GatewayRedbirds.com

Quite a few folks here noticed Reyes' decline in MPH in 2006. Here's a story that focuses on that.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports ... enDocument

"The fastball wasn't the speed I'm used to throwing it at," Reyes said Tuesday while discussing his erratic 2006 season. "To me, I don't think I had a good year. I battled as best I could. I tried to correct things and get stronger. I tried to get my arm back to what it used to be. It's definitely not the way I throw, the way I'm used to throwing."

I always wondered what happened. He went from topping out at 96 to topping out at 91.

This sounds like Mark Mulder's loss in velocity a few years ago that he couldn't explain.

Let's hope it's not shoulder problems for Reyes too.

--P--

Popeye_Card wrote:This sounds like Mark Mulder's loss in velocity a few years ago that he couldn't explain.

Let's hope it's not shoulder problems for Reyes too.

--P--

His arm motion concerns me.

Magneto wrote:

Popeye_Card wrote:This sounds like Mark Mulder's loss in velocity a few years ago that he couldn't explain.

Let's hope it's not shoulder problems for Reyes too.

--P--

His arm motion concerns me.

The fact that he tries to mimic Prior's mechanics concerns me.

--P--

"I had a hard time just throwing it [the two seamer] and not trying to make it move," Reyes said. "I'm throwing it now and just letting the grip work. I've thrown a lot of sinkers (this spring). I think it's going to be an effective pitch for me."

That's encouraging, at least. If he's able to get the four seamer back with good velocity, it sounds like he's ready to be the groundball pitcher Duncan wants.

doe_boy wrote:Quite a few folks here noticed Reyes' decline in MPH in 2006. Here's a story that focuses on that.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports ... enDocument

"The fastball wasn't the speed I'm used to throwing it at," Reyes said Tuesday while discussing his erratic 2006 season. "To me, I don't think I had a good year. I battled as best I could. I tried to correct things and get stronger. I tried to get my arm back to what it used to be. It's definitely not the way I throw, the way I'm used to throwing."

I've been wondering all off-season which Reyes we'd get in 2007.

The 2006 major league one, who sits 89-91 with a plus curve, put up an ERA of 5, and gave up too many homers;

or, the blue-chip prospect of 2005, who sat 93-94, hit 95+ every start, and was capable of blowing away good hitters with sharp, late movement and overpowering stuff?

Lots of theories last year; pitch selection, coaching, philosophical approaches, fatigue, pacing self for longer season, even that he was NO different and simply never actually threw that hard at all.

This article actually leaves me significantly more pessimistic about Reyes. It's right there in print for everyone to see -- YES, he really was throwing much harder in 2005 and earlier, than we saw last year; NO, he still has not regained the stuff I personally was so high on a year ago; and NO, neither he nor anyone else really can fully explain where the velocity has gone (it is NOT purely a matter of pitch selection, as his two-seamer used to be about the same velocity as his four-seamer except it had different movement, AND apparently he can't muster up the old smoke on the 4-seamer either).

This looks more and more like a slowly-emerging shoulder injury to me.

Phyrkrakr wrote:If he's able to get the four seamer back with good velocity . . .

Key words bolded. Any theories on how or why that would happen?

skmsw wrote:The 2006 major league one, who sits 89-91 with a plus curve,

Don't you mean plus change?

RC21 wrote:

skmsw wrote:The 2006 major league one, who sits 89-91 with a plus curve,

Don't you mean plus change?

yeah, sorry, I do.

skmsw wrote:Lots of theories last year; pitch selection, coaching, philosophical approaches, fatigue, pacing self for longer season, even that he was NO different and simply never actually threw that hard at all.

Weren't people talking about him using poor selection later in the season and leaving that fastball as a fat beachball to belt, and that when he stopped throwing his fastball when he had to make a pitch he started pitching better. I believe he used his changeup earlier in the counts in his WS start, whereas he used to use his fastball much much more in early counts, letting hitters sit on his fastball later in the count, and adjust for the change.

Plus when you see the same 90 MPH fastball 5 or 6 times a game it's a lot easier to hit.