The Hardest-Throwing Prospect In Every MLB System In 2024
Image credit: Jarlin Susana (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
In the famous words of imaginary personified race car and seven-time Piston Cup champion Lightning McQueen: “I am speed.”
Today, we’ll be taking a look at those pitchers in each organization who, like Lightning McQueen, are speed.
Fastball velocity continues to climb at each level of the game, and the ability to throw hard is increasingly important. Velocity and stuff matters.
SEE ALSO: All 90 Prospects Who Threw 100 MPH In The Minor Leagues In 2024
In a recent interview with Baseball America’s 2024 Minor League Pitcher Of The Year, Quinn Mathews, he described stuff as something “providing you grace” as a pitcher. The players listed in the chart below have the most grace when compared to their system-mates.
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Every organization has a pitcher that throws upper 90s now, and some organizations have several. In order to parse down which pitchers truly are the hardest throwers in each organization, we used average fastball velocity over maximum velocity. It’s not just the ability to throw the hardest once but to do it with consistency.
The names on this list run the gamut of prospects: recent draftees, minor league veterans and young players at the lower levels. While the list favors relievers, the hardest thrower in the chart below is, in fact, a starter, in Nationals’ Jarlin Susana. There is not a single lefthanded pitcher listed, and all but one pitcher is listed as using a four-seam fastball as their primary fastball.
Hardest Throwers By Organization
| Org. | Player | throws | pitch type | avg. velocity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angels | Ryan Zeferjahn | R | Four-Seam | 97.7 mph |
| Astros | Forrest Whitley | R | Four-Seam | 97.4 mph |
| Athletics | Luis Morales | R | Four-Seam | 96.9 mph |
| Blue Jays | Colby Martin | R | Four-Seam | 97 mph |
| Braves | Rolddy Munoz | R | Four-Seam | 98 mph |
| Brewers | Yerlin Rodriguez | R | Four-Seam | 97.5 mph |
| Cardinals | Edwin Nunez | R | Four-Seam | 98 mph |
| Cubs | Eduarniel Nunez | R | Four-Seam | 97.8 mph |
| Diamondbacks | Sam Knowlton | R | Four-Seam | 98.9 mph |
| Dodgers | Edgardo Henriquez | R | Four-Seam | 99.7 mph |
| Giants | Junior Flores | R | Four-Seam | 97 mph |
| Guardians | Andrew Walters | R | Four-Seam | 96.5 mph |
| Mariners | Hunter Cranton | R | Four-Seam | 97.2 mph |
| Marlins | Elvis Alvarado | R | Four-Seam | 98.3 mph |
| Mets | Ryan Lambert | R | Four-Seam | 97.7 mph |
| Nationals | Jarlin Susana | R | Four-Seam | 99.8 mph |
| Orioles | Keeler Morfe | R | Four-Seam | 97.6 mph |
| Padres | Bradgley Rodriguez | R | Four-Seam | 97.9 mph |
| Phillies | Andrew Baker | R | Two-Seam | 97.4 mph |
| Pirates | Ryan Harbin | R | Four-Seam | 96.8 mph |
| Rangers | Emiliano Teodo | R | Four-Seam | 98.2 mph |
| Rays | Hunter Bigge | R | Four-Seam | 97.6 mph |
| Red Sox | Alex Hoppe | R | Four-Seam | 97.5 mph |
| Reds | Zach Maxwell | R | Four-Seam | 99.2 mph |
| Rockies | Seth Halvorsen | R | Four-Seam | 98.2 mph |
| Royals | Anderson Paulino | R | Four-Seam | 98.1 mph |
| Tigers | Joel Peguero | R | Four-Seam | 97.6 mph |
| Twins | Ryan Jensen | R | Four-Seam | 96.6 mph |
| White Sox | Prelander Berroa | R | Four-Seam | 97 mph |
| Yankees | Carlos Lagrange | R | Four-Seam | 97 mph |
