Jenks questions for those in the know

[A2J]

I keep hearing about his decreased velocity. Some questions for those in the know:

Anybody know the cause of it?
How long has he been pitching with it?
Was it a major reason he had a terrible second half of '06?
Will he eventually regain the velocity?
Is his off-speed stuff good enough to offset his low 90's fb?
If he doesn't regain his velocity, can he still be top 12 closer?

[lcp0209]

I think the cause of his problems is chugging gravy everyday in the offseason. That lardass is killing me!

[A2J]

LOL...

OK, some serious answers now.

[DirtyKash]

He's still got velocity, still throws in the high 90s. His problem is that his fastball is as straight as an arrow. No movement on it. Sometimes Jenks will be able to get away with it just by blowing heat, but against the elite hitters, it's going to cost him.

[hwiggen]

The Sox say he struggled in the second half because he was overweight and got tired. He reportedly came to spring training in much better shape this year and lost a lot of weight but he still looks overweight to me.
In the games that I've seen this year his fastball has been around 92 mph.
He's a good fantasy closer and Ozzie Guillen has faith in him. Barring injury, you can leave him active and not worry about it all year (IMO).

[A2J]

He's still got velocity, still throws in the high 90s. His problem is that his fastball is as straight as an arrow. No movement on it. Sometimes Jenks will be able to get away with it just by blowing heat, but against the elite hitters, it's going to cost him.

Did he throw in the high 90s in a game this year? Not that I don't believe you, I just haven't heard or read that anywhere.