12/21/24
April 28, 2009
Florida High School Pitcher Goes for 5th Straight No Hitter: Patrick Schuster, a senior for Tampa's Mitchell High School, will attempt tonight to throw his fifth consecutive no hitter when his team opens the playoffs. He'll be pitching in front of 1,000, including two dozen baseball scouts. ESPNEWS will be providing pitch-by-pitch coverage of the attempt beginning at 4 p.m.
No pressure, kid.
posted by holden at 03:20 PM on April 28, 2009
Love everything about the story except that last bit at the end about not working because he'll be playing baseball and that doesn't feel like a job.
If you're only hitting 90 or so on the gun, I wouldn't be too sure you'll be playing baseball for a living.
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:03 PM on April 28, 2009
A feel good story....it's this place and this time....deal with it all you negative responding "wish it was me" idiots! Turn back the clock....enjoy the moment...so what if he doesn't "play baseball for a living"! For Christ's sake, enjoy life for what it is..not what YOU wish it would have been for YOU!
posted by jthorpe611 at 04:19 PM on April 28, 2009
"If you're only hitting 90 or so on the gun, I wouldn't be too sure you'll be playing baseball for a living"
Naw, no room in the majors for Dairy Queen soft servers like Moyer, McGregor, et al. Or close to DQ speed flamethrowers like Greg Maddux. Not to mention the knucklers.
That's not to say that I like watching low speed major league pitching. I don't. But there does seem to be a place for it.
That's what I always liked about Randy Johnson. When he starts his motion, he looks like another one of those banjo arm slow ball pitchers - then he cracks the whip and smokes it right on by.
posted by beaverboard at 04:45 PM on April 28, 2009
Kid's a complete choke artist. Loser! Don't draft this kid. Now, ESPN, tell me about the next Greatest of All-Time athletes.
posted by yerfatma at 06:42 PM on April 28, 2009
HAHA! Funny. I read the headline, click the "pitch by pitch" and see
"Schuster gives up hit to end streak"
posted by Drood at 07:26 PM on April 28, 2009
If you're only hitting 90 or so on the gun, I wouldn't be too sure you'll be playing baseball for a living.
When I was umpiring HS ball in NH, I had the plate for a highly regarded right-hander. He was about 5'11" and close to 200#. His build was typical power pitcher, with big legs, big torso. There were scouts from a major league team behind the backstop with the jugs gun, and after the game, I asked what he had hit. They said he had hit a high of 89 and was consistent in the high 80s. When I said that wasn't much, they said they could easily put another 10mph on his fastball. My point is, this kid Schuster has to have some control to go with his heat, and if he is anything at all, he can be coached on technique to improve his velocity.
The kid in my story was told that the major league team looking at him would take him in the 1st or 2nd round if he would promise not to pass them up and go to college. He opted for a 4-year ride at a D-2 college in Massachusetts.
posted by Howard_T at 07:38 PM on April 28, 2009
Love everything about the story except that last bit at the end about not working because he'll be playing baseball and that doesn't feel like a job.
The thing that scares me is arm wear. The pitch-by-pitch link says that the other two phenoms who did something like this both failed to reach the big leagues because of arm problems.
posted by rcade at 07:40 PM on April 28, 2009
I hope his parents, coach, and others protect his young arm. I can only go back to what the Detroit Tiger staff did to the late Mark "The Bird" Fydrich by pitching him too much and destroying a still growing arm. He seems to have a good handle on all the publicity.
posted by coach at 09:06 PM on April 28, 2009
Naw, no room in the majors for Dairy Queen soft servers like Moyer, McGregor, et al. Or close to DQ speed flamethrowers like Greg Maddux. Not to mention the knucklers.
Yep, and for every one of those guys who managed to make it, there are a thousand who flamed out in "A" ball when they couldn't a) gear it up to 93-95 and b) couldn't get an 8-9 mph difference from their fastball to their cutter to their changes.
A guy a couple years behind me in high school, Tom Price, started more games than anyone in Notre Dame history and went 40-8, was 32-1 in HS and led the Horizon League in wins twice and ERA once. He was drafted by the Dodgers and made it to Triple A, and I think he even was the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year once.
He never made to the majors.
Tom's an accountant now -- well, he's a Supervisor at Equale & Cirone, LLP, which I guess is a little better than just crunching numbers at H&R Block -- and I'm guessing he makes a damned fine living. It's just not from throwing a baseball.
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:36 AM on April 29, 2009
Yep, and for every one of those guys who managed to make it, there are a thousand who flamed out in "A" ball when they couldn't a) gear it up to 93-95 and b) couldn't get an 8-9 mph difference from their fastball to their cutter to their changes.
A kid who is already throwing 90 at the age of 18 has a better chance of making it than those who throw 80 at that point. The reason? He gets a baseball scholarship, a trainer, pitching coaches to develop his arm and his mechanics to get more action and more velocity on the ball. His body gets stronger and he becomes a physically better pitcher.
Of course, if your point is "it's very unlikely that you make it to the major leagues", this kid isn't unique in that respect. A lot of kids spend their college ball careers not working and focusing on a dream only to have it unrealized. Does that mean they shouldn't focus solely on what they want to do? No, because the hours spent in the gym and on the field instead of pumping gas increase their unlikely odds.
posted by dfleming at 09:38 AM on April 29, 2009
Awesome post, rcade. Of course it was only a matter of time until ESPN got their hands on this story and made it national news. Pitch-by-pitch coverage for a high school game? And here I thought that televising the Little League World Series was laughable, now this?
On the contrary, it is still pretty cool to see this kid attempt to go for another no hitter. After everything that has happened to his family with his brother Shane passing from bone cancer, he seems pretty humble and is taking this all in stride.