Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayhawk Bill
The hits came on 97.7 mph and 95.5 mph fastballs. Most pitchers consider fastballs of that velocity "out pitches." It's tough to make good contact on such pitches as a batter.
Furthermore, in three batters MDC allowed a ground ball, a line drive and a fly ball in the park, in that order. The most likely outcome for that sequence of balls in play is "runner on first, two out." One of the least likely outcomes is "run scored, runner on third, one out." Part of the issue yesterday is the exact location to which balls were hit and where fielders were positioned. Over time MDC's luck with defensive support will even out, but right now he's getting screwed.
I see MDC as a guy who can pitch to a 4.00 ERA long-term from the bullpen if he maintains his current level of skill and talent. That's not closer quality, but it's certainly MLB-quality.
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I agree with what you are saying, and I like MDC. But at the game yeasterday it appeared as if his fastball must have been flat. He hit his spots early in the count, then got fouled off with pretty decent looking two-strike swings. The balls hit into play were solidly hit, almost like they were "sat on".
At the MLB level, even 95-97mph fastballs are going to get hit hard if they have no movement.