Jordan Hicks continues to be a certifiable fireballer.
The St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher was blowing some serious cheese during a spring training game against the New York Mets on Saturday.
Hicks was throwing well over 100 mph on his fastballs and getting clocked at over 102 mph regularly. He was even clocked at 104.6 mph on one pitch. When rounded up for the scoreboard, the pitch was displayed as being an absurd 105 mph.
Jordan Hicks touches 104.6 MPH! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/26BcuwleB7
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 25, 2023
In case you’re wondering how that compares to other pitchers, that’s the fastest recorded pitch since Hicks was clocked at 104.4 mph in 2018.
Jordan Hicks threw a 104.6 mph sinker today, which is the fastest recorded pitch (regular, postseason, or spring training) since… Hicks hit 104.4 mph in July 2018. pic.twitter.com/cEB7RueVcX
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) March 25, 2023
Hicks allowed one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings on Saturday. The 26-year-old has dealt with injuries during his career.
Last season, he went 3-6 with a 4.84 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. His average fastball velocity last season was 99.4 mph.
Some of us grew up in the days when someone throwing in the mid-90s consistently was a rarity. Randy Johnson topping out at 98 mph made him the hardest thrower in the game. So seeing someone like Hicks clock over 100 mph on every pitch has to be a trip.
How did we go from nobody throwing 100 mph to nearly every team having a pitcher who can throw that hard, and having one pitcher clocking 105 mph? It’s absolutely crazy.
