Thank you for the kind words.

I’ll start with Latos. Haven’t seen him much since the call-up though I have seen some highlights. His arm speed is really tremendous when you watch it high quality video. The fastball just explodes out of his hand. I haven’t seen enough of his curveball and change-up this year to really comment on them, but I’ll say this…as an extreme fly ball pitcher pitching in Petco, he could put up some very impressive ERAs because of how large that park is. He’s been a little homer prone, which is going to happen with how many fly balls he gives up, but Petco should really help in suppressing that number.

As for Matusz, I’ve seen much more of him than Latos because I live in the DC/Baltimore market. His fastball is better than when he came out. It’s sneaky. He doesn’t always command it well, but he does a good job of pitching in and out of the strike zone and he’s not afraid to pitch inside. He’s got an excellent feel for pitching and a large array of secondary pitches that he commands well. His curve and slider are actually pretty similar pitches. He hasn’t really established a good feel for his curveball yet, but when it’s on I think it’s his second best pitch because it has a sharper break and better depth.

Overall, I think Matusz is the better pitcher, but he might not put up the better numbers because of where he plays and the division he plays in. Both are excellent prospects though.

With that said, it’s been pointed out to me that Matusz has a timing problem because his forearm isn’t vertical at the time his foot plants. My counter argument would be if Matusz had a true timing problem, you wouldn’t see the plus command Matusz demonstrates. Some pitchers have a quick enough arm to overcome any perceived timing problems and I think Matusz is certainly one of them. He still may get injured as his mechanics are not perfect and pitching in general is an unnatural and nasty thing to do to your arm.

I definitely appreciate the first-hand report. The one thing I might have to dispute is the 94 – 97 gun readings since I haven’t seen any publication mention he was throwing that hard, but his fastball is probably better than I make it seem.

From my point of view, becoming a true No. 1 starter is incredibly hard to do. I think Matusz brings a package that’s close to a No. 1 starter level, but it’s not quite there yet. Now, with that said, I can see his stuff playing up because he has the intelligence and poise to get hitters out even when his stuff isn’t at its best.

Plus, when you have a guy like Matusz that projects out as a solid No. 2, it doesn’t take too much for that guy to make the leap into No. 1 starter territory and I wouldn’t be surprised if Matusz is able to make that leap. But for now, he’s still a solid No. 2.

Having watched Brian Matusz extensively in college, I think your analysis is pretty close to spot on. However, I do think he has a better fastball than you think. Over his three years at San Diego, and his short time in the minors, he has really developed into an outstanding “pitcher”. As a freshman, he was more of a thrower as he tried to pump fastballs by hitters. He regularly hit 94-97 on the gun, but would get tired by the 5th-6th inning. As a sophomore, he really learned how to pitch and by his junior year, his change up had become so good, he began pitching off of it (because I think most people expected the fastball), but he would keep people off-balanced with the 92-94 MPH fastball and a devastating curve. He would even reach back at times and crank it in there around 94-96, but is much more comfortable at 92-94. He is now able to stay in games longer and has learned how to attack hitters. Plus, like you mentioned, he has a bit of a deceptive delivery and has a bit of a unique arm angle that makes his pitches a little more difficult to pick up. The main thing I have been impressed with is is his ability to adapt and learn the art of pitching. The comparisons to Cole Hammels are pretty accurate. I think the O’s have a good one who will develop into a quality No. 1.

O’s Fan

Since when did I say you need to hit 94 on the radar gun to be a #1 starter? Of course, I’m not going to say it doesn’t help.

The message in this article must have went completely over your head if the only thing you took from it was an interpretation of me saying throwing fast makes a #1 starter, which is far from the truth.

A No. 1 starter is a pitcher that has command of plus stuff to go along with the knowledge of how to pitch. Most No. 1 guys also have an abundance of confidence in themselves no matter the situation. With that said, I am a big fastball guy and feel it’s necessary to be able to pitch off the fastball, which is something Matusz didn’t do in college. However, he does have a good enough fastball to pitch off of though it will require an adjustment. There are a few No. 1 starters that don’t have plus velocity, but make up for it with movement/deception and a plus-plus offering somewhere in their arsenal. Matusz doesn’t have the best fastball movement and while his secondary pitches all grade out as above average to plus, there is no plus-plus offering in his arsenal IMO.

Best case scenario for Matusz I think is close to a No. 1, but probably not quite at that level.

Since when do you need to hit 94 on the radar gun to be a #1 starter? Throwing fast doesn not a #1 starter make.

The O’s currently have a bunch of guys who could eventually step into that #1 role. Arietta, Matusz, Tillman, and now Hernandez who has been called up, assuming he can harness his control, he is unhittable at times.

Gotta love you amateur scouts…

I basically agree with everything you said in your post. I think the adjustments made by Matusz have helped him maintain a velocity between 91 and 93, touching 94. He isn’t in the high 80′s as much as he was. But his success will be based mostly on how he commands his above average to plus secondary offerings.

I haven’t been able to see Matusz extensively, but the scouting reports on his secondary offerings plus his excellent control sold me on him. I’ve been slightly disappointed with the results thus far. He’s been racking up the strikeouts and he’s been posting solid ground ball rates, something he didn’t do in college, so that was a nice surprise. But his control hasn’t been as advertised, and his command hasn’t been sharp because he’s been way too hittable. I think part of it is him trying to find his rhythm and I feel a breakout is performance is coming soon, but he hasn’t come in and dominated as he was expected to do. My opinion of him hasn’t changed, but I’d like to see some better results, hopefully soon.