I checked on Instagram to see if there was something interesting. Then, I saw a player share a video that he was on the mound. Well, that player is a position player and he was on the mound because of some reasons.
It’s not common to see position players pitch these days because the MLB implemented new rules to limit position players pitching. However, there are still some position players pitching this season.
Well, sometimes, it’s entertaining to watch some position players pitching. After watching that video on Instagram, I was just thinking about the pitch velocity of position players when they are on the mound.
Firstly, let’s look at some pitchers who throw “hard”. It’s weird to see that Brandon Crawford doesn’t wear the Giants jersey. But in 2024, he plays for the Cardinals. He tossed 1.1 innings in 2024 and threw 35 pitches. 32 of those pitches reached 80 mph. Ben Rortvedt is the catcher of the Tampa Bay Rays. He tossed 2 innings this season and threw 36 pitches. 15 of those pitches went at least 80 mph. Moreover, Emmanuel Rivera is playing for the Marlins in 2024. He already tossed 4 innings for the Marlins. So far, he threw 56 pitches and 12 of those pitches went over 80 mph. So, there are only 3 position players that threw more than 10 pitches, which touched 80 mph, thus far.
Meanwhile, let’s look at some pitchers who throw slow. It’s Danny Mendick’s 6th season in the majors. Taking the mound isn’t new to him. His pitching debut was in 2021 and this season, he used 15 pitches to complete an inning. He didn’t throw hard and 7 of those 15 pitches were below 40 mph. At the same time, Matt Wallner tossed 1.1 innings so far this season. He threw 21 pitches and 6 of those pitches didn’t reach 40 mph. In the meantime, it’s Ildemaro Vargas’ 8th season in the big leagues. He now plays for the Nationals and so far this season, he threw 1 inning without allowing a run. He used 12 pitches in that inning and 6 of those pitches didn’t reach 40 mph.
Finally, let’s quickly review which position players have thrown more this season. Besides Rivera, Luke Williams, Garrett Stubbs and Jake Bauers each threw 50+ pitches so far in 2024. Williams already tossed 4 innings so far this season. He used 59 pitches and only 1 pitch reached 80 mph. Stubbs tossed 3 innings thus far and used 57 pitches. 4 of those pitches went over 80 mph. Meanwhile, Bauers took the mound 3 times and used 56 pitches thus far. He only threw 1 pitch that reached 80 mph.
Pitching isn’t easy. In particular, it’s extremely hard to consistently pitch well in the majors. Sometimes, we might see position players pitch. Normally, the result of the game is extremely hard to change. While seeing position players taking the mound, we might just sit and relax to see how they “perform”. Basically, you can’t expect them to throw hard and most of the time, the pitch velocity is below 70 mph. However, some players might occasionally throw it “hard”.
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