I didn’t see an easy link in your post, and stated searching. Here’s a take on B
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23407485_Human_Adaptations_for_the_Visual_Assessment_of_Strength_and_Fighting_Ability_from_the_Body_and_Face
note again that I am not saying we can look at a guy and tell all sorts of things about his ability to throw a football, necessarily.
but for a guy like McCorkle, who seems to have good footwork, good anticipation, pretty good mechanics, and no known structural issues (e.g. bad shoulder), the above suggests that there is some ability to look at a person and judge some aspects of strength. I am extending that by also saying that looking at someone you might be able to tell that they could get stronger.
the visual isn’t everything, not by a long shot.
but it’s not nothing.
Strength is an amorphous term - there’s limit, starting, explosive, endurance and speed, there’s concentric, eccentric and static. Yes, it’s generally possible to look at someone and have a general sense of how strong they are. It’s also possible to look at someone and see if they’re capable of getting stronger, though - spoiler alert - that’s pretty much everyone, especially everyone in their 20s
There are different ways to train different muscle fibers. That’s why Westside guys do speed work for the fast twitch fibers with sets of 2-3 reps using CAT and limit work to push their 1rm’s.
I’d imagine most QBs and pitchers are extremely fast twitch/explosive and benefit from that kind of training. Now, fast twitch dominant people tend to be jacked and lean - look at sprinters v distance runners, but without a biopsy (ouch), it’s difficult to definitively tell what any athlete’s muscle fiber composition is.
You can also test it by comparing 1RM to the amount of reps done at some lower percentage of the athlete’s max. I’m very fast twitch, when I benched 350 in competition, my 3 rep max was only 315. An athlete with a more balanced muscle fiber composition is supposed to be able to do at least 5 reps at that percentage.
Again though, we’re talking about certain expressions and metrics of strength that don’t carry over a ton to actually athletic performance. I’d bet I’m stronger than most every NFL QB and MLB pitcher, but if I could throw a football 30 yards or a fastball over 70, I’d be shocked.
Keep in mind, too, that excess hypertrophy can ruin mechanics - putting on muscle mass changes leverages and sometimes the joint’s ROM. Looking at someone and saying they can get stronger is basically like saying the sky is blue. No doubt.
Mac will probably throw a better ball in a few years, along with all his contemporaries. What weaknesses he has now - remember any system is only as effective and efficient as its weakest link - will have to be properly diagnosed by the s&c team and coached up in a holistic fashion along with his technique and body composition.
