Could the best javelin throwers do well at pitching in baseball?

No, silly boy.

Baseball players are multi skilled athletes.

After the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the Braves tried out the javelin winner, the Czech Jan Zelezny. They didn't sign him, so I assume they didn't think enough of his chances to pay him more than he was making in the javelin (where I believe he was one of the all-time greats).

A lot more to pitching than arm speed.

We had an all-American jav thrower on my team in college who was clocked at only 86 by one of the baseball coaches, which definitely isn’t pitcher material, especially for someone just chucking it and not actually pitching. Just one data point, but shows there isn’t a guaranteed correlation.

Probably not. However if they can hit a curve ball and can run fast, there might be a place for them in center or right field.

I was going to bring this up. Zelezny was reported to have thrown well over 90 mph which was fairly exclusive at that time. Like you said, this shows that there is a lot more to it than simply how fast you can throw.

Maybe fairly exclusive to jav throwers, but certainly not in mlb. People have been throwing well over 90 for a long time and with accuracy in a real game. Just launching it in the general direction of home plate at over 90 while incredibly impressive, certainly doesn't mean anything about baseball talent. Probably most every mlb player can do that.

Baseballs are relatively light and the throwing motion is too different.

Javelin translates much better to throwing a football. Terry Bradshaw was a decent javelin thrower before becoming a Superbowl winning QB.

Javelin rules force an overhand throw, not like baseball at all. Stupid rule if it prevents longer throws. Throw the spear as far as possible dammit!

There's definitely going to be strong correlation between javelin distance and pitch speed. But like others have said, the mechanics are a little different. I think pitchers use their forearm, wrist, and fingers more. Far from guaranteed that elite javelin would translate to elite pitching and vice versa.

Disagree

jav thrower here

yes arm is important but

legs much more so

like most of it

whip and flail javelin is a whip and a flail or to put it another way like those old western saloon doors one side stops the other goes open

watch some YouTube clips

key lifts

clean and jerks

snatches

abs

Like he said legs much more so. Thing is who is going to catch the javelin and won't it split up the bat.

The National HS Javelin Record for many a year; was held by a different sport athlete:

Yes, Super Bowl Champion; Terry Bradshaw ;

Seems that I recall the scouts being impressed with his velocity and using the word exclusive. I remember having the impression that his mid-upper 90's speed was grouped with a select few in MLB, but it is possible that they were referring to another demographic.

At the Braves tryout Jan Zelezny apparently stood on home plate and threw the ball clear over the centre field fence.

Pitchers also need to use their legs. Why to you think there's a rubber on top of the pitchers mound? Using your legs properly helps you throw faster.

It's this. Hip-to-shoulder separation translates pretty well, but there are certain muscles in the shoulder and back that are very rubber-band like while throwing a baseball while being a more brute strength muscles when throwing a javelin or even football.

Javelin throw is not necessarily strongly correlated with pitching a baseball. Pitching a baseball well is about being a magician as much as ability to throw hard, especially for pitchers who cannot or whom are no longer able to throw over 95 m.p.h. If javelin throw is strongly correlated to throwing a ball, it is possibly strongly correlated to throwing Hail Mary pass in Am. football. Look at college and N.F.L. QBs throwing Hail Mary in slow motion then watch elite javelin throwers launch javelin.

Bradshaw held the National HS record if I remember correctly.