Developing Some “Junk”

July 21, 2009

Benton is really enjoying baseball this season, and he’s developed into one of the most consistent and accurate pitchers on his team. Unfortunately, he’s not one of the most powerful pitchers at the same time. Last season, he singlehandedly “invented” the off-speed pitch — realizing that a slow ball can be as hard to hit as a fast ball if the batter is not expecting it.

This season, he’s taken pitch variety to a new level, which is fun to watch. He regularly changes the speed of his delivery — his wind-up as well as the actual ball velocity — and has been experimenting with different arm motions. On top of that, he pays close attention to the batter’s stance and the balls/strikes count and uses that to his advantage. I’m learning a thing or two about baseball…

While we were in West Virginia, he used a tennis ball to show me some of the more odd throwing motions that he is working to perfect.

He also took some time to help Alana practice throwing and catching.

Posted in Alana, Benton