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Modern professional athletes push human bodies to their absolute natural limits, and this statement could not be truer when it comes to baseball pitchers. Sports Info Solution's pitch tracking data on FanGraphs dates back to 2002. Back then, the average fastball velocity was 89 MPH. Today, the average slider velocity is 84.5 MPH, and the average fastball is thrown 93.9 MPH.
Today's game is all about throwing gas. The Pittsburgh Pirates' system is loaded with pitching. They arguably have the game's best system when it comes to pitching talent, which certainly includes a few guys who can light up the radar guns with impressive numbers. But who are their hardest-throwing pitching prospects?
Pittsburgh Pirates' hardest-throwing pitching prospects entering 2025 MLB season
Carlos Mateo
One of the Pirates' highest-paid international signings in the 2022-2023 offseason was right-hander Carlos Mateo. Signed out of the Dominican Republic, Mateo inked a $800K deal, their international class's second-largest signing bonus. Mateo certainly brings the gas, but that's been about it so far.
Mateo has taken the saying "grip it and rip it" to heart. According to FanGraphs, Mateo sits at 97-99 MPH, topping out at 100 MPH. He is the hardest-throwing prospect on their top Pirates prospect list
. But Mateo has some of the worst command in the system. He has allowed 65 batters to reach via free pass in only 35 career innings. This also includes a 14.14 ERA and 3.09 WHIP. Sure, Mateo has a batting average on balls in play of .424, but his walk rate is 30%. For reference, Barry Bonds had a walk rate of only 28.6% from 2000-2004, which might be the most dominant five-year stretch in baseball history.
Mateo has two breaking pitches, including a sweeping slider and a changeup. The righty is only 18, and the list of teenagers who throw triple digits is short. Unfortunately, there have been some clear and obvious issues with his command thus far in his pro career.