How fast do you think the average "Dad" can throw a baseball?

[HymanKaplan]

I'm not talking about a dude that played HS or college baseball. Probably just LIttle League (or maybe didn't even play that)

I'm talking about a 35 plus YO guy that goes to a game, and sees that "booth", the one where they've got a radar gun, and the beer muscles bow up, and he decides to bring the heat.

I'll give my guess later. I'm interested in hearing other peoples' opinons first. LOL

 

[Stan the caddy]

50-55 seems intuitively correct.

 

[55wildcat]

I don't mean to brag, but my best pitch with the gun is 12.5 mp

 

[Crystalglass]

If he played baseball enough to develop a basic understanding of throwing mechanics and is in decent shape, 65-70.

Just random guy that played little league for the Pizza Hut trips afterwards? 50-55 MPH

I slightly misread the OP. My numbers are for an early to mid 30s guy. You start putting some 40+ guys in there and those numbers go down quick

 

[kyboy1998]

I threw 74 at the fair when I was in my mid 30s and my kids were there. I think I still had 80 in me warmed up.

I did hit 92 in HS and college.

I feel like the average dad though.

 

[HymanKaplan]

Maybe I need to re-state the question. Put 10 average Dads in the booth. What do you think their average pitch speed would be?

I doubt that it would break 50 mph.

I'd actually put money on that.

(And I specifically excluded guys that played at higher levels (which I'm classifying as playing on the HS baseball team and above)

 

[kyboy1998]

Maybe I need to restate the question. Put 10 Dads in the booth. What do you think the average would be?

I doubt that it would break 50 mph.

I now want to go check. I’m 48 now but know I’d still help the average.

If I end up with shoulder surgery it’s on you.

 

[berniecarbo]

I played a lot of ball till I was about forty, then I quit. When I was about fifty, I picked up a rock to throw at some pigeons at my shop. I threw as hard as I could. The rock traveled about six feet in front of me and my arm hung there like a wet noodle. Surgery soon followed.

 

[HymanKaplan]

LOL - I wonder how many 50 YO men have had several beers, and step up, completely cold, just wail, and cream their shoulder etc. LOL

 

[HymanKaplan]

I wanna hear @CatinIL weigh in on this. He was a pretty good ballplayer back in the day.

 

[kyboy1998]

I played a lot of ball till I was about forty, then I quit. When I was about fifty, I picked up a rock to throw at some pigeons at my shop. I threw as hard as I could. The rock traveled about six feet in front of me and my arm hung there like a wet noodle. Surgery soon followed.

I quit playing basketball and softball at 41.

I was hoping I still had it…you’ve made me nervous haha!

 

[HymanKaplan]

Maybe we should get all the old guys together and play wiffle ball LOL

 

[HymanKaplan]

<- "all time pitcher" or DH (I'm not running)

( a few games of Smear the ***** in elementary school confirmed that I'm not a fast runner. )

 

[kyboy1998]

<- "all time pitcher" or DH (I'm not running)

( a few games of Smear the ***** in elementary school confirmed that I'm not a fast runner. )

Smear the ***** haha

A game that we all played and that has been canceled.

 

[funKYcat75]

Average? About 40. A lot of dudes just didn’t play ball and never learned to throw anywhere close to properly. If we throw in guys who played HS ball, I’d say 70.

I was a below average ball player but I did pitch a couple of times and played for 6 years as a kid. I ‘caught’ for two HS pitchers in the years following (one a friend a little younger, and one a student about four years younger) and it was completely different than anything I’d ever seen.

 

[berniecarbo]

Average? About 40. A lot of dudes just didn’t play ball and never learned to throw anywhere close to properly. If we throw in guys who played HS ball, I’d say 70.

I was a below average ball player but I did pitch a couple of times and played for 6 years as a kid. I ‘caught’ for two HS pitchers in the years following (one a friend a little younger, and one a student about four years younger) and it was completely different than anything I’d ever seen.

I played fast pitch softball in the military. Our pitcher once beat the famed King and His Court. I hit against him quite a bit in BP. He could be completely dominating if he wanted to bear down.

 

[gollumcat]

Well, I was a starting pitcher on a D1 school in the early 1980s. And Im a Dad and Grandpa. So I think I qualify to comment.

My top speed was 88 MPH. Maybe I hit a bit more than that; my fastball probably sat at 86-87.

Now? I’d hate to think what it would be. Probably 50. If that.

But , I’m 63 , and have a torn rotator cuff.

 

[ukalum01]

If you’re excluding high school players and above that average isn’t getting anywhere near 50.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Im definitely dragging down the average. I was horrifically bad at baseball and I'm not even sure if I have any sort of mechanics to throw a baseball.

Actually no I do have info. Walking with my buddy and near a baseball field maybe 2 months ago.. of course a foul ball comes rolling my way. So I have to thow it to a guy like 20 feet from me.. having zero idea what a standard baseball show takes.. I sent it like 40 feet past him. Both him and my friend just gave me that look like "are you serious? "

Yo **** baseball. Hated that sport.

 

[*CatinIL*]

I know I can throw it harder than John Wall...

 

[*CatinIL*]

It really does depend if the "dad" played baseball IMO. Throwing a baseball does take some skill/technique. Average "Dad" that never threw a baseball very much...40 mph would be my guess. I'm 61 and I'm sure I can throw it harder than that though.

 

[HymanKaplan]

I can't throw a baseball, but I'm sure I cold throw a football over them mountains.

 

[HymanKaplan]

It really does depend if the "dad" played baseball IMO. Throwing a baseball does take some skill/technique. Average "Dad" that never threw a baseball very much...40 mph would be my guess. I'm 61 and I'm sure I can throw it harder than that though.

