FSU v. FIU (cont.)
In my last entry I focused on a handful of FIU’s position players. This post will focus on a couple of Florida International pitchers, R.J. Fondon (Game 1 starter) and Mason McVay (Game 2 starter). Unfortunately the stadium scoreboard does not feature a pitch reading and I still do not own a radar gun, so it was impossible for me to get clear, accurate readings on velocity. However, I felt that I was able to gain a solid understanding of both players’ arsenals.
Fondon, a senior LHP out of Pembroke Pines started the opening game of the series on Friday night. Last season Fondon compiled a 6-6 record with a 3.05 ERA in 16 starts. Statistics such as wins and ERA can sometimes be misleading because they are team-dependent, but talent evaluators often like to look at how many strikeouts a pitcher tallies (especially at the amateur ranks) because they feel that it helps to shed light on how dominant a pitcher truly is. Last season Fondon only had 55 strikeouts in 97.1 innings pitched (a K/9 ratio of only 5.1) which indicates that his future professional prospects may be limited. However, there are always exceptions to any “rule” so it would be unwise to write off Fondon just from looking at statistics.
Physically, Fondon has a strong pitcher’s frame, at 6’2” and 190 pounds and he looked to be comfortable within his own body and able to repeat his delivery without too much of a problem. He probably has the frame to comfortably carry another 20 pounds or so, which could benefit him down the line. While he was able to repeat his delivery comfortably, Fondon struggled with command of all of his pitches throughout the start. Fondon predominately featured his fastball and slider and occasionally mixed in a slow curveball to keep hitters off-balance. His fastball velocity was nothing special and I would speculate that it ran from 86-91 with the vast majority of pitches sitting in the 86-88 range. Again, his command was nothing special and he did fall behind on a number of hitters. His slider was probably his best pitch, although he featured two different kinds of sliders—a flat, get-me-over cutter type of pitch and a traditional sweeping slider with two-plane break. Fondon threw his cutter early in the count against right-handed hitters and used it in the middle innings as a bit of a change-of-pace. The traditional slider was clearly the superior option, as the two-plane break was sharp and the pitched flashed average (50-grade) potential. While he was able to get a few strikeouts and induce a number of groundouts with the pitch, Fondon still struggled to command the pitch consistently and surrendered a number of walks on the day. Much like his cutter, Fondon’s slow curve was not as potent as his slider. He did not use the slow curve too often, but it was effective on a couple of occasions and he was able to strikeout FSU SS Justin Gonzalez with it.
Fondon was able to earn the win and his line from the night read as follows 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. While his line is not all that impressive, it should be noted that he fought through a 45 minute rain delay in the second inning. Overall, I feel comfortable saying that Fondon does not feature plus (or even above average) stuff (although his slider does project to be an average pitch), so he will have to improve and refine the command of his entire arsenal to be anything more than an organizational arm in professional baseball.
FIU’s Game 2 starter was LHP Mason McVay. McVay is a Redshirt Junior that redshirted in 2010 because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. As a freshman in 2009 McVay was predominately used as a reliever and finished the season with 22.1 innings pitched and 23 strikeouts (0-2, 8.06 ERA). Last season, as a RS-Soph, McVay was again used as a reliever, striking out 37 in 30.1 innings pitched (1-1, 3.56 ERA). McVay is a physically imposing lefty, as he stands at 6’7” and is said to weigh in at 240 pounds. Many pitchers of McVay’s size and stature often struggle to repeat their delivery, remain sound mechanically, and consistently command the strike zone. McVay was no different as he fell behind FSU hitters quite often, surrendered five walks, threw one wild pitch, and had to be pulled after four innings due to a high pitch count. However, McVay also flashed a significant amount of promise. He pumped in his fastball with pretty good velocity—presumably between 91 and 95 mph (and sitting at 92-93) and was able to overpower a number of Seminoles, especially left-handed hitters Jose Brizuela and Sherman Johnson. Like Fondon, McVay also utilized two different breaking balls, a hard slider and a slow curve. When thrown effectively, McVay was able to bury his slider beneath the hands of right-handed hitters and work it down and away to lefties. He struggled commanding the pitch in the first and second innings, but he really settled in during the third and fourth innings and was able to induce a number of strikeouts and weak groundouts. Overall, the pitch flashed average to above average as it had late, sharp two-plane break. McVay’s curveball was a get-me-over type of pitch that he used early in the count vs. both sides. Although, he may have gotten one or two swings and misses on it the pitch itself was not very effective, and in its current form it would not be a legitimate offering at the next level.
As previously mentioned, McVay was erratic mechanically and had some real difficulty repeating his delivery, which I believe may be traced back to an inconsistent landing point with his front leg. When McVay missed with his fastball he was generally missing high, with his arm to dragging through the zone. Similarly, his a number of his breaking balls were flat, spinners as he was not consistently getting on top of the pitches and replicating his release point.
McVay’s final line for the day: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 9 K. Overall, there were some obvious pros and cons with McVay’s outing. Clearly, he struggled to command all of his pitches. However, after a long first two innings (4 BB), McVay was able to settle in and was more consistent with his delivery as he only walked one batter over the next two innings. McVay also flashed above-average velocity, especially for a pitcher from the left-side. His slider, while inconsistent, also flashed above-average potential. 6’7” left-handed pitchers with two average to above-average pitchers do not grow on trees and if McVay if is able to remain health and refine his command as the season progresses he may see himself being drafted in early June.
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