neshek throws a fastball with pretty good sink, a curvey type slider and has been working on his changeup more this year, which is helping him out against lefties quite a bit.
pretty much the same thing for joe smith, though he seems to throw his fastball a bit harder.
godallahstar wrote:neshek throws a fastball with pretty good sink, a curvey type slider and has been working on his changeup more this year, which is helping him out against lefties quite a bit.
pretty much the same thing for joe smith, though he seems to throw his fastball a bit harder.
Us sidearmers are pretty limited in pitch choice =)
Fastball.Neshek has a fastball that has been the subject of debate since he began his Twins career. During college, he usually pitched in the 88-90 miles per hour range, but it is said that he can get those numbers even higher now. This past season, Neshek topped out at 94 miles per hour, which is right where he needs to be. Most of the time, Neshek is throwing in the 90+ miles per hour range, as I witnessed during my trips to see the Rock Cats play during the 2005 season. Either way, when that heater is coming out of his hand at such a weird angle, it might as well be 100 miles per hour.
Other Pitches. Neshek relies on one other pitch to complete his arsenal, and it is definitely his outpitch. He possesses possibly the best slider in the Twins organization, as it is absolutely filthy. His slide-piece has a nice sweeping motion, and he uses a deceptive delivery to make it even harder on hitters to pick up both his fastball, and his slider.
Pitching. Neshek is a good overall pitcher, who uses a funky delivery, and uncanny fearlessness to enable himself to succeed on the mound. He is also a very confident pitcher, and has the guts to be a top of the line closer at any level. With his two-pitch arsenal, it is very important for him to be in complete control of both pitches, and he is exactly that way. One thing is for sure, he is definitely the number one Minor Leaguer you want on the mound if you need the final out of a ballgame.
Projection. With the great Joe Nathan in the Twins organization, it is hard to project Neshek as a closer in the Major Leagues. If Nathan were not in the organization then Neshek would definitely be the closer of the future, but for now will have to settle on being a set-up man. With the way he destroys right handed batters, and his ability to come through in the clutch, Neshek will be able to find a spot in most team’s bullpens.
ETA. 2006. By the end of the 2006 season, Patrick Neshek will have made his Major League debut, that is something you can count on. He will be the closer for the Rochester Red Wings to open the season, but with how unsure the Twins are of their bullpen, it is only a matter of time before they give Neshek his first big break. Once he does get his chance to shine in Minnesota, he will succeed, and it will leave a gaping hole in the Red Wings bullpen. Being named to the 40-man roster was the first step for Neshek, now he just has to keep putting up good numbers, and things will fall into place.
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Fastball. Smith isn't your run of the mill sub-mariner/side-armer. He not only gets a ton of movement with his fastball from his delivery and arm slot, but he can hit 93 MPH on the radar gun at times, sitting mostly in the 86-91 MPH range. He throws a lot of sinking two-seam fastballs and it allows him to get a ton of ground ball outs.
Other Pitches. While Smith can bring the heat with his fastball, he's especially devastating to right-handed batters with a plus slider. He uses it as his strikeout pitch to righties but, because of the dramatic movement he gets with it, he sometimes has a hard time locating it. He compliments his repertoire with a developing changeup that he mixes in occasionally to keep hitters off-balance.
Pitching. Averaging over ten strikeouts per nine innings in both his college career and as a professional thus far, some may get the misconception that Smith is looking for the strikeout. He actually is on the mound to induce ground ball outs with his sinking two-seam fastball and sliders. He gets over twice as many ground ball outs as he does fly outs, and while he will strike out his fair share of batters, he is looking to get contact on the mound and get out of the inning in as few pitches as possible. The only thing standing in his way in realizing his full potential is better command of the wicked movement he gets with his pitches.
Projection. There isn't much mystery to Smith's projected role. He projects to be a Chad Bradford type of reliever at the big league level, although he does throw a bit harder than Bradford. With his uncanny ability to get ground ball outs, he will most likely be used in late-inning situations when the team needs a double play as a sixth or seventh inning reliever. He will need to improve his changeup to help neutralize left-handed batters, who have the ability to hit him hard, or else there's a chance he could develop into more of a right-handed specialist.
ETA. 2008. The reason why Smith has advanced as quickly as he has is because there isn't much projection left in his game. He ended the 2006 season in Double-A Binghamton and that's right where he should pick things up to start the 2007 season. If he puts up solid numbers there, a promotion to Triple-A New Orleans is likely.
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by Sam Hain » Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:47 am 
