JUPITER, Fla. — At 10:36 a.m. Thursday, Jack Flaherty arrived to Cardinals camp and pulled his car up to the curb. He was greeted by both Ryan Helsley and Jordan Hicks. As I watched this interaction, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the car, surely embarrassed by its inferior horsepower. It soon drove off, its tailpipe seemingly between its legs.
In Major League Baseball last season, 33 pitches were thrown 103 mph or faster. Nine of those were thrown by Helsley, nine more were thrown by Hicks.
Helsley, who in person does appear as if he’s human, threw one four-seamer 104.