How Hard Does the Average 14-Year-Old Throw?

Around 70 mph, right as the jump to high school arrives. This is the age the foundation you have built starts to show.

4 min read·1 cited sources·Last reviewed June 17, 2026

NC By Nathan Critchett, Founder of CritchPitch

The quick take

The average 14-year-old pitcher throws roughly 70 mph, with about 75 being outstanding for the age.
Fourteen lines up with the move toward high school and bigger fields, which raises the stakes on mechanics.
Velocity gains start to taper compared with the big 12-to-13 jump, so development gets more deliberate.
Showcases begin to appear at 14, and protecting the arm matters more than chasing a radar-gun reading.

The short answer

~70 mph

The average fastball for a 14-year-old (14U) pitcher. Around 75 mph is considered outstanding for the age, and the typical range runs roughly 65 to 75.¹

Fourteen is a transition year. Many players are moving to the bigger field and into high school programs, where the average freshman sits right around this same 70 mph mark.¹ The huge growth-driven jumps of 12 to 13 start to taper, and the gains from here become more about strength, mechanics, and deliberate development.

Why mechanics start to matter more

As velocity climbs into the 70s, the load on the arm climbs with it. That makes this the age where clean, efficient mechanics stop being a nice-to-have and start being a durability issue. A 14-year-old throwing 72 with an arm-dominant delivery is putting far more stress on the elbow than one throwing the same speed with the whole body. If you have never checked, this is a good age to see [whether the mechanics are safe](/library/are-my-pitchers-mechanics-safe).

Showcases and the radar-gun trap

Watch for

Fourteen is when showcase invitations start appearing, and with them the urge to chase a number on a gun. College recruiting is still years away, and max-effort showcase throwing is a high-load, low-reward activity for a 14-year-old arm. There is no recruiting upside that justifies an injury at this age.

What matters more than the number

At 14, the job is to build a durable, repeatable delivery and keep the arm healthy as the workload grows. Stay inside [pitch-count limits](/library/youth-pitch-counts-by-age), take a real [off-season](/library/building-a-durable-arm), and build velocity through strength and sequencing rather than through showcases and weighted balls. The velocity you can still be throwing at 18 is the only number that ends up mattering.

Education, not a medical diagnosis or treatment plan. If your pitcher has pain, consult a qualified sports-medicine professional.