The increasing prevalence of elite velocity has been one of the most startling developments in baseball over the past decade. Everyone, it seems, throws hard. Consider that in 2010, 36 qualified relievers averaged 95 mph or higher on their fastball; this season, some 71 have, according to FanGraphs. That explosion has altered the dynamics for flamethrowers. Lighting up radar guns used to be enough to gain popularity; now, there's no guarantee of such traction.
Our sense of nostalgia implores us to push back against that trend as much as possible. So, in doing our part, we've decided to highlight five all but anonymous relievers who rank in the top-30 in velocity. Note that there's no science in deciding whether a pitcher is "known," or not -- we're merely avoiding the relievers who we perceived to be baseball-famous: the Ryne Staneks, the Joe Kellys, and yes, the Jordan Hicks and the Aroldis Chapmans.
Got it? Let's get to the point then. Do keep in mind, the pitchers are ordered by average fastball velocity descending.
According to Statcast, Tayron Guerrero throws harder than just about everyone. His fastball averages 98.2 mph, putting him behind only Hicks and his 100 mph heater. Guerrero is an unusual specimen in other ways, too. He's listed at 6-foot-8, which ties him for the distinction of the second-tallest pitcher in the majors, behind Brad Wieck. Anyway, Guerrero leans heavily on his fastball, throwing it about three-fourths of the time, typically high in the zone. He also has a quality slider that has generated whiffs on half the swings taken against it:
Tayron Guerrero, Filthy 86mph Slider...and Sword. 🤢⚔️ pic.twitter.com/gN7yWkYLKe
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2019
Predictably, Guerrero has some command-and-control issues, leading to a walk every other inning thus far in his big-league career. Those woes may prevent him from becoming a reliable shutdown closer, but he's off to a good start this season and should continue to get opportunities based on his stuff.
Robert Stock was once a second-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals -- as a catcher. He didn't take well to hitting professional pitching, however, so he jumped on the mound. Last season, he made his big-league debut and has success across 32 appearances. He's back in the minors now, following a rough start to the year. Nonetheless, Stock has averaged 97.6 mph on his fastball this season, good for a tie for the fifth-highest mark in the majors. He should return once he starts throwing more strikes, and could enjoy a run as a setup man if all goes well.
Robert Stock, 100mph Fastball...bringing his consecutive 100mph game streak to 2.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 6, 2019
💯💯 pic.twitter.com/S3X9keX9fa
Yes, Carlos Estevez technically shares a name with Charlie Sheen. Go ahead, get your jokes out of the way. Estevez hasn't found much big-league success thus far, as he has a 93 ERA+ in 99 innings. Still, he has a lively arm that regularly produces fastballs in the upper-90s, leading to a tie with Nick Burdi for the 15th-highest average velocity in baseball. Estevez uses his fastball more even than Guerrero does, and you wonder if predictability might be a problem: he's yielded 12 home runs in his career, all but one have came on fastballs.
The second Padre on the list, Trey Wingenter is tied for 25th in average velocity with a 96.5 mph fastball. So far in his big-league career, he's faced 125 batters and fanned about a third of them. That'll play. Wingenter complements his heat with a slider that has 12-6 movement and has caused batters to swing over it on 60 percent of their offerings. That'll play, too. Provided Wingenter can keep his command in check -- and who knows -- he could end up closing.
Jose Ruiz's backstory reads like a mishmash of the other pitchers presented here. He's the fourth member of the five to have pitched for the Padres (Estevez being the exception), and he's the second to have began his career as a catcher. Ruiz, who is tied with Wingenter for 25th with a 96.5 mph average fastball, hasn't had much run in the majors. If he can continue to improve his geography -- and remember, he's still new to pitching, having converted in 2016 -- his heat and his hard slider should be enough to get him a look or three or in high-leverage situations.