Says the guy that beaned Roger Hillard three times in a game.

 

[*CatinIL*]

I can't throw a baseball, but I'm sure I cold throw a football over them mountains.

Throwing a football is another example of needing to possess the technique and skill to do it effectively.

 

[Stan the caddy]

Hyman - asks a question related to throwing baseballs.

Also Hyman - I can’t throw a baseball.

This is excellent work whether on purpose or due to substance consumption (it’s the 4th after all)

😁

 

[bigbluefattycat]

My shoulder hurts just reading this thread.

Boss born in the USA but sounds like a commie calling it a speedball.

Glory days I threw slow slower and slowest. not sure how fast I could bring it but I bet I still have an above average dad fastball.

Curveball drops off a table. Dad didn’t show me the slider didn’t want me to ruin my arm. Arm good but the shoulder hurts to play anything including pickleball and other racquet sports.

Pretty sure the rotator cuff has damage but I’m not getting cut on.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

42.789465 MPH

 

[HymanKaplan]

I had a decent arm (especially football), but what made me actually think of this is the advent of County Fair/Carnival season, and the ubiquitous radar gun booth. And my longheld notion that most men overestimate their fastball by 20 or more MPH.

Not unlike their golf game. If I had a dollar for every self-proclaimed 7 handicap that I played a round with that "for whatever reason" suddenly played "their worst round in years!!!" well, I'd have at least 100 dollars.

Most weekend warriors can barely sniff bogey golf (unless it's a ridiculous hardpan muni after 5 weeks without rain.... (300 yard "drive" that carries 170 and rolls another 130) LOL

 

[JonathanW]

I would say 45-55.

Of course the obvious factor is his baseball (or even adult softball) background,
But another big factor is age. You have some LL (11-12 yr olds) dad’s whose age can range from 30 to 55. Like I was on the older end (44-49) when my 2 boys played LL. I had more experience/skill/speed than most at throwing, and there is a huge difference in how hard I could throw at 34 vs 44 vs 54, with top speed probably dropping from low 80’s (at 34) to low 70’s (at 44) to low 60’s (at 54).

 

[HymanKaplan]

We're talking miles per hour guys, not KpH

 

[berniecarbo]

I had a decent arm (especially football), but what made me actually think of this is the advent of County Fair/Carnival season, and the ubiquitous radar gun booth. And my longheld notion that most men overestimate their fastball by 20 or more MPH.

Not unlike their golf game. If I had a dollar for every self-proclaimed 7 handicap that I played a round with that "for whatever reason" suddenly played "their worst round in years!!!" well, I'd have at least 100 dollars.

Most weekend warriors can barely sniff bogey golf (unless it's a ridiculous hardpan muni after 5 weeks without rain.... (300 yard "drive" that carries 170 and rolls another 130) LOL

I went to a driving range once a long time ago. Everything I hit was a line drive to the third baseman. Never played again.

 

[JonathanW]

Throwing a football is another example of needing to possess the technique and skill to do it effectively.

I think even more so.
My best friend in college, he arrived on campus as scholarship WR (but quit team), he was amazed thst even though he could throw football much farther than me, that I could throw a softball farther than him.

 

[bigbluefattycat]

I had a decent arm (especially football), but what made me actually think of this is the advent of County Fair/Carnival season, and the ubiquitous radar gun booth. And my longheld notion that most men overestimate their fastball by 20 or more MPH.

Not unlike their golf game. If I had a dollar for every self-proclaimed 7 handicap that I played a round with that "for whatever reason" suddenly played "their worst round in years!!!" well, I'd have at least 100 dollars.

Most weekend warriors can barely sniff bogey golf (unless it's a ridiculous hardpan muni after 5 weeks without rain.... (300 yard "drive" that carries 170 and rolls another 130) LOL

Yeah I would say 45 -50 average Joe. Next time I’m at a gun I will get some stats by doing some advanced scouting for an hour or so then report back. I expect the same from all you Paddock athletes.

Brandon has a 6 handicap or was it 8?

 

[HymanKaplan]

If I broke 45 I'd be shocked. And then I would have my friend take me to an orthopedic surgeon. (I'd need a driver, because I drive a stick)

 

[*CatinIL*]

This thread reminds me of a Connie Mack game (Man-O-War) I was in years ago. We were playing the Storms club in Cincinnati and our guy pitching threw a "fastball". The batter shook his head and said, "That was a nice change up". The catcher (good friend of mine) called time out and walked to the mound and told the guy pitching, "He thought that was your change up". It was one of those "Oh S#!+" moments. They run ruled us in 5 innings. 🤣

 

[PGthirteen13]

I’m 44 and injured my elbow at age 29. Before then? At least 70. Now? Like 40 tops. It’s not worth the pain in even trying.

 

[HymanKaplan]

42.789465 MPH

No thread is complete until an engineer chips in. LOL

(completely off topic, but a few months ago I made an impulse purchase on ebay. I bought a Pickett N4-ES slide rule (which is probably from the very late 50's to early 60's)

Just thought, since I'm an engineer, it would be a cool bit of nostalgia. After using it to work a couple of calc problems, I had a headache, and a short temper. Thank God I was born late enough to never have to deal with that crap. A mid-century torture device...

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

We all still think we have a bit of Nolan in us.






But we don't.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

50-55 seems intuitively correct.

This. Most people have no clue how difficult it is to throw a ball harder than 60 mph. It takes either training (which was excluded from the results) or natural ability (which is not in abundant supply).

 

[JonathanW]

Are we talking with or against the wind 😂