96.3 mph. Wow. Brody Brecht is a Potential Top 5 Round MLB Draft Pick
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
111th pitch.
Thanks coach.
Good lord. The kid's going to blow his arm out long before he ever gets a chance at the next level.
He’s old school. That’s an old school
approach to pitching. I love it.
approach to pitching. I love it.
might be a fair point. I don’t love seeing kids throw that much. My kid is a lot younger than this, pitches sometimes, and really isn’t the best pitcher on the team. I’m ok with him not pitching now, building some strength, and eventually having some real coaches the can help with technique. Strength and style can be molded into a pitcher later. However, my kid won’t play football, so we might have to let him take on more innings in the highschool years so he could get some attention then. (Who am I kidding? I just want him to like the game as long as possible)
So he will be drafted in the mlb..
Impossible to rule out but his motion is as smooth and easy as it gets. And, as a highly talented dual sport athlete, he has plenty of time off from baseball.
Depending on how high he climbs draft boards he might get an offer to play baseball that he can’t refuse.
He hasn’t really asked to. He love a pick up game with friends, but that seems to be as much as he wants.
I also think if he were to ask now, it’s probably almost too late.
Indeed. A 96 mph fastball puts him in highly elite status. There might be five other kids in the country his age who can throw that hard. Maybe fewer.
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First, I was in the stands for his game. He pitched very well and has really good stuff. If he stays healthy, I think that he can compete well at the D-1 level.
Second, I was also in the stands for the Urbandale/Waukee game in which Ty Langenberg and Jackson Payne pitched (both future Hawkeyes as well). Again, if they stay health, I think that they can both compete well at the D-1 level.
Third, and no disrespect to Brecht, but I have to question whether the radar gun on Wednesday night was properly calibrated. He still had hop on his fastball in the 7th inning but I have to question whether he was hitting speeds that would place him among MLB's elite. Also, I didn't find his fastball to be appreciably harder than either Payne or Langenberg (I think that Langenberg's fastball is a bit faster than Payne's). And I'd be shocked if either Langenberg or Payne threw much harder than 90 mph.
Fourth, Carter Baumler from Dowling just signed a $1.5M deal after being drafted by the Orioles. His fastball was consistently clocked around 94 mph. If Brecht is truly hitting those numbers on the radar screen, he won't be a Hawkeye. He'll be drafted in next year's MLB draft and would be one of the top arms in the country.
Again - this isn't meant to disrespect Brecht in the least. K'ing 16 PV hitters (PV has a good team) speaks volumes. It was a very impressive outing. But 96 on the gun after 100+ pitches? Call me a skeptic.
If Brecht, Langenberg and Payne all end up pitching at Iowa, Heller has a pretty solid group of home grown starting pitching.
For those interested, the IHSAA imposes a 110 pitch limit before a pitcher must be taken out of the game. If the pitcher reaches 110 pitches in the middle of an AB, he can finish pitching to that hitter but must be pulled out of the game after that hitter. That pitcher must also sit for a full four days before pitching again. Thus, neither Langenberg nor Brecht could pitch tonight in the semi-finals or, if their teams advance, in Saturday night's final. Langenberg's high school career is over and he'll be a Hawkeye starting next month. Brecht has one more year of high school.
Finally, Brecht is also signed to play WR at Iowa. I can say this . . . he can expect to get hit by B1G LBs and CBs a lot harder than the fastball he took to the ribs on Wednesday night. If anyone saw the Wednesday game, they know exactly what I'm writing about.
Second, I was also in the stands for the Urbandale/Waukee game in which Ty Langenberg and Jackson Payne pitched (both future Hawkeyes as well). Again, if they stay health, I think that they can both compete well at the D-1 level.
Third, and no disrespect to Brecht, but I have to question whether the radar gun on Wednesday night was properly calibrated. He still had hop on his fastball in the 7th inning but I have to question whether he was hitting speeds that would place him among MLB's elite. Also, I didn't find his fastball to be appreciably harder than either Payne or Langenberg (I think that Langenberg's fastball is a bit faster than Payne's). And I'd be shocked if either Langenberg or Payne threw much harder than 90 mph.
Fourth, Carter Baumler from Dowling just signed a $1.5M deal after being drafted by the Orioles. His fastball was consistently clocked around 94 mph. If Brecht is truly hitting those numbers on the radar screen, he won't be a Hawkeye. He'll be drafted in next year's MLB draft and would be one of the top arms in the country.
Again - this isn't meant to disrespect Brecht in the least. K'ing 16 PV hitters (PV has a good team) speaks volumes. It was a very impressive outing. But 96 on the gun after 100+ pitches? Call me a skeptic.
If Brecht, Langenberg and Payne all end up pitching at Iowa, Heller has a pretty solid group of home grown starting pitching.
For those interested, the IHSAA imposes a 110 pitch limit before a pitcher must be taken out of the game. If the pitcher reaches 110 pitches in the middle of an AB, he can finish pitching to that hitter but must be pulled out of the game after that hitter. That pitcher must also sit for a full four days before pitching again. Thus, neither Langenberg nor Brecht could pitch tonight in the semi-finals or, if their teams advance, in Saturday night's final. Langenberg's high school career is over and he'll be a Hawkeye starting next month. Brecht has one more year of high school.
Finally, Brecht is also signed to play WR at Iowa. I can say this . . . he can expect to get hit by B1G LBs and CBs a lot harder than the fastball he took to the ribs on Wednesday night. If anyone saw the Wednesday game, they know exactly what I'm writing about.
