On the hottest day Chicago has seen in a decade, rookie Vance Worley will take the ball for the Phillies against the Cubs. Worley was drafted after high school and again three years later, both times by Philadelphia, signing the second time around as a third round pick in 2008.
Worley's big league debut was just about one year ago and this will be his 12th Major League start.
He's a big guy, listed at 6'3" 230. He has two base hits this year but no successful sacrifice bunts. As a Sacramento product, he may be able to brush off the heat.
Worley is not a big strike out pitcher, but he limits walks and is just above average in producing ground balls. His sinker does less than I'd expect in terms of killing worms (so far), but his slider and even his curveball are doing their part. His four-seam fastball has a good pop-up rate and he fills the zone with it. He'll throw his slider for a strike more often than not, and is anything but a bat misser with it (or any of his offspeed pitches).
Four-seam fastball: 92 mph
Two-seam fastball: 91
Slider: 85
Change-up: 85
Curveball: 76
Original Story:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cubsfx...
Worley's big league debut was just about one year ago and this will be his 12th Major League start.
He's a big guy, listed at 6'3" 230. He has two base hits this year but no successful sacrifice bunts. As a Sacramento product, he may be able to brush off the heat.
Worley is not a big strike out pitcher, but he limits walks and is just above average in producing ground balls. His sinker does less than I'd expect in terms of killing worms (so far), but his slider and even his curveball are doing their part. His four-seam fastball has a good pop-up rate and he fills the zone with it. He'll throw his slider for a strike more often than not, and is anything but a bat misser with it (or any of his offspeed pitches).
Four-seam fastball: 92 mph
Two-seam fastball: 91
Slider: 85
Change-up: 85
Curveball: 76
Original Story:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cubsfx...
