As the Washington Nationals decide whether to sign free agent closer Craig Kimbrel, another right-handed power arm continues to unleash blazing fastballs in the Florida sun: former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Trevor Rosenthal.
Watching Rosenthal work another scoreless inning on Sunday was an eye-opener. Featuring a dominant fastball and a devastating changeup, Rosenthal induced all three Houston Astros hitters – including Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel – to ground out weakly.
There is reason to believe Rosenthal, who topped out at 97 mph Sunday in West Palm Beach, was told to tone it down, velocity-wise, after accidentally throwing 100 mph in his first Spring Training outing since Tommy John surgery.