What do you consider common? The elite high school pitchers that consistently reach the mid-90s are prime Division 1 and major league prospects.
He didnt say anything about being elite.. I could throw upper 80's but I lucky if I gave the catcher a chance to catch it.
Not true. Most have zero idea where the ball is going. 91-93 you will find at every high school. The D1'ers are the guys who have good offspeed to go with some amount of control.
When a pitcher as good as Keuchel changes as drastically as he did last year, you have to know something is wrong with his body.
I don't think it will be drastic. I think he will get rid of the vertical motion his right shoulder has before he moves towards home plate. Something will need to be done to allow his arm to catch up. Rotator issues two years in a row.
Right? Any jackass can hit the backstop hard, it takes talent to place it and repeat it and then throw something offspeed later in life. This reminds me of the 12Yo kids whose dads want them to master a curveball. I had a couple ask if he could try a slider. **** you, hit the glove every time at that age. If you don't mind me asking, and out of pure curiosity, what school?
Yup. Speed alone is not sufficient if there is no talent behind it. You don't necessarily need any sort of reliable second pitch at that point in your development, but you do need basic control as others have stated. I've seen a lot of gas-throwers who didn't become big prospects because they could never control their heat.
Went to UofH Well it's also more than that. Deceptive throwing motions/movement are just as important as an indicator. Ever notice why Josh Fields would get destroyed almost every time he left a ball up? He threw arrows. Straight arrows with zero deception. Ever wonder why nobody can touch Mad Bums 01 mph heater. Throwing motion is insane.
You're right, but if you can throw heat accurately, your going to get a shot regardless of your throwing motion
Yeah, batters are looking for the ball before the windup even begins. Pitchers' hiding it helps their effectiveness too.
I don't see how this couldn't be anything but great news. We already knew he was hurt because he was shut down. We already suspected he was injured before he was shut down. Keuchel should've said something sooner and management should've recognized sooner. Hopefully he can bounce back.
Sure, it is great news if he bounces back. However, it's not good news because now your number 1 and number 2 starters are coming off throwing arm injuries and you are hoping to make a run this year. The Astros don't want to meet the current asking price for a good starting pitcher. IF they do, I bet it has more to do with the outlook on Keuchel and Mcculers than adding to the rotation.