The bottom line is that there's no clear science when it comes to pitching and getting hurt. There's the old method and the new method. Both views lead to arm injuries. There have been pros with arms as live as Brecht's who went on to have long careers in baseball without any significant arm injuries. And there have been pros who can't crack 90 mph that needed surgery by the time they were 25. It's got to be about mechanics, right? Wrong. There are a plethora of different ways to deliver a pitch. Many of which are endorsed by experts who disagree with each other.
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Not to downplay the velocity, it is elite, but movement is what makes a pitcher elite, not velocity.
I can assure you that no matter what the case is, throwing over 100 pitches while your arm is still developing is not good for you. That's why they limit the number of pitches. Does it guarantee an arm injury? Of course not. However, if this is typical for this kid my money is on him needed reconstructive surgery at some point over not needing it. Assuming he continues pitching for the foreseeable future.
You endorse to the current method of pitching. Many would agree with you. Guys like Tom House and Nolan Ryan from the old school would disagree with what you're saying.
Control is what makes a pitcher elite.
My son pitched at the state tournament Monday and I did not see any radar gun at any game or set up anywhere to record speeds. I am unbelievably skeptical that he reached 96 mph....ever. I have seen coaches and dads who say their kids throw 85+ and when actually put in a real tunnel with a fixed gun and they throw 80 (or less).
I'm talking about anyone on the mound. A guy who can consistently throw a pitch where he wants to, and away from a hitter's strength, has the greatest tool available to a pitcher. From there, other attributes can mean a lot, but none will ever mean more.
There is a difference between having elite movement on a pitch and elite control. Either can make a pitcher elite. Having great control leaves you with much less room for error, look at Kyle Hendricks when his velocity drops to 87 vs 89. So with this statement I would fully disagree with you.
Can we all agree that it's about having the right combination of control, movement, and (change of) velocity? If being an elite pitcher was just about having control, I'd be in the majors (I'm being hyperbolic). Catcher wanted me to put a fastball on the down-inside corner... my 72 MPH fastball would be right on the money - shortly before the batter would "Happy Gilmore" the ball somewhere beyond the left-field fence. Coach wanted my sweeping curveball? My 65 MPH curveball would break from behind a batter's head to right down mainstreet. Catcher called for my split-finger "knuckle" - I'd be racing to cover home plate after my pitch would find the top of the backstop.
Can we all agree that it's about having the right combination of control, movement, and (change of) velocity? If being an elite pitcher was just about having control, I'd be in the majors (I'm being hyperbolic). Catcher wanted me to put a fastball on the down-inside corner... my 72 MPH "fastball" would be right on the money - shortly before the batter would "Happy Gilmore" the ball somewhere beyond the left-field fence. Coach wanted my sweeping curveball? My 65 MPH curveball would break from behind a batter to right down mainstreet. Catcher called for my split-finger "knuckle" - I'd be racing to cover home plate after my pitch would find the top of the backstop.
Agreed, plenty of guys can throw in the 90s but many are inconsistent. Placement is more important. I'm certain Brecht will become a great pitcher and WR at Iowa.
Yes. What I'm pointing out is that control is the most important factor in being a good pitcher. Of course, having a jumpy fastball, velocity, as well as effective secondary pitches are also important factors. So are stamina and poise. Control is primary though.
There are exceptions to everything. That said, the human arm wasn't designed to repeatedly handle the stress that throwing the ball over 100 mph. There are a few people that can/could do it, and can do it for a significant period of time (Randy Johnson comes to mind), but there aren't many. But, there's a reason those guys are in the majors.
There are exceptions to everything. That said, the human arm wasn't designed to repeatedly handle the stress that throwing the ball over 100 mph. There are a few people that can/could do it, and can do it for a significant period of time (Randy Johnson comes to mind), but there aren't many. But, there's a reason those guys are in the majors.
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anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba
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Baseball was played for well over a hundred years before pitch counts were invented. MLB pitchers used to throw 300 innings a season and start every fourth day. Now, they start every fifth day and few, if any, throw 200 innings a season.
Pitchers used to throw 150-180 pitches every fourth day, and there were fewer injuries then than there are now. Pitchers used to throw complete games on a regular basis. Now, entire teams don't have ONE complete game in a 162-game season.
The preponderance of evidence compiled for over a century demonstrates that pitchers can throw a lot more pitches a lot more often than most of them do these days. If you only train to throw 75 pitches, and a long outing is six innings ever fifth day, then that's what your body will handle.
But it's a training issue, not a capability issue. Those are the facts.
Pitchers used to throw 150-180 pitches every fourth day, and there were fewer injuries then than there are now. Pitchers used to throw complete games on a regular basis. Now, entire teams don't have ONE complete game in a 162-game season.
The preponderance of evidence compiled for over a century demonstrates that pitchers can throw a lot more pitches a lot more often than most of them do these days. If you only train to throw 75 pitches, and a long outing is six innings ever fifth day, then that's what your body will handle.
But it's a training issue, not a capability issue. Those are the facts.
You should go back to yelling at kids to get off of your yard.
I think that you are overlooking some key facts when comparing pitchers of the 1960s and 1970s to pitchers of the last two decades. The key difference is anatomical. Today's young athletes are bigger and stronger. They are far more muscular. But, the UCL hasn't evolved in any fashion. The stress exerted on a UCL by a pitcher today is greater than the stress exerted on an UCL by pitchers from earlier decades.
Did you happen to see the Cleveland pitcher (Shane Bieber had 13 Ks) vs Minnesota last night? Holy crap. He had that Twins lineup completely fooled.
Incredible curve ball & breaking ball. 95 mph fast ball. Incredible location & movement of his pitches. And 25 years old.
Watch:
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I think I'd tend to disagree with this. Something that has remained largely the same among the major American sports is pitching speed. Training has certainly made them stronger. Maybe with more muscle, I don't know. They're not throwing any harder though.
