Effortless velocity has a lot of names -- easy cheese; easy gas; easy heat -- and a lot of aesthetic appeal. You don't need to be a manager to enjoy watching a pitcher dispense 98 mph fastballs with languid mechanics. (Though, to be clear, managers enjoy watching it, too.) But beyond looking cool, does the phenomenon hold any actual predictive value? Probably not.
The theory makes sense. If a pitcher can deliver premium velocity without exerting themself, then it probably speaks well of their kinetic chain. Accepting that, it doesn't take much to presume such pitchers will throw more strikes and perhaps stay healthier. Essentially, it's inverse of why teams sometimes shy away from those hurlers with high-effort mechanics under the belief that they'll get hurt and/or not throw as many quality strikes as their success requires.
Unfortunately, there isn't much evidence to support the theory. Instead counterexamples are abound. Matt Moore has always battled his command and has recently taken to battling his body; Sean Newcomb has walked five batters per nine in his career despite an easy-looking delivery; and Jaime Schultz can hit 96 mph without taxing his body -- yet he's 27 years old with 25 big-league appearances to his name. And so on. Looking smooth isn't enough. Or, as one scout told CBS Sports, "Our eyes can fool us into believing ease equals mechanical efficiency."
Still, while easy cheese may not hold predictive value, it is fun to watch. As such, we asked around to figure out which well-regarded prospects had the easiest gas. Some of those named included Mitch Keller (Pirates), Dustin May (Dodgers), Shane Baz (Rays), and Sixto Sanchez (Marlins). Before getting to the rest of the watch, let's enjoy a few of their deliveries:
Ah, yeah. That's the good stuff. Now, onto the rest of the league.
