Rubby de la Rosa's 2014 major league debut was nothing short of spectacular. 100+ heat? Check - Rubby rang the bell at 100.5 mph in the third inning, touched 98 as late as the seventh inning, and averaged 96.6 on 39 fastballs. Dominant changeup? Check - 46 changeups, 37 for strikes, 13 for whiffs, in any count and to any location. Legitimate secondary pitches? Check - 12 sliders, mostly to RHB, and 3 of them for whiffs; and 8 sinkers, averaging 95.3 mph. De la Rosa pitches backwards -- throwing fastballs out of the strike zone and changeups for strikes. He doesn't seem to get distracted by runners on base.
A few cautions: he may throw hard, but batters don't miss his fastball (0 whiffs on the 4-seamer). That's of minor concern when his changeup is so baffling. More worrisome for the long term: to me his throwing motion looks compact but violent. There may be another Tommy John in his future, or a shift to the bullpen. But for now, I'm looking forward to the next Rubby start, and the next one after that...
A few cautions: he may throw hard, but batters don't miss his fastball (0 whiffs on the 4-seamer). That's of minor concern when his changeup is so baffling. More worrisome for the long term: to me his throwing motion looks compact but violent. There may be another Tommy John in his future, or a shift to the bullpen. But for now, I'm looking forward to the next Rubby start, and the next one after that...