Erbe's fastball: Less juice, better results
Some of the best pitchers in baseball get outs without throwing the ball as fast as they can. They have found that by giving up a few miles per hour on the radar gun, they get better fastball command and movement. That can lead to better control, faster outs and lower pitch counts.
After five seasons in the Orioles' farm system, pitching prospect Brandon Erbe now subscribes to this "less can be more" theory with his fastball.
He can crank it out at 95 and did often in his early years in the minors. But in 2009, as he had his best season yet, he took a little off the heater and the results were very good.
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