Ever have that one guy who you just struggle against every time you face him?
I’ve faced Ryan Howard, Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Josh Barfield and a host of other big leaguers … but the hardest out was Chase Utely. He went 3-4 against me at UCLA.
No. 2 was my best friend in Little League, Eric Gooldy. I walked him 6 times in one season. He just flat out mentally “owned” me. Oh well…
You?
Jukka Kurvinen 8)
Last season he had a .720+ avg, a ton of RBI’s, and slg and ops that were astronomical. Simply the best player in Finland’s history. He’s such a tuff out. He had only one strikeout in the whole season. Whenever he hits the ball, it doesn’t matter how or where he hits it, it has some serious mustard in it and it’s most of the times a hit, or too tuff to handle for any OF or IF. He could probably bunt it for homers :roll:
Dude, why isn’t he playing over here?
Any of my close friends. I cannot pitch to them, i’ll start laughing on the mound, or they wind up getting hit by the pitch.
Any batter who lays off of the sinker (very hard). I’ve been tiold by a college player that my sinker’s nasty. It’s hard for me to throw a strike when i really need to. I’ve thrown 4 pitch innings before, but when the hitter is really selective, doesn’t try to hit the sinker to opposite field, and fouls it off when it’s a strike, it drives me crazy. Also, when they’re fast enough to beat out a ground ball, it drives me insane.
You tell me :? He’s already 29 or 30 years old so I guess it’s a train gone by for him. But he is simply dominant. He’s something like 6’3’’-6’5 and 220+ lbs, so a big boy with a big, angry stick.
Yeah, it’s most likely the age thing, unfortunately. Those are some great numbers though!
there’s one guy i faced in a tournament, i relieved in 3 of the 5 games we played against his team, he went 3 for 3 with 3 homeruns. I never had so much troubles against a guy like that. i think i pitched him something like 5 total pitches and the 2 that were’nt smashed out of the ballpark were screwballs in the dirt. the kid just owned me and he wasn’t that much of a spectacular hitter, i think he was something like 7 for 8 against me life time and was only carrying a .233 batting average or something like that. Let’s just say he had my number.
Also, there’s this guy on our team who’s 4 feet 6 inches. I’ve never thrown a strike to him in my life. His strike zone is the size of my computer screeen.
LOL, I dunno if a metaphor is the right name for that.
Probably my dad, he taught me everything i know about baseball and has watched me so much that at 58 he still has my number.
I’ve gotta say the toughest hitters I’ve faced were; Jason Heyward (Braves minor league system), Jason Place (Red Sox minor league system) and Michael Burgess (Nationals minor league system).
I only faced Heyward and Burgess once, but both of them were deffinately not easy outs. Place on the other hand was in my High School conference, so I had to face him regularly. He had tremndous power and was not a slouch on the basepaths either. I think in High School Place hit around .400 off of me with 2HR’s :-p
the toughest hitter I probably had to face was about a year ago, and the kid that made me throw a weird pitch that injured my arm.
I faced Joe Benson and struck him out once when I was 11 and he was 12 (2nd Round Draft pick from the Twins a couple years ago).
I faced Cedric Redmond (late round draft pick by the Cubs a couple years ago) and he grounded out twice against me. I actually got the win against him. We won the game 2-1 to put us in the championship. He walked me.
I gave up a double to Brett Graffy (Pitcher at Notre Dame). I was only in 6th grade though and I was on the 8th grade team and he was an 8th grader. He was throwing low 80’s in 8th grade and hit me with a pitch. When I got to first base the 1B was like dude kids 2x the size of you bawl their eyes out when Graffy hits them. I was only like 4’6 in 6th grade lol… I just got nailed in the leg, worst HBP pain I ever had and I just jogged it off to 1B, then stole 2b.
I pitched against Jake Christensen (QB at Iowa) and (Drafted by Reds out of HS in 05 but didnt sign). Just pitched against him in practice. I was on the Sophomore team he was on the Varsity.
Pitched against Nick Mitidiero (2x All State and set the HS Batting Average Record in Illinois). I think it was like the 5th best Batting Average Nationally too or something.
He was the best hitter I ever faced and he still hasnt been drafted or anything like the other kids. He’s a Junior at Bradley. I dont know how hes doing but he was set to go to ASU on scholarship out of HS. There was a bunch of confusion, he waited out ASU and was looking to go to another bigtime school and play earlier. Then I think he decided on ASU and ASU had somebody who already excepted the scholarship offer at the same position. He went to Triton Junior College and dominated. Now he’s at Bradley University.
Nothing on the guys Steve faced, but I haven’t pitched against anyone of note (only in HS) but my Dad faced Doug Flutie and Steve DiOssie (he hit DiOssie and he just grunted and stared at my dad, kinda scary guy) He played for Boston College High School under the Great Norm Walsh, whose still there to this day, and (to give him a lil credit) he was Catholic Conference pitcher of the year his junior season
toughest hitter i’ve faced is Ryan Flaherty the current short stop at Vanderbilt. Hes gunna be somethin special
the toughest hitter i ever faced was ryan wright and he is going to louiville next year, he went 1-3 against me with a walk
Billy Rowell–9th overall pick in the 2006 draft.
I was a freshman throwing maybe 77-78 mph. First at bat of the game he goes oppo yam-yam into the street off of one of our seniors. I have no clue who the kid other than that he is commited to Alabama and he just hit a frickin p-rod. My coach puts me in the game and promptly called 3 changeups (all perfectly placed low and away thank God) and Big Bill eventually hit a MLB pop-up to our shortstop on an 0-2 count.
I am gonna remember that at bat when I’m watching him play on TV someday.
James adams i pitched against him 3 time in one game. The first time was a home run on socond pitch the second was same but on the third i got him with a sinker