Read this before the chart. The numbers below are averages across large groups of kids, not a score your child should hit. At any age the range is wide, and youth velocity depends on size and physical maturity far more than on age. Chasing a radar-gun number, instead of mechanics, arm care, and pitch-count limits, is exactly how young arms get hurt.
Average fastball velocity by age and level
Here is the consolidated picture, pulled from youth showcase data, college recruiting benchmarks, and MLB Statcast.
Sources: youth and HS figures from coaching and showcase data (PBSCCS, Perfect Game, Driveline)123; college from Rapsodo and recruiting data4; MLB from Statcast5.
| Level | Average fastball | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8U (age 8) | ~40 mph | Sparse data, wide spread |
| 9U (age 9) | ~44 mph | |
| 10U (age 10) | ~50 to 53 mph | |
| 11U (age 11) | ~50 to 55 mph | |
| 12U (age 12) | ~55 mph | Little League range 50 to 60 |
| 13U (age 13) | ~65 mph | Big jump as kids grow |
| 14U (age 14) | ~70 mph | 75 is outstanding for the age |
| HS freshman | ~70 mph | |
| HS varsity (avg) | ~75 to 80 mph | Soft average, roster-dependent |
| College D3 / NAIA | ~80 to 85 mph | Recruited velocity |
| College D2 | ~84 to 88 mph | Recruited velocity |
| College D1 | ~88 to 95 mph | Average around 89 to 90 |
| MLB (2025) | 94.5 mph | Average four-seam fastball |
Why these numbers come with a giant asterisk
The most important thing on this page is not any single number. It is the size of the range hiding behind each one. Two healthy, mechanically sound 12 year olds can differ by 15 miles per hour for one reason: one has hit a growth spurt and the other has not. Velocity at young ages is mostly a story about height, weight, and how far along a kid is in puberty, none of which a child controls.
There is also a sampling quirk worth knowing. Most public average-by-age numbers are built from kids who attend showcases, academies, and radar-gunned events.2 That group is more developed and more competitive than the average rec-league player, so these figures likely run a little high compared with a true all-kids average. If your child is below the number, that is not a verdict. It is a snapshot of where one kid sits on a very wide and very moveable curve.
How fast velocity actually climbs
The year-to-year jumps are real and they are mostly free, courtesy of growth. Developmental data suggests younger pitchers tend to add on the order of 5 miles per hour a year through the youngest ages, with the yearly gains tapering as they move through the mid-teens.3 The takeaway for a parent: a 12 year old sitting at 50 is not behind, he is 12. Patience plus healthy development beats forcing velocity nearly every time.
What the top of the ladder looks like
The hardest throwers in the majors now sit around 100 miles per hour on average, and the league has never thrown harder. That is worth a moment of perspective, because the same rise in velocity that thrills fans is part of what is driving the surge in elbow injuries, all the way down to youth baseball. Throwing hard is exciting. Throwing hard and staying healthy is the actual goal.
Use this chart for context, never as a target. The healthiest path to velocity is the boring one: clean mechanics, real strength, managed workload, and time. Where does your kid stand? Somewhere on a wide curve that is still moving. That is all the number means.
Education, not a medical diagnosis or treatment plan. If your pitcher has pain, consult a qualified sports-medicine professional.
Originally published on CritchPitch.