Major League (MLB) pitchers are getting faster and faster. This year’s major league fastball average speed is expected to exceed 95 miles (152.9 km).
The pitcher who threw the fastest last year was St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. On September 23 last year (Korean time), Helsley drew attention by throwing a fast ball that reached 104 miles (167.4 km) against Josh Bell of the San Diego Padres.
Helsley has one of the best fastballs in the major leagues.토토사이트
St. Louis bullpen pitcher Jordan Hicks showed off a 103.7 mph fastball twice, and Joan Duran (Minnesota Twins) boasted a 103.3 mph fastball twice.
In particular, Duran ranked first in average speed with his fastball last year. He logged a whopping 100.8 miles (162.2 km), followed by Andres Muñoz (Seattle Mariners) averaging 100.2 miles and Hicks averaging 100.1 miles.
In 2002, the average velocity of fastballs by major league pitchers was 88.5 miles (142.4 km). At that time, there were only a handful of pitchers who could throw 100 miles. He was classified as a fastball pitcher if he consistently threw a fastball over 95 mph.
However, with pitchers improving their physical strength, strengthening their physical strength, and leaping forward in the pitching mechanism, velocity increases every year, and the average velocity of fastballs in the major leagues last year increased to 94.9 miles (152.7 km).
Monster pitchers are appearing one after another as sophisticated pitching analysis and customized programs are applied. Fastballs have become an essential weapon for pitchers to respond to batters’ bat speeds that are getting faster and faster.
If this trend continues, this year’s average speed is expected to be over 95 mph.
University of Tennessee pitcher Ben Joyce stunned American baseball by throwing a 105.5 mph (169.8 km) light-speed ball this year. Joyce has been attracting attention from major league clubs since before his professional debut.
Meanwhile, the player who threw the most powerful first pitch in the major leagues was Aroldis Chapman (Kansas City Royals), the “Cuban Missile.”
Chapman announced the emergence of a monster by throwing a whopping 105.1 miles against the San Diego Padres on September 25, 2010, while playing for the Cincinnati Reds. In the future, this ball was upgraded to 105.8 miles (170.3 km), the official major league record.
But the 35-year-old Chapman’s average speed is now down to the 90s.
Chapman showed off a 100+ mph fastball from 2014 to 2017. However, last year, his average speed dropped to 97.5 mph, and his breaking ball usage rate increased. Chapman eventually left the Yankees and signed a one-year contract with Kansas City.