Kyle Hendricks’ fastball velocity has hovered between 86-88 mph over the last three years, but the steady righty was throwing 88-89 mph darts against Joe Maddon’s Angels in his most recent start. More than just bringing a little more heat at this very early stage of spring, he was also pinpointing his pitches on the black as if he were already in playoff mode.
I’ve covered velocity as a function of Hendricks’ mechanics a lot here at Cubs Insider over the past three years. Like, a lot a lot. One of the biggest predictors of his velo has been vertical release point and release extension.