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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on Apr 14, 2020 15:50:56 GMT
www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28970206/tim-kurkjian-baseball-fix-nolan-ryan-threw-hard-prime-60sOnce a power pitcher, always a power pitcher. Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Rangers game 10 years ago. He was 63. His catcher for that first pitch was Jim Sundberg, a six-time Gold Glover, who had caught Ryan during his career. Ryan had gotten loose in an area under the stadium. He threw the first ball at 85 mph, amazing at 63. "I wasn't ready for it. I had to bend down quickly just to catch it,'' Sundberg said. "I split my pants.''
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Post by FrankSobotka1514 on Apr 14, 2020 15:52:59 GMT
Ryan was a true freak of nature. I doubt there will ever be another like him, especially the way pitchers are babied nowadays. Randy Johnson was probably the closest recent comparison.
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Post by fjenkins on Apr 14, 2020 16:02:17 GMT
www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28970206/tim-kurkjian-baseball-fix-nolan-ryan-threw-hard-prime-60sOnce a power pitcher, always a power pitcher. Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Rangers game 10 years ago. He was 63. His catcher for that first pitch was Jim Sundberg, a six-time Gold Glover, who had caught Ryan during his career. Ryan had gotten loose in an area under the stadium. He threw the first ball at 85 mph, amazing at 63. "I wasn't ready for it. I had to bend down quickly just to catch it,'' Sundberg said. "I split my pants.'' Ryan understood a lot about the mechanics of pitching. he alwahs worked on his thight, he had those tree trunks for thighs to push off the mound. Clemens did it too. I remember seeing Ryan at the end of his career, he was throwing hard, he was amazing.
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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on Apr 14, 2020 16:26:21 GMT
www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28970206/tim-kurkjian-baseball-fix-nolan-ryan-threw-hard-prime-60sOnce a power pitcher, always a power pitcher. Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Rangers game 10 years ago. He was 63. His catcher for that first pitch was Jim Sundberg, a six-time Gold Glover, who had caught Ryan during his career. Ryan had gotten loose in an area under the stadium. He threw the first ball at 85 mph, amazing at 63. "I wasn't ready for it. I had to bend down quickly just to catch it,'' Sundberg said. "I split my pants.'' Ryan understood a lot about the mechanics of pitching. he alwahs worked on his thight, he had those tree trunks for thighs to push off the mound. Clemens did it too. I remember seeing Ryan at the end of his career, he was throwing hard, he was amazing. oh yeah. it's all legs. tom seaver too: 
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Post by fjenkins on Apr 14, 2020 16:28:20 GMT
Ryan understood a lot about the mechanics of pitching. he alwahs worked on his thight, he had those tree trunks for thighs to push off the mound. Clemens did it too. I remember seeing Ryan at the end of his career, he was throwing hard, he was amazing. oh yeah. it's all legs. tom seaver too: Another guy whose name and number are a part of a lot of my passwords. I think the five great pitchers of the 70s were Seaver, Carlton, Palmer, Jenkins and Ryan.
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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on Apr 14, 2020 16:28:30 GMT
Ryan was a true freak of nature. I doubt there will ever be another like him, especially the way pitchers are babied nowadays. Randy Johnson was probably the closest recent comparison. pitchers aren't babied, but more how the speed of their pitches is clocked messes them up. back in the day when nolan was pitching the pitch speed was clocked when it crossed 'home' (why you see them with a more legs based approach) now it's clocked at the point of release, right out of the hand; so you have these motions that aren't really about pitching but just getting a high speed upon release.
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Post by msdemos on Apr 14, 2020 17:45:04 GMT
10/15/2010
SAVE FERRIS
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Post by fjenkins on Apr 14, 2020 18:09:12 GMT
And he could kick anyone's ass in this forum right now as well as Robin Venturas.
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Post by TheGoodMan19 on Apr 14, 2020 18:14:51 GMT
A big what if, what if the Mets hadn't traded Ryan? By 1971, Ryan had become a full time starter. But the Mets didn't like him. 26 starts, 152 IP, not a lot, especially for 1971. He was wild, he walked a lot of batters and he wasn't Tom Seaver. The Mets had another stud prospect ready for 1972, Jon Matlack, and a glaring hole at third. So Nolan Ryan, Leroy Stanton (a handy 4th outfielder) for Jim Fregosi, a perennial AS 3b. Except Fregosi was at the end of the line. His numbers fell off the chart in 1971, got worse in Shea. He only lasted a year and a half in NY. Matlack had a decent time in NY, Rookie of the Year, 3x AS. And Ryan became, well, Nolan Ryan. The Angels taught him some more control and how to take a bit off his fastball. Like the Dodgers eventually did with Sandy Koufax. Brings up a couple of what ifs
1. What would Ryan's career stats look like if he had become what he became in 1968? He was 28-38 with 493 K's. He would have at least doubled that (the Mets were better than the Angels). Lets say another 35 wins and 45 k's. That gives him 359 wins and 6,614 strikeouts. Ouch. A lot of people look down a bit in Ryan. He only won 20 games twice. He walked too many. He never won a title after 1969. Nearly 360 wins and over 6000 strikeouts, tough to pick at.
2. Just how good would the Mets of that time frame had been? A rotation of Seaver, Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry and Jon Matlack. That's epic.Those Mets teams, even the 1969 title winner, were hampered by an anemic offense. But maybe they make a better trade for Koosman or Gentry, get some better bats. Its sad that he only won one ring, as a long reliever. But I guess Ted Williams, Ty Cobb and Ernie Banks would swap with Lynn Nolan
Its sad
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