We've Got JUCO Kids Blowing 102 On The Radar Gun Now

I commend the catcher back there for trying. I don't know how you catch 102. I think you just kind of hear it and then guess where you think it's going to end up and hope for the best. Either way, holy shit. A HUNDRED AND TWO?! ONE OH TWO?! I'm familiar with Pocket Radar, by the way. Great product. No free ads.

This kid Luke Little is a 19-year-old JUCO pitcher committed to play for South Carolina, and he's already blowing 102 off the mound from the left side. That's the shit that nightmares are made of. He's a 6-foot-8 monster from North Carolina who got some draft attention last year, but there was a gap between the signing bonus he was hoping to fetch and the signing bonuses that teams were willing to fork over. So, back to JUCO he went to go ragdoll some more hitters in hopes of bettering his odds in the 2020 MLB Draft. Well, ol' COVID-19 had other plans, as Little's JUCO season was axed after a handful of appearances this year. Brutal.

I guess we'll see what the draft has in store for him. Now that it's out there that he's got 102 in the tank, I'd imagine that his draft position might be a little more favorable this time around. And if he's not taken in a high enough spot or offered a number that meets his satisfaction, then he can always just take his rocket arm to South Carolina in the fall. Sucks he was robbed of his season this year, though. Especially in the year that he set a personal best mark for max velocity and no hopeless batters to test it out against.

Also, another thought I had -- if we're seeing 19-year-old JUCO kids throwing 102 now, how far away are we from seeing big leaguers hitting north of 105? I mean, the human body can only do so much and I do believe there are limits on what the shoulder/elbow can and can't handle, but there's gotta be a way, right? Look at Tommy John surgery. We're taking ligaments out of our legs and attaching them to our elbows. I think, eventually, we will find a way to alter the shoulder and/or the elbow to the point where we'll one day be able to see someone out there hucking 110+.