Because Joel Zamaya can throw 104 mph does that make him a top pitcher in the mlb?

Answer 1

no.

i tell my little leaguers this all the time. pitching speed is not nearly as inportant as pitching accuracy. any coach would much rather have a pitcher who throws 85 and can control his pitches, as opposed to a pitcher who throws 105 and cant control his pitches. any major league pitcher will agree. just look at jamie moyer, the guy cant throw more than 84, but hes still going strong for the last 15-20 years. greg maddux is another perfect example, he throws no higher than 90, put is an ace at painting the corners of the plate, so the hitter either cant hit the ball, or wont hit the ball. pedro martinez owes all his success not to his fastball, but to his change up, whcih changes speeds so dramatically, yet still looks like a fastball, that most hitters are fooled into swinging to early. most major league hitters can catch up to a fastball thrown up to and over 100mph, and simple physics will tell you that the harder a ball is thrown, the harder its going to get hit, and the more likely it is for it to go over the fence, if the hitter hits it well.

that being said, joel zumaya, well, i havent seen enough of his stuff to determine if he is a nolan ryan or dennis eckersley type pitcher, both hard throwing and dominant, or if he is just another guy with good heat who is going to get hard, and since he has only been in the league now for one year (i believe), i dont think anybody in baseball has seen enoguh of his stuff to make that determination either

Answer 2

It helps, thats for sure but its not the only reason he was called MLB's most intimidating pitcher by numerous sports reporters last year. The guy HAS thrown 104 mph, unlike what joe morgan and some others on this forum has said. He averages around 99 to 100 on his fastball and yes he has struggled with control from time to time but he is in no way comparable to Matt Anderson who could throw a 100 pitches and still not hit the strike zone. Zumaya's breaking ball just kills hitters because he can throw it for strikes. HIs change up is also above average but he doesn't throw it very often. When he matures over the next couple of seasons he will learn to be more of a pitcher and will be one of the most dominating closers this league has ever seen, especially since he's coming into his own at the same time his team is becoming one of the premier teams in the league. The fact that he is able to do what he has done already through shear power and speed shows what he is capable of down the road when he learns to be more of a complete pitcher.

Answer 3

Strikeouts do not make a pitcher great: See Greg Maddux.

Movement on a pitch is more devastating than speed. 103mph cannot hurt, but he throws straight as an arrow, and has control issues.

Nothing will hurt a pitcher more than issuing walks.

On his fastball alone, Zumaya will be a Top 6 or 7 closer for atleast the forseeable future, but he isnt great simply because he throws hard.

For further evidence: Look up former Tigers overall #1 draft pick Matt Anderson. He threw 101 and was terrible.

Answer 4

There are a few elements to successful pitching. They include velocity, location, movement and deception, among others. Velocity is important, but as Tommy Lasorda once joked, "If you fired a gun from the mound through the strikezone, by about the seventh inning the hitters would have it timed and get a bat on it." At the MLB level, pitchers with great fastballs still need to have some movement and locate it well.

Answer 5

Zoom WILL be a top closer. When Joel is on he has a wicked breaking ball. No way you can hit a breaking ball after 100+ mph heat. Kid is still young give him some time to work on control, Zoom will be one of the best shutdown pitchers.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Bad question. It starts with the assumption that he can throw 104 mph. He can't. Or, at least, he hasn't yet. He hit 103 on the minor league stadium gun this spring, but the scouts in the stands said the stadium gun was 2 mph fast. So the best he's done this spring is 101 ( still very, very fast). I love Joel Zumaya, and hope his future with the Tigers is long and bright, but he doesn't pitch with a fluid motion and looks like he's going to blow his arm out every time he throws, unlike Justin Verlander who looks like he is just playing catch when he blows it by hitters at 97 or 98 mph.

Answer 8

No, but he would qualify as a power pitcher.

When you're a power pitcher you really have to have the proper mechanics so that you can be successful. Look at Randy Johnson. But even with all that power and strength, it doesn't make you that much better. You just have to know how to use it to your advantage. Furthermore, if you don't have the mechanics, then you end up like Kerry Wood.

Answer 9

He sure is exciting to watch. It takes more than a fastball to have a great long career, but he has sure gotten off to a great start! I think he will continue to develop and continue to be a top middle reliever for years to come. I also think he will get a shot to close at some point and probably be great there as well. A lot of guys (Rivera, K-Rod) started out in his role to get comfy, then dominated as closers. I thinkhe'll be more of a K-Rod than a Rob Dibble (arm burn out), I like his chances.

Answer 10

No speed doesn't matter look at greg maddux he is in his 40's and is still doing better then these guys throwing 95-100mph he only throws 80-85mph but he can locate all of his pitches and knows how to get inside guys heads. Speed doesn't matter accuracy does