Odd velocity gap exists between Justin Verlander and young SF Giants pitcher

If SF Giants fans were polled and asked which pitcher they would have more velocity concerns about, a 23-year-old or a 42-year-old, the answers would almost uniformly be for the latter. Yet, that is not the reality for San Francisco.

The Giants currently have a young pitcher in Kyle Harrison who is having some velocity troubles while the future Cooperstown inductee Justin Verlander is bringing the heat thus far in spring training.

Surprising velocity from both SF Giants starters Verlander and Harrison

In Harrison’s most recent exhibition start, his fastball hung around 91-92 miles per hour which is a little concerning. Harrison’s velocity dropped last season as well which was attributed to arm fatigue at the time as well as a mechanical issue later on. It is still early, but if Harrison’s velocity dip persists that is going to make it harder for the lefty to compete at the big league level given the fact that, when he is right, his fastball up in the zone is his signature pitch.

Turning to Verlander, the grizzled veteran has not looked his age this spring. His stat line is impressive as he sports a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings pitched and his fastball velocity has regularly been in the mid-90’s. We will see how long that lasts, but if the Giants can get a Verlander who is throwing that kind of heat for most of the season, signing him may look like a stroke of genius.

Of course, it must be acknowledged that all of this could be moot in a month or two. Maybe Harrison tweaks something in his mechanics that unlocks his fastball from 2023 while Verlander gets injured or loses some of the heat on his fastball.

Nonetheless, it is still interesting to consider the fact that it is surprising which one of these pitchers is dealing with velocity issues. This is not to disparage Harrison. Even with lower velocity last season he still competed hard and had to use his secondary pitches to get opponents out which may end up being useful for him in the long run. 

Yet, it does make one realize how odd the game of baseball can be at times and how it will always keep you guessing. Verlander is one of the best pitchers of this millennium, so perhaps we should not bee too surprised that he is still as tenacious of a competitor as ever and is throwing his fastball like he is a young, hungry 23-year-old.