I first met Christian a couple of weeks ago at a local ball field. I was picking up baseballs that I had been hitting for fun and he was heading over to the practice mound to throw a bullpen. We chatted for a bit and he said that he was preparing for his upcoming season with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball league. He’s a right-handed pitcher, 2012 Houston Astros draftee, Saratoga Central Catholic HS graduate, and Gansevoort native. We tossed the ball around for a bit and I then got the chance to watch him throw his bullpen, where his delivery looked really smooth and the ball jumped out of his hand. We chatted some more after his bullpen and I offered to record his next one so he could analyze his mechanics.
Here’s ones of the pitches from that bullpen. It was clocked at 90MPH, which is a solid major league fastball. It was a pretty brisk spring morning and he was still in the ramping up stage for the season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if his velocity climbs a few more ticks as the season gets underway. Although I haven’t known him for long, he definitely seems like a good guy, and I wish my new friend well for this upcoming season.