I am confused as to why Corbs would sign a "crafty LHP that has a fastball that has topped out at 79" . This kid is unranked. The sound you may hear is me scratching my head.

cjdore wrote: I am confused as to why Corbs would sign a "crafty LHP that has a fastball that has topped out at 79" . This kid is unranked. The sound you may hear is me scratching my head.

Remember a guy named Richie Goodenow? He didn't turn out so bad did he?

There's reason to believe that his velo numbers are actually higher than what PG saw. I've heard mid 80s. Michael Roth never cracked 88 and was the most dominant SEC pitcher in recent years.

fastballs won't make him successful but if he can locate pitches and has great command, this will make him successful.tom glavine rarely threw in the 90's,seems like he did alright.

My son throws 90 mph fastball, has nice 2 to 7 curve, and has an improved Change........but he attends a local middle TN school.......btw he is ranked top 500 by perfect game.

WhenItStrikesMe wrote: There's reason to believe that his velo numbers are actually higher than what PG saw. I've heard mid 80s. Michael Roth never cracked 88 and was the most dominant SEC pitcher in recent years.

My cousin played with Sonny Gray in high school at Smyrna.  Gray's Junior year, the only year they made it to state, they had a lefty who threw in the low 80s with great control and excellent off-speed stuff.  He pitched the first game of the state tourney and Smyrna won.  Sonny pitched the second game, and got lit up.

This is not a "crafty lefty is better than Sonny" argument.  Just something to note that good teams often hit power pitchers better than savvy pitchers.  If we have Beede throwing for 7 and bring this kid in for an 8th inning, it will be nearly impossible for a team to adjust quickly.  And flip it; if this kid becomes a mid-week starter and we bring in a power arm behind him, it will be hard to adjust.  There's always room for a pitcher like this...always.

And as WISM noted, Roth was nearly untouchable at times in his career.

Guys, just saying that there is no reason to believe this guy isn't going to throw 90. He's currently 17. He's not yet filled out. Yes, Sam Selman was the same size and threw 94 in high school, but if this kid is hitting 83-85 on the guns now (as I've heard), there's no reason to believe he won't be in the upper 80s by the time he throws his first SEC game pitch. Don't pigeon hole him based solely on the velos posted on PG. That said, he is supposed to be a four pitch pitcher, which is nice.