The Mariners called up Thyago Vieira, one of baseball's hardest throwers
The Seattle Mariners enter Monday two games back in the hunt for an American League wild card spot. Whether the Mariners make a postseason run or not, they just got more fun to watch.
That's because the Mariners promoted right-handed reliever Thyago Vieira from the minors, per the team:
#Mariners recall RHP Thyago Vieira from AAA Tacoma. RHP Christian Bergman has been optioned to Tacoma.
Read: https://t.co/vqcv6DqElJ pic.twitter.com/yu2c3mi8RZ — MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) August 14, 2017
Vieira has spent the season in the upper minors, where he's pitched to a 3.59 ERA and 2.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In limited time in Triple-A, he's struggled with his control, allowing six walks in 11 1/3 innings.
Still, the reason Vieira is intriguing is because of his raw arm strength. According to Brooks Baseball, Vieira threw 45 fastballs during spring training that averaged some 99.1 miles per hour. For reference, Joe Kelly is the only qualified reliever whose fastball has clocked in higher than that during this season. MLB.com's scouting report on Vieira validates his flame-thrower status, noting that his fastball "[sits] consistently at 97-100 mph and [touches] 102." Add in an above-average breaking ball, and he could well develop into a high-leverage reliever.
The catch, of course, is that Vieira will have to throw more strikes to reach his ceiling. We'll see if he's up to the task -- and along the way, we'll get to enjoy some obscene displays of arm strength.