By now, if you have followed MLB in the last couple of weeks, you know that a certain Cincinnati Reds rookie pitcher is making the headlines.
Hunter Greene is very, very good, but what makes him really special, at least so far in his short MLB career, is how hard he throws the ball.
Greene has a max fastball velocity of 103 mph, which is insane and gives batters too little time to react and square up the ball.
That’s his peak velocity, but his average is actually mind-blowing.
“Hunter Greene threw 57 fastballs and AVERAGED 100.2 mph on them,” The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans tweeted.
Hunter Greene threw 57 fastballs and AVERAGED 100.2 mph on them
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) April 17, 2022
The Reds Are Counting On Greene To Be Consistent All Year
The 22 year-old is being relied upon by Cincinnati as one of the replacements for the departing Sonny Gray and Wade Miley, together with fellow rookie Nick Lodolo.
So far, he has put excellent numbers to start his season.
While his 4.35 ERA is not particularly special, his 11.32 strikeouts and 1.74 walks per nine innings are.
The K/BB ratio is a good way to know if a pitcher is over-performing, or if, to the contrary, he is on the verge of breaking out.
In this particular case, we can firmly say that better days are ahead for the talented right-hander.
Evaluators gave him an 80-fastball evaluation, which means an ideal heater in terms of velocity, movement profile, and command.
He will try to ride that fastball and complement it well with his good slider and developing changeup in order to reach his personal goal: becoming a stable member of the Reds’ 2022 rotation.
He seems well on his way, and Reds fans can enjoy a glimmer of hope for the next five or six years.
NEXT: Reds Rookie Nick Lodolo Gets First Strikeout Against A Tough Foe