That first chart (the birds eye view) showing the horizontal movement of his change up is key. The changeup doesn’t have as much of a sink relative to the fastball as i expected (to get all of his grounders). But the horizontal movement on the pitch is enormous and different than his four-seamer….It’s as if the pitch was a two-seam fastball (but it’s a “change up” going 88 mph. Scary).
Its hard to see from the charts because the changeup and fastball’s movement appeared to be fairly variable. But it’s very interesting.
Mejia does have an interesting lack of rise on his heater, which would be my guess for why he’s getting so many change-ups at first glance. By Comparison John Maine’s fastball has 3 inchs more “rise” and Mike Pelfrey’s fastball (combining his four seamer and two seamer) had 1 inch more “rise.”
And do note that velocity has a positive correlation with vertical movement (you can see this on mejia’s pitchfx chart as well). So while i don’t have the whole data on this to verify this, i’d bet that most pitchers who throw the ball that fast are having the ball “rise” (as in not drop) anywhere near as much as Mejia’s does….resulting in hitters hitting the top of the ball.
The most impressive arm so far has been Jenrry Mejia of the New York Mets, who was on a short pitch count but showed two above-average pitches and a chance for a third. Mejia’s fastball sat from 93-96 mph and touched 98, he also threw a plus changeup that looked more like a two-seamer at 85-87. It should be noted, though: the latter pitch was a little inconsistent. His curveball was even less consistent, but he threw one very sharp one for a called third strike at 78 mph, with good depth and clear two-plane break. He comes from a slot just below 3/4 and needs to focus on staying on top of the ball. He missed a chunk of the second half with a strained finger, which could impact how he grips the ball even now. He has a strong, thick build. The velocity comes easily, and if his command is better than what he showed on Wednesday and he can snap off that good curveball more frequently, he’s a potential No. 1 or No. 2 starter.
That first chart (the birds eye view) showing the horizontal movement of his change up is key. The changeup doesn’t have as much of a sink relative to the fastball as i expected (to get all of his grounders). But the horizontal movement on the pitch is enormous and different than his four-seamer….It’s as if the pitch was a two-seam fastball (but it’s a “change up” going 88 mph. Scary).
Its hard to see from the charts because the changeup and fastball’s movement appeared to be fairly variable. But it’s very interesting.
Mejia does have an interesting lack of rise on his heater, which would be my guess for why he’s getting so many change-ups at first glance. By Comparison John Maine’s fastball has 3 inchs more “rise” and Mike Pelfrey’s fastball (combining his four seamer and two seamer) had 1 inch more “rise.”
And do note that velocity has a positive correlation with vertical movement (you can see this on mejia’s pitchfx chart as well). So while i don’t have the whole data on this to verify this, i’d bet that most pitchers who throw the ball that fast are having the ball “rise” (as in not drop) anywhere near as much as Mejia’s does….resulting in hitters hitting the top of the ball.
ESPN’s Keith Law’s take:
The most impressive arm so far has been Jenrry Mejia of the New York Mets, who was on a short pitch count but showed two above-average pitches and a chance for a third. Mejia’s fastball sat from 93-96 mph and touched 98, he also threw a plus changeup that looked more like a two-seamer at 85-87. It should be noted, though: the latter pitch was a little inconsistent. His curveball was even less consistent, but he threw one very sharp one for a called third strike at 78 mph, with good depth and clear two-plane break. He comes from a slot just below 3/4 and needs to focus on staying on top of the ball. He missed a chunk of the second half with a strained finger, which could impact how he grips the ball even now. He has a strong, thick build. The velocity comes easily, and if his command is better than what he showed on Wednesday and he can snap off that good curveball more frequently, he’s a potential No. 1 or No. 2 starter.