MLB will expand the playoffs starting this season and the reaction has generally seemed positive. Here are a few more links to cap off the leap day, starting with reaction to the upcoming postseason format…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the changes are good for the game, because they will add excitement with minimal intrusion. Plus, the new format will provide teams with an incentive to win their divisions.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says the changes make sense. Commissioner Bud Selig has made the right call, Heyman writes.
- High school right-hander Lucas Giolito hit 100 mph in a start last night, Baseball America’s Nathan Rode confirms. Giolito is the top high school prospect for the 2012 draft, according to Rode.
- South Side Sox interviewed Dan Fabian, director of baseball operations for the White Sox, about his role with the team, trades, stats and scouting.
Giolito faced off against the school i coach at last year and he was filthy. He was throwing in the 90-92 range that start but his secondary pitches were very good. I’m interested to see where he goes in the draft but top 3 wouldn’t surprise me.
High school pitcher hitting mid 90’s with good off-speed stuff, #1 wouldn’t surprise me, although he would probably be a huge injury risk. (zumaya like)
He’s a righty. A HS righty has never gone #1 overall interestingly enough.
A high School pitcher period you mean, not just rhp
edit* nevermind, forgot about the brien taylor incident
To me that is unimportant what hand he throws with. If the guy can pitch then grab him, but it is interesting indeed.
I remember just a few years ago when hitting 100 MPH was such a rare occurrence. Now it seems like every team has one prospect and one bullpen arm that hits triple digits.
Not high schoolers though. My team faced a guy that threw 90 last week, and that was really hard for the high school level.
Yeah thats pretty crazy and not even fair for high schoolers. I dont know whether thats a good thing or bad thing for somebody so young.
I don’t know that throwing that hard hurts guys, but throwing curves and sliders at young ages really seems to ruin arms. I had a friend in little league that threw kind of hard but he had a curve. He ruined his arm throwing so many curves and by the time he got to his sophomore season his arm was already burnt up.
I knew a couple of guys who threw low 90s in HS. Problem was, most of them had no control whatsoever.
That seems to be a common occurrence. I guess it makes sense for younger guys to have that problem.
Yeah. I think part of it is a maturity thing too. When you’re younger you just want to throw as hard as possible. Where it goes is of lesser importance.
That sounds terrifying
Yeah it can be. I also remember seeing guys like Branden Kline (UVA, potential 1st round pick this June) in HS. The real difference is that guys like him can throw real good breaking stuff. The fastballs are all pretty similar really, with the best guys having a little more life or tail on theirs.
if you know the correct way to throw a curve then it won’t hurt your arm, it’s the slider that hurts your arm
Not sure now.. But years and years ago.. Little league coaches, or most would forbid the like 12-14YO and younger kids to throw anything but FB. Things may have changed now?
when i played little league 10ish years ago the only things we could throw were fastball & change-up