Tag Archives: 105 mph sinkers

From Almonte to Hicks, Cardinals catcher Francisco Pena has history with hard throwers

ST. LOUIS Francisco Pena was behind the plate Sunday night when Jordan Hicks threw the five fastest pitches of the 2018 season. Two of them, 105 mph sinkers, are tied for the second-fastest pitches in recorded MLB history.One of those 105-mph offerings from Hicks, a rookie right-hander for the Cardinals, had so much movement that Pena couldn’t keep up, the ball shooting to the right and glancing off his glove on the way to the backstop. Pena could compare that experience to only one otherin his career as a baseball player catching Danny Almonte in the 2001 Little League World Series.MORE: SN’s Matt Moore Jersey latest MLB Power RankingsYep. Pena was Almonte’s catcher. You remember Danny Almonte. The lanky lefty captured headlines acro s the world when he threw a perfect game in Williamsport Pena caught that game for the team from the Bronx and then again when it was revealed that Almonte was 14, not 11 like the rest of the players, and his team was ruled ineligible. Almonte threw 76 mph, which was the equivalent of between 99 mph and 103 mph given the short distance between the mound and home plate.Standing in front of his locker in the Cardinals clubhouse Monday afternoon, Pena the son of former MLB catcher/manager/coach Tony Pena, and the only one from that Bronx LLWS team to make the major leagues remembered that first time he was behind the plate for the type of power arm that caught the nation’s attention.To be honest, I didn’t have a chance to catch the ball. I remember when I was 11, I had like two batting gloves to be able to catch him, Pena said with a grin. The difference in the mound, 45 feet to 60 feet, I thought that was as fast as I was ever going to see.He paused for a moment.But we’ve got a phenom right here, he said. Hicks, he’s a special kid. He can do a lot of stuff.After the game, Pena, who has done an excellent job as the starter with Yadier Molina on the disabled list,told his 6-year-old son, Francisco, about being behind the plate for that bit of history Hicks delivered.It was pretty cool, Pena said.The day after Hicks’ performance, his teammates were still talking about how the youngster lit up the radar gun. Partially, of course, because us media types kept asking them about it, but they were more than happy to talk about the smoke.Wow. I wish I could do that, Jack Flaherty, who struck out 13 in 7 2/3 innings on Sunday, told Sporting News. I wish I could throw 105. But there’s a reason very few people have done it. It’s special. Him and Chapman. That’s a pretty exclusive club.MORE: Jordan Hicks made a special day even betterAroldis Chapman is the only other player to ever reach 105 mph. He owns the record, at 105.1. Hicks owns the record for the fastest strike Odubel Herrera fouled off the pitch and is the only person to hit that 105 mph mark twice.I can’t really describe it. It’s special. It’s fun to watch, Flaherty said. Yesterday was nothing different. He was fun to watch.Much Prince Fielder Jersey has been made about the low strikeout rate that accompanies such velocity. And it is odd, no doubt. In 22 innings, Hicks has struck out just nine hitters. Flaherty struck out 13 in 7 2/3 innings on Sunday, and Miles Mikolas struck out nine in his complete-game shutout Monday evening. And, yes, Hicks has walked 16 batters. That’s a rate that needs to drop.He’s 21 years old. It’s OK that he’s not perfect yet. And another thing his teammates wanted to talk about:He’s allowed only 13 hits in those 22 innings 11 singles and two doubles. Opponents are making contact, yes, but not solid contact.Put it like this: He’s gonna throw the ball in the middle, and it ends up at the knees, first baseman Jose Martinez told SN. When it moves, you’ve Joey Gallo Jersey got to change your angle. That’s why he’s getting weak contact and ground balls all the time. For me, if he goes out there and it’s 10 ground balls every time, that’s perfect. Don’t worry about the strikeouts. Go out there and throw it in the middle. Pena sets up in the middle, and that ball’s gonna move, 100 percent. That guy’s nasty. He’s going to be good, and I’m glad he’s going to be around.The sink on Hicks’ fastball is creating lots of balls on the ground for his fielders to handle. Of the past 19 balls opponents have put in play, only four have been in the air.When you’re facing 105 with sink, that is not fun at all, Martinez said.It is fun to watch, though.