That was right after Seth Hernandez, the No. 6 overall pick in last year's MLB Draft and the No. 29-ranked prospect in all of baseball, delivered a first pitch to Clark that touched 102 mph on the radar gun in the first inning of the Pirates' 8-7 win over the Tigers in tonight's Spring Breakout game at LECOM Park.
Hernandez ended up walking Clark, the No. 10-ranked prospect in baseball, on six pitches, but he touched triple digits on five of those pitches and made a lasting impression on the man in the batter's box. Clark described the pitch on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast as a "beam of light," and said Hernandez has "legit stuff."
"I've been following Seth since high school and I've been waiting for it," Clark said of Hernandez, who struck out a batter and topped 100 mph 11 times in his inning of work. "A lot of good carry at the top, a little bit of run and an elite changeup. I knew it was coming 2-0. It's his prized possession and he's trying to get an easy out after falling behind 2-0, so it felt good to spit on that. On 3-0, I tried to put something in play because he left me a little center-cut 101 mph heater and I just missed it. Then a really good, executed 3-1 pitch up in the zone. Then the last pitch, he actually threw a surprise pitch and I got lucky. Good pitch, good take, that's just good baseball, but that kid's going to be a star for a lot of years."
It was two years ago that PaulSkenes was at center stage in this event, after which he'd say of the pitching talent in the Pirates' system: "We’re gonna be good for a while, which is cool to see. The first wave of guys that are gonna go up are gonna be really good and then we have a stockpile of guys who'll come up right after. I don’t think people realize how good we are.”
The following year, it was Bubba Chandler.
“Man, to be on a list with those guys is pretty special,” Hernandez said. "Trying to get to Pittsburgh as fast as I can, to be on the same roster as those guys."
That wave's on the way, with Hernandez at the forefront.
"Our pitching system is just absolutely unbelievable," he said. "The Pirates know how to develop pitchers, and they know to develop some great ones. It's super cool to be out here just pitching in front of those guys."
THE ASYLUM
'Beam of light:' Hernandez's heat headlines Breakout
The look on Max Clark's face said it all:
That was right after Seth Hernandez, the No. 6 overall pick in last year's MLB Draft and the No. 29-ranked prospect in all of baseball, delivered a first pitch to Clark that touched 102 mph on the radar gun in the first inning of the Pirates' 8-7 win over the Tigers in tonight's Spring Breakout game at LECOM Park.
Hernandez ended up walking Clark, the No. 10-ranked prospect in baseball, on six pitches, but he touched triple digits on five of those pitches and made a lasting impression on the man in the batter's box. Clark described the pitch on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast as a "beam of light," and said Hernandez has "legit stuff."
"I've been following Seth since high school and I've been waiting for it," Clark said of Hernandez, who struck out a batter and topped 100 mph 11 times in his inning of work. "A lot of good carry at the top, a little bit of run and an elite changeup. I knew it was coming 2-0. It's his prized possession and he's trying to get an easy out after falling behind 2-0, so it felt good to spit on that. On 3-0, I tried to put something in play because he left me a little center-cut 101 mph heater and I just missed it. Then a really good, executed 3-1 pitch up in the zone. Then the last pitch, he actually threw a surprise pitch and I got lucky. Good pitch, good take, that's just good baseball, but that kid's going to be a star for a lot of years."
It was two years ago that Paul Skenes was at center stage in this event, after which he'd say of the pitching talent in the Pirates' system: "We’re gonna be good for a while, which is cool to see. The first wave of guys that are gonna go up are gonna be really good and then we have a stockpile of guys who'll come up right after. I don’t think people realize how good we are.”
The following year, it was Bubba Chandler.
“Man, to be on a list with those guys is pretty special,” Hernandez said. "Trying to get to Pittsburgh as fast as I can, to be on the same roster as those guys."
That wave's on the way, with Hernandez at the forefront.
"Our pitching system is just absolutely unbelievable," he said. "The Pirates know how to develop pitchers, and they know to develop some great ones. It's super cool to be out here just pitching in front of those guys."
Hernandez' full six-minute session with media:
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