Pitching Prospect Velocity Reports (Updated for 2012)

[Tedaldtada]

Back in our prospect heyday (aka the Pre-MarcumandGreinkeTrade Era), we had a thread to keep track of velocity reports, mainly the firsthand variety. Now, Twitter provides all sorts of information on velocities increasing the amount of reliable data we can analyze.

 

My purpose for this thread is to revive the old thread and keep a running database of velocity reports. Post reports below. If the report is web-based (Twitter, blog, etc), please provide a link or quote. If firsthand, please indicate if your reading is via a "stadium gun" or a "scout gun". Any other details, such as FB:CH differential, fastball movement, etc would be great.

 

I raided a ton of prospect lists to get us started, but there are a ton of holes to fill. I covered the top-10 guys and the higher draft picks from last year. I will post reports as they come in.

[Tedaldtada]

Jed Bradley

 

Perfect Game (Pre-season 2012): "Now he’s a 6-4/225 man topping out in the mid 90s."

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...solid fastball that ranges from 88-93 mph and occasionally touches 95 mph. His slider is his second-best pitch, while his changeup needs some fine tuning."

 

Perfect Game (Pre-draft 2011): "Bradley has only refined his raw stuff since, and worked with a 91-94 mph fastball, 81-84 curve and low-80s changeup in most of his outings this spring."

 

Nic Bucci

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...three-pitch mix that includes an 88-93 mph fastball, curveball and changeup."

 

Drew Gagnon

 

Baseball America (Pre-draft 2011): "...pitches heavily off a lively 90-93 mph fastball that has peaked at 94 this spring...At his best, he shows a 79-82 hammer curveball and an 82-85 slider, each with distinct shapes. His 82-85 changeup is also an average pitch."

 

David Goforth

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...fastball ranges from 91-96 mph and he also recently added a cutter that has developed quickly."

 

Baseball America (Pre-draft 2011): "...four-seamer still has plenty of giddy-up, at times reaching 97 mph even when he starts. He can throw strikes with the cutter, which sits 88-92 mph and gives him a power pitch with life."

 

Taylor Jungmann

 

Keith Law (Pre-season 2012): "He can sit 91-93 mph but go back for 94-95 whenever he wants it, and he pairs it with a hammer curveball at 75-78 with two-plane break, as well as a hard changeup he rarely used in college."

 

Perfect Game (Pre-season 2012): "And they can’t say there is any concern about Jungmann’s stuff, as he pitches in the 92-94 mph range with very good life and a big breaking low 80s slider."

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...a heavy fastball that sits in the low 90s and touches the mid 90s."

 

Perfect Game (Pre-draft 2011): "Jungmann is a power pitcher with a fastball that sits at 93-95 mph, peaks at 98 and has good sinking action."

 

Danny Keller

Baseball America (Pre-draft 2011): "He has arm strength—he topped out at 93 this spring—and upside"

 

Jorge Lopez

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...his 88-93 mph fastball...His best pitch could eventually be his curveball, which already flashes plus potential."

 

Perfect Game (Pre-draft 2011): "Fastball to 91 mph, velo comes easy."

 

Santo Manzanillo

 

Perfect Game (Pre-season 2012): "...capable of hitting the upper 90s with some consistency while touching 100 mph."

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...repertoire is enticing with a 95-100 mph fastball, hard slider and potentially-average changeup."

Jimmy Nelson

 

Rattler Radio by Chris Mehring blog (Pre-season 2012): "”Downhill Thunder” would be Nelson’s 94 with heavy, crazy sink."

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "He has a low-to-mid-90s fastball that can touch 96-97 mph and a potentially-plus slider. His changeup is still in the ‘development’ stages."

 

Wily Peralta

 

Kevin Goldstein (Pre-season 2012): "...has two quality fastballs: a low-90s sinker and a hard four-seam version that can touch 96 mph...power slider is another pitch that can miss bats...greatly improved his control."

 

Keith Law (Pre-season 2012): "He'll sit 94-97 mph as a starter with an above-average slider and average changeup, with slight sink on the fastball and solid-average control."

 

Perfect Game (Pre-season 2012): "Peralta is a big and physical right hander in the Carlos Zambrano mold, capable of holding a heavy low-to-mid 90s fastball over the course of a game and mixing in a solid slider and changeup."

