Thursday Recap
No. 1 Louisiana State 9, No. 2 Texas A&M 6
Making the move out of the bullpen and into the rotation last weekend, sophomore righthander Ryan Hendrix looked as though he’s been starting all year with his performance from last weekend. Working six-plus strong innings, Hendrix exited in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded, all three of whom would later come in and were charged to Hendrix.
More than looking the part with a 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame and long limbs, Hendrix shows premium stuff on the mound and is yet another name to keep in mind come June of 2016. With a fairly simple and repeatable delivery, Hendrix opened the first inning sitting in the 93-95 mph range with his fastball showing heavy life and late arm-side run. What was even more impressive than the raw velocity though was how fast his right arm was and how cleanly the ball came out of his hand, seeming to jump out at release.
Showing some effort in his delivery, Hendrix settled into the 91-93 mph range but maintained that throughout the game, scattering 94’s throughout his six-plus innings. Being a reliever throughout the early part of his career, Hendrix showed comfort working out of the stretch, working both sides of the plate while holding his velocity from his three-quarters slot.
A big difference maker for Hendrix last night was his breaking ball, a true swing-and-miss pitch that he threw frequently with consistent success and plenty of empty swings. Early in the game he threw it more in the 82-84 mph range, looking like a slider with more sweeping life than depth but it quickly settled into the 79-82 mph range and the depth began to appear. The Tigers righthanded hitters received a steady dose of 11-to-5 breakers but Hendrix’s ability to keep it down in the zone proved to be a difficult pitch to handle. In the end Hendrix finished with nine strikeouts and consistently worked ahead in the count, walking none while generating consistent ground ball contact.
Hendrix shows the pure stuff on the mound and it’ll be interesting to follow as he continues to evolve into that starting role, carrying the ball deep into games. He worked off a two-pitch mix throughout the game, flashing an 84-86 mph changeup from time to time, but it was primarily a fastball/curveball combo he used to keep LSU off balance.
This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.