A pitch counter is a concept that was basically unknown in baseball twenty or so years ago, but it now is a widely used tool for monitoring a pitcher's progress and health. After the pitcher takes the mound, a pitching coach or his assistant keeps track of the number of pitches thrown by pushing a button on a device that resembles a stopwatch. The pitch counter will tell the coach when the pitcher has reached a certain number of pitches. This is valuable for pitchers at every level. The professional pitcher may have great arm strength, but a coach may know that his pitcher loses effectiveness once he passes the 100-pitch count. He can look at his counter and make a pitching change before the pitcher starts surrendering runs. With young pitchers or high school pitchers, a coach can know exactly how many pitches have been thrown. This lets him remove the pitcher before the young athlete strains his arm.
What to Look for
There are several variations on pitch counters, and coaches at the high-school level and beyond may need pitch counters that also detect velocity. This pitch counter is combined with an electronic stopwatch that can track the speed of a pitch. As the pitch count mounts, the coach can determine whether the pitcher is losing velocity. You wouldn't use this device for pitchers who are 14 and under. They need to be kept on a strict pitch count, so velocity isn't an issue. The more basic pitch counter looks like a stopwatch. A coach or scout will simply click a button on the device every time the pitcher throws a pitch and it will give a running total throughout the game.
Common Pitfalls
Pitch counters are labor-intensive devices. It's not difficult labor; but the device operator must not let his mind wander or he will miss pitches. It's just a matter of pressing a button on a hand-held device with every pitch thrown, but if a scout or coach starts thinking about a different issue or he actually loses his concentration for a short period, the pitch counter is thrown off. Vigilance is the key to making sure the device does what it is supposed to do. The other factor to be considered is that coaches and managers may become overly dependent on the pitch counter. Instead of trusting what they see with their eyes, they let the numbers dictate their actions. Pitch count should always be a factor when making a decision to leave in or take out a pitcher, but it should not be the only factor.
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