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "The right-hander has a 90-95 mph fastball, which is his best pitch, as well as a slider and changeup."

 

Cody Scarpetta

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...has two good pitches: an 89-94 mph fastball and a hard-breaking curveball."

 

Tyler Thornburg

 

Perfect Game (Pre-season 2012): "...he has nasty mid 90s stuff now...best secondary pitch is a very deceptive changeup and he also throws a big breaking curveball."

 

Fangraphs (Post-season 2011): "...has a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a potentially-plus changeup. His curveball is inconsistent..."

[TooLiveBrew]

Wow, I love this thread. Thank you for putting the work in on getting this started, Tedaldtada.

[Tedaldtada]

Found some DSL stuff:

 

Joel Dicent

 

Bruce Seid (Pre-season 2010): "...throws 90-95 (mph)."

 

Marcos Padilla

 

Baseball America (Pre-season 2011): "...fastball up to 89 and has a good curveball and decent changeup."

 

Pedro Peguero

 

Baseball America (Pre-season 2011): "...touches 92...

 

Osmel Perez

 

Ben Badler (Pre-season 2011): "...fastball touches 94 with room for improvement as he grows, plus an "advanced" changeup and "solid" slider."

 

Edit: Removed Capellan

[battlekow]

This is a great idea; thanks for putting it up. Some more:

 

Jungmann:

 

Jim Breen (4/5): "...largely sat 91-93 MPH with his fastball, which features significant movement in toward right-handed batters...also featured a curveball at 75-78 MPH and a changeup that sat at 81 MPH."

 

Bradley:

 

Jim Breen (4/7): "His fastball sat 89-91 MPH but touched 92-93 MPH at times. Bradley also featured a solid curveball that had the Daytona Cubs’ hitters completely locked up at the plate. He induced several really bad swings and even showed an ability to freeze batters with the curveball for strikeouts looking."

 

Gagnon:

 

Tim Froberg/Post Crescent (4/6): "...fastball that was clocked in the low 90s and was able to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes...[Gagnon:] 'I was able to get the curveball over in certain situations'...[Matt Erickson:] 'I thought his change was really good. He was down in the zone and had good deception.'"

 

Jean Capellan

...is no longer with the Brewers

[SenatorShriv]

I remember reading some "best in the system" reports several years back that would be interesting to revisit. Example - Ben Hendricksen = best curveball with a description. I think that it was MJS that put it together.

[trwi7]

Jim Breen

 

#Brewers | The folks from @HuntsvilleStars are reporting that Tyler Thornburg is hitting 98 MPH on the stadium gun.

[TheCrew07]

Jim Breen

 

#Brewers | The folks from @HuntsvilleStars are reporting that Tyler Thornburg is hitting 98 MPH on the stadium gun.

 

I'm listening to the broadcast and was coming here to post that exact same thing. On the stadium gun he's hit 97 twice and 98 once, Alex asked the Barons media director between innings how accurate the stadium gun was and the reply, "it's accurate within 1 MPH and is more accurate the faster the pitch".

[tstads20]

Jim Breen

 

#Brewers | The folks from @HuntsvilleStars are reporting that Tyler Thornburg is hitting 98 MPH on the stadium gun.

 

I was just about to post this! Apparently Huntsville's gun is a tick or 2 fast, but even still, 96-97 mph fastball out of Thornburg is pretty exciting.

 

Hopefully as his stamina builds he can maintain that type of velocity throughout 6 or 7+ innings.

[tstads20]

Jim Breen

 

#Brewers | The folks from @HuntsvilleStars are reporting that Tyler Thornburg is hitting 98 MPH on the stadium gun.

 

I'm listening to the broadcast and was coming here to post that exact same thing. On the stadium gun he's hit 97 twice and 98 once, Alex asked the Barons media director between innings how accurate the stadium gun was and the reply, "it's accurate within 1 MPH and is more accurate the faster the pitch".

 

So it's safe to assume he was hitting at least 97 mph today. Very nice.

[TooLiveBrew]

Wow, that dude has one heck of an arm

[TheCrew07]

Gagnon hit 96 on the stadium gun tonight according to the TWC32 broadcast.

 

edit. It was the 4th inning in case anyone was curious.

[HiAndTight]

God it's nice to have some power arms in our system who can get their secondary stuff over.

