates the height of a normal release point for an average high school pitcher. Obviously, you can cut the legs to whatever height you need depending on the age/size of the players at your level.
A great idea and a great example of someone thinking outside the box to solve a basic problem with pitching machines.
