MLB 2018 regular season thread

Lance McCullers threw 24 consecutive curveballs to end Game 7 of the ALCS.

Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton — heck, most of the Astros' pitching staff last year — are primarily cureveballers.

 

To answer your question about raving about a pitcher's curveball, that never stopped. Dickie cited a couple of examples. To point to one who came up more recently, Berrios had people raving about his curve when he first came up, even as he struggled overall.

 

Okay, that's fair about Kershaw and Hill. A few others. But if we're naming MLB pitchers with devastating curves, what number do we reach before we start struggling for names? That's more my point.

Ten? Twenty? Out of 300 guys.

I have no way to prove this, but I think more scouts have eliminated more talented young pitchers with their radar guns than any of us would ever believe. I really don't think Maddux makes it today.

 

Maddux would be every bit as devastating today.

 

I don't want to clutter your overriding point by quibbling about the curveball thing.

You are right, overall. Velocity is king.

 

Maddux could hit the mid-90s in his prime. That's still good for a starter. He would have been fine.

 

I agree. What I'm saying is he wouldn't even be given the chance to make it.

 

You are responding to an imaginary post.

What TF questions is whether he would have ever gotten the opportunity to do so.

 

Thank you. That's my point. Say Ohtani can only hit fastballs. (That's not true, but let's just say it for the sake of argument.) There hasn't been a better time for such a player to be alive.

 

Of course he'd get an opportunity to do so.

 

Can we go do this in a bar somewhere? With games on the TV? I'd like that.

 

If he were coming up today, 19-year-old Maddux probably doesn't make it to the show.

https://deadspin.com/the-scouting-reports-said-greg-maddux-shouldnt-have-bee-1612202873