In his sixth pro season, having moved through the Los Angeles Angels' system from the rookie-league Orem Owlz to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, relief pitcher Jeremy Rhoades understands how the business of baseball works.
“You either keep up with the game and what they ask of you,” Rhoades said, “or you'll be out of it.”
In his job description, that means delivering the ball with more velocity in an effort to overpower the hitters. As veteran slugger Brandon Belt of San Francisco told The Washington Post, “Pitchers are throwing harder. I don't blame them. You get major league contracts by throwing hard.