Pitching Prospect Velocity Reports (Updated for 2012)

[SenatorShriv]

Would it be possible for a moderator to occasionally compile all of the various reports into a section on each of the pitchers at the top of thread? By the time I scroll through the mulitple posts in between updates on player X I start to forget what was reported in the previous posts because I get distracted by the reports on other players. I'm thinking of something along the lines of locked threads in the Draft Forum with all of the info on players neatly sorted together.

[Tedaldtada]

Would it be possible for a moderator to occasionally compile all of the various reports into a section on each of the pitchers at the top of thread? By the time I scroll through the mulitple posts in between updates on player X I start to forget what was reported in the previous posts because I get distracted by the reports on other players. I'm thinking of something along the lines of locked threads in the Draft Forum with all of the info on players neatly sorted together.

 

Is is possible but there is a 60,000 character limit per post. I will compress the quotes as much as I can, but eventually we will run out of space.

 

Now if you are talking about creating a separate thread with a list of pitchers in the first post and links to each pitcher's individual post with reports, then I think that is a great idea. I, alas, am not a moderator, so it would be difficult for me to create and update a locked thread.

[Tedaldtada]

Jim Breen on Mark Rogers (Pre-season 2012): "He was hitting 94 MPH in camp."

 

I remember when this info came out during spring training, but cannot remember the original source. Breen tweeted it today, so I am just going to run with it for now. Maybe someone remembers if it was Breen or someone else originally reporting it.

[TheCrew07]

Chris has reported 2 stadium gun readings tonight for Gagnon on sinkers, one at 88 and one at 91.

[battlekow]

Anonymous scout on Tyler Thornburg: "I like him better than I did last year, as with a 91-94 mph fastball, good curve, and change, we're talking about three plus pitches."

[battlekow]

Chris Mehring reports that David Goforth hit 97 tonight, though that's presumably on the stadium gun and thus high by a few notches.

[HiAndTight]

I think all these velocity reports are a little skewed. You're programmed to expect a 97 MPH fastball and you get a couple readings and then all the sudden that's what everyone cites.

 

Greinke when he was coming up was touted as being a 97-98 MPH fastball guy. I question if he ever really was.

 

Guns get juiced and then when reality comes they drop a couple MPH. The bottom line is 93-94 is plenty to get guys out...heck, 91-93 is plenty for a power pitcher if he has a couple plus secondary pitches. Thornburg has two of them.

 

That's basically Gallardo if he continues to improve. I just think readings are often so inflated we get disappointed when the reality actually comes out.

[Tedaldtada]

I think all these velocity reports are a little skewed. You're programmed to expect a 97 MPH fastball and you get a couple readings and then all the sudden that's what everyone cites.

 

Greinke when he was coming up was touted as being a 97-98 MPH fastball guy. I question if he ever really was.

 

Guns get juiced and then when reality comes they drop a couple MPH. The bottom line is 93-94 is plenty to get guys out...heck, 91-93 is plenty for a power pitcher if he has a couple plus secondary pitches. Thornburg has two of them.

 

That's basically Gallardo if he continues to improve. I just think readings are often so inflated we get disappointed when the reality actually comes out.

 

I think you have to take the reports at face value while still trying to account for context. SessileFielder reports Goforth hit 97. 1. He only 'hit' it. He was not sitting 97. 2. That is a stadium gun reading at Time Warner Field. We think that gun is a tick or three fast.

 

The biggest mistake you could make is programming yourself to expect a solid 97 out of Goforth on each pitch.

 

Regarding Greinke, I don't think there is anything false about those reports. He hit 95 just the other night. Considering the limited effort in his delivery, I bet he has no problem pumping it up a few extra ticks if he wanted to show off. Now I doubt he can sit 97-98 and that is why indicating if a pitcher is 'hitting' or 'sitting' is so important for our purposes here.

 

There is nothing skewed about the readings (especially when we have the proper context), it is your expectations after learning about the readings that is skewed.

[DHonks]

When Greinke was a reliever with the Royals following his departure from the team, he was regularly throwing 97-98.

[TooLiveBrew]

From Mr. Mehring's "Nine after Nine" tonight --

 

For the velocity mavens out there, Seth Harvey registered 95 with one pitch and 94 on several others on the stadium [West Michigan] pitch speed indicator.

[Tedaldtada]

From Mr. Mehring's "Nine after Nine" tonight --

 

For the velocity mavens out there, Seth Harvey registered 95 with one pitch and 94 on several others on the stadium [West Michigan] pitch speed indicator.

 

I love how he always prefaces his velocity report.

 

Finally, I am a maven! Thanks Mr. Mehring. Keep them coming.

[TooLiveBrew]

We're all mavens! He's so nurturing.

[HiAndTight]

When Greinke was a reliever with the Royals following his departure from the team, he was regularly throwing 97-98.

 

 

I actually came back and mentioned that in a post. It's a little annoying that posts get deleted if someone thinks they're repetitive or whatnot as they make the poster look uneducated.

 

I corrected that Greinke probably did and could throw 97-98 as a reliever, and even mentioned that he could get it up there in short stints.

