No matter whether the man on the mound is a first-round pick with the world in front of him or an undrafted pitcher there to fill a roster spot, the message anywhere in the low minors from the coaching staff is all about fastball command.
Cody Sedlock, the Orioles’ first-round pick in last year’s MLB draft, managed to pitch well in spite of not having his fastball command in the first half of a doubleheader Monday for High-A Frederick.
“Today, my fastball command really wasn’t that good,” Sedlock said. “But it’s one of those things where I limited my mistakes on the fastball, and one thing I learned throughout the season is just to simplify everything, and if you have confidence in your fastball, good things are going to happen.