Tillman starting the Futures Game

[QBsILLEST1]

Hmmm, you don't think the wet field may have had something to do with his being cautious now, do ya? No, it;s either to say things like "he needs to get his pitches down" or he can't field his position based off an inning in an exhibition game after a long rain delay and on a wet field.

Same reason that you wouldnt see a runner trucking the catcher in an attempt to score. It is a showcase game, but the last thing that anyone wants to do is suffer an injury at a game that really is nothing but for fun.

Persoanlly I am happy with what we saw in the game. Though they both gave up runs, they both were not hit hard at all. And on a ML team, there are some plays that youd expect to be made for both pitchers that would have gotten them out of the inning giving up no runs......

[Lucky Jim]

Matusz apparently hit 95 on the gun which is very nice to hear. His secondary pitches are so good that even when hes pumping in mid 90 fastballs, they get overlooked as average....

I would love to see what Pitch FX data said on Matusz, Lucky Jim, what site do you go to to see that info?

I was following on MiLB.com.

[NoVaO]

Matusz apparently hit 95 on the gun which is very nice to hear. His secondary pitches are so good that even when hes pumping in mid 90 fastballs, they get overlooked as average....

I would love to see what Pitch FX data said on Matusz, Lucky Jim, what site do you go to to see that info?

I don't think that reading was right. The ESPN gun was off all day. His prior two pitches were fastballs that registered 84.

I think the pitch f/x velocity readings were off as well. They had everybody throwing heat and a couple mph over their reported velocities. Tillman was sitting between 93 - 95, touching 96, while Matusz was at 92 - 94. The pitch f/x gun never showed Matusz hitting 95.

[QBsILLEST1]

I don't think that reading was right. The ESPN gun was off all day. His prior two pitches were fastballs that registered 84.

I think the pitch f/x velocity readings were off as well. They had everybody throwing heat and a couple mph over their reported velocities. Tillman was sitting between 93 - 95, touching 96, while Matusz was at 92 - 94. The pitch f/x gun never showed Matusz hitting 95.

I just read the pitch FX and it said Tillman topped out at 95.5 which rounds up to 96. And that is not harder than he typically throws. Same with Matusz, he was said to top out at 94 and apparently hit 95 a few times in the AFL. On top of that, you have to remember that all of these pitchers were only throwing 1 inning, not their normal 6+ innings, so they could just go out there and let it loose. But even if those readings came up in a normal game for Matusz or Tillman, they wouldnt be off track, there are numerous reports that that is what they top out at.....

[Lucky Jim]

Should we be worried about what John Sickels had to say about Matusz during the broadcast?

“Frankly I thought he looked smoother in college. His delivery is concerning me for some reason…looks stressful on back and shoulder.“

Sickels is no biomechanic. Nor is he a scout, really. I wouldn't worry too much.

[QBsILLEST1]

Sickels is no biomechanic. Nor is he a scout, really. I wouldn't worry too much.

The only thing I will pay attention to from him is when he rates our system. His rating system reflects depth as much as top end talent....But I agree, he isnt a scout or biomechanic. All the info he gets is from other scouts, but the line on Matusz was his own opinion...

[allstar1579]

I just read the pitch FX and it said Tillman topped out at 95.5 which rounds up to 96. And that is not harder than he typically throws. Same with Matusz, he was said to top out at 94 and apparently hit 95 a few times in the AFL. On top of that, you have to remember that all of these pitchers were only throwing 1 inning, not their normal 6+ innings, so they could just go out there and let it loose. But even if those readings came up in a normal game for Matusz or Tillman, they wouldnt be off track, there are numerous reports that that is what they top out at.....

Yeah Brian usually tops out at 94, like has to reach back for it. I've seen him a few times and never seen him hit 95, so I'd think it might have been off a hair. Especially if everyone was throwing harder than they should have been. If they were overthrowing to show off for the game, you would have seen more control problems.

Either way, I wouldn't worry. He's a really smart, and super nice kid, I'm sure he took care of himself and we don't need to analyze everything he did.