 

However when you're talking about a starter, you're not going to cite what he sits at during a 1 inning all star game as your scouting report. You're going to go off of where a guy is during his full start, 80-100 pitches. Not 20.

 

That is when I fell in love with Greinke. He could throw 97-98 and then his 2 seamer would be 93-94 and just dive.

 

This is why I was so against the CC trade. CC gave us half a year whereas Greinke was available, and I think we could have saved ourselves a prospect or two and gotten a long term player who would have helped during the past 4-5 years as opposed to a guy you got for half a season(as great a half a season as it was and then had a #1/#2 the next several seasons moving forward...and we wouldn't have had to give up what we gave up, Escobar, Odorizzi, Cain and Jeffress).

 

But I digress as that's not the point. The point is keeping Greinke now. Signing him NOW before the Phillies sign Hamels and Greinke is thee legit starting pitcher on the market this off-season and we're back into a CC like situation where we have no chance to keep him.

 

With all the revenue that is pouring into this team right now, and all the salaries coming off it, to not lock him up would be a mistake that would hurt this team for 10+ years.

[Tedaldtada]

Chris Mehring, in his Rattler Radio Blog, with a pretty exciting David Goforth paragraph (4/24/2012): "He was 94-96 with a few 98s in there. I saw a 100 on the scoreboard after one pitch. It was low and away and Rafael Neda did a nice job stopping it. I cannot say that the actual velocity was 100, I can only say that I saw 100 on the scoreboard."

 

For those keeping track, this reading was via the South Bend scoreboard gun. Hardly official, but the report is still appreciated in these parts. Thanks, Chris!

 

More on David Goforth (4/24/2012): ""We got the bats going and faced a pretty good arm there," Hawks manager Mark Haley said. "He was throwing 98 (mph) -- you don't see guys throwing 98 a whole lot.

[Tedaldtada]

Jonathon C. Mitchell was at the Manatee game today (5/3/2012) commenting on Jed Bradley: Bradley was between 88-91 (hit 92 in 1st) all game with "pinpoint" control and a slider and change up that were plus offerings.

[TheCrew07]

I'm a little disappointed that Bradley hasn't been working 91-93, I thought he threw harder than he does, he's in Wolf territory velocity wise right now.

[HiAndTight]

I'm a little disappointed that Bradley hasn't been working 91-93, I thought he threw harder than he does, he's in Wolf territory velocity wise right now.

 

 

You may be. I'm not. His velocity reports were better in earlier starts and he's still dominating.

 

If he ends up being a guy who throws 88 I'll be disappointed, but for a guy clocked at 97+ last year, and after ST'ing and a few starts into the season, could just be deadarm.

[MJLiverock]

Any info on what Rob Wooten has in his bag? I know they have been using him as a closer in the minors but could he help the bullpen as a middle reliever?

[HiAndTight]

Any info on what Rob Wooten has in his bag? I know they have been using him as a closer in the minors but could he help the bullpen as a middle reliever?

 

 

I believe Wooten tops out around 92 or so, but has a dominant slider. He's certainly not a traditional closer, but he locates exceptionally well. I think he's got a nice future as a potential 7th inning guy.

[Tedaldtada]

Just found this two week old bit on Jimmy Nelson from Kevin Goldstein (5/9/2012):

 

"Jimmy Nelson, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

 

A second-round pick in 2010 out of Alabama, Nelson was seen as a wide body who could throw strikes and keep the ball on the ground coming out of college. Despite a 4.38 ERA during his full-season debut at low Class A Wisconsin last year, scouts noted increased velocity toward the end of the season, and with it came more strikeouts.

 

That trend has continued in 2012, as the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Nelson has been touching 98 mph with high Class A Brevard County while putting up a 2.45 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings. With a plus slider and fringe-average change, he looks like a future No. 3 starter, and he has outpitched his two much more hyped rotation mates, 2011 first-round picks Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley."

[paul253]

If Nelson can improve that changeup look out.

[Tedaldtada]

John Torres from Florida Today on Jimmy Nelson:

 

"He topped out at 95 on the radar gun..."

 

In the same article, he mentioned that Gerrit Cole was sitting 98-99 with his last pitch being at 99. Whoa.

[Noche]

3/3/2013: Reports had Jed Bradley sitting 91-92 so far this spring and touching 93-94 in his bullpens. That is practically cause for celebration. If he could somehow bump that another half grade or so, we are in serious business.

[sheetskout]

Tom Haudricourt told me that he's packed on 25lbs and that he "seems determined to bounceback".

[SoupTown]

Can I peg Alan Williams as the new Mike Adams (indy guy that will be big). I remember being confused when we were desperate for relievers and the Crew let Mike go to SD - and he ends with a career to date with an era a tick over 2 and a whip of 1.06

 

From Alan's Indy coach: "When we saw Alan for the first time in spring training, we knew he had a unique package with his age and his power arm," Everson continued

 

From brewerfan.net itself: Williams is a 6’3” lefty with low 90’s gas and a nice breaking ball out of the bullpen

 

I guess a lefty that throws low 90s (and is young - 23) (and is now in AA) counts as a power arm. Now that he is at Huntsville it will become obvious what he really does throw and if he really is a prospect!