 

Just another reason to re-sign Greinke. If we can develop just a couple of these guys to be #2/3 type starters with two established guys atop the rotation, we should have the pitching to keep us in playoff contention for a long time.

[cragi]

stadium gun on goforth: sat 94-96, touched 98

[Tedaldtada]

stadium gun on goforth: sat 94-96, touched 98

Kyle Lobner from Brew Crew Ball concurs (see comments section) (4/14): After the 3rd inning: "Up to 98 on the gun..."

 

After the 2nd inning: "Goforth hitting 92 on the gun, gives up two singles but works out of it with a double play." ----> Just guessing, but that might have been his cutter. -Tedaldada

 

Also, we get an impressive Chad Pierce nugget from Kyle (4/14): "Pierce showing a good curveball, getting some awkward swings and misses. Also hit 93 on the gun."

 

And one more about RHP Seth Harvey from Kyle (4/14): "Seth Harvey hits 95 on the gun..."

[cragi]

Im not so sure on Pierce. He was extremely consistent at 89-90 the entire game and I think I saw 91 once.

[TooLiveBrew]

Wow, since Harvey was dominant in Helena last season (w/o getting bumped up) & a late-round college pick, I just assumed he didn't have a big arm. Hitting 95 obviously seems to indicate that's not the case...

[Tedaldtada]

Wow, since Harvey was dominant in Helena last season (w/o getting bumped up) & a late-round college pick, I just assumed he didn't have a big arm. Hitting 95 obviously seems to indicate that's not the case...

 

I think we should consider Harvey's 95 as a "touch". He touched 95 (on a stadium gun) but I bet Kyle would have indicated if he was sitting 95 every FB. It would be fair to assume he sits low-90's. A reliever can work with low-90's.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yeah, definitely didn't mean to imply that he was working in the mid-90s (or that I thought he was working there). I just assumed -- as I noted in the other post -- that he was a guy who sat in the mid or upper 80s.

[YoungGeezy]

Im not so sure on Pierce. He was extremely consistent at 89-90 the entire game and I think I saw 91 once.

 

I think this is most accurite. He has always been a high 80's Low 90's guy. In HS he topped out around 90 maybe 91 and his frame is about the same. He may be able to reach back and juice it up to 93 one in awhile but will likely work around 90

[battlekow]

Did I make up that the stadium gun at Time Warner is significantly inaccurate?

[Tedaldtada]

Did I make up that the stadium gun at Time Warner is significantly inaccurate?

 

I think it is likely 2-3 ticks fast. TC07 may have more insight.

[Tedaldtada]

I stumbled across this when researching something else.

 

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Lee Tunnel on Austin Ross via Haudricourt (5/14/2011): "Ross throws his fastball in the 88-92 mph range and with great command. He has a solid slider and has shown improvement with his changeup."

 

Also stumbled on this bit about Tyler Thornburg's change up from Rattlers pitching coach Chris Hook (6/4/2011): ""His changeup can be an above-average major-league pitch for him. He's got a 12 mph differential from his fastball to his changeup. He can throw it for a strike.

 

And from the 2011 MWL All-Star game comes this report on Tyler Thornburg from Kevin Goldstein (6/21/2011): "...89-94 w/ quality breaking ball....

[TheCrew07]

Did I make up that the stadium gun at Time Warner is significantly inaccurate?

 

I think it is likely 2-3 ticks fast. TC07 may have more insight.

 

It's been a couple of years since I charted pitches at a T-Rats game but from what I recall there was 1-3 MPH difference on most pitches between the stadium game and the stalker guns that the pitchers sitting in the row in front of me were using. Very rarely did the guns agree and I noticed the biggest difference for young men working in that 88-92 range between the 2 guns, the stadium gun was usually 2-3 MPH high.

 

I was reading up on the different guns (Stalker, JUGS, various cheapo alternatives) because I was searching for a used gun for my home town's baseball program and I wonder if the problem at TWCF is that gun just hasn't been tuned in a couple of years? I had no idea that tuning forks are used to calibrate them, in fact the need to calibrate in general never crossed my mind until I was seeing "tuning forks included" in advertisements.

[Tedaldtada]

Alex Cohen on Tyler Thornburg (4/16/2012): "94-95 early on apparently. Not sure what it was later."