Nick Ashbourne
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
A lot of pitchers started in college before they kind of made their way into the pros.
You imagine he might be an overpowering reliever, and instead he's someone who uses four pitches, basically any count.
He's comfortable with all of them.
He strikes guys out on whether it's the sinker, the fastball, or the curveball, or slide.
He gets a similar amount of strikeouts with all of them, maybe a little bit more on the curveball.
But he looks...
really advanced.
That's the exact opposite of what you'd think from a Rule 5 pick that is so lacking in experience.
To me, when I watch him pitch, he looks kind of like a veteran middle-to-back rotation starter.
He's not striking out a million guys.
He throws pretty hard.
The velocity is there, but it's mainly for that sinker.
It's designed to get ground balls.
The ball is in play.
He's not walking too many players, and he's got all these different ways he can attack hitters.
It's just strange to see a player come up with...
He just didn't have development time for years.
He did not have time to develop as a pitcher.
You assume that he wouldn't look developed when he arrives, and suddenly here he is, and the Jays desperately need innings.
He's given it to them, and he's been better than anybody could have reasonably expected.