RHP Thomas Ballard (2021, UAB) had the task of facing an IMG offensive lineup that is definitely one of the most feared in the country as there is no easy out in the order from top to bottom. Ballard came out in the 1st inning and featured a quality breaking ball that created a ton of swing and miss. He was able to spin the breaking ball on the outer black and let the action take over and finish off the plate, which was tough for hitters to lay off. The pitch was consistently 71-72 and down in the zone as well. Coupled with a fastball that was 87-88 mph in the first (bumping 90 on the 2nd punchout of the 1st), Ballard seemed to really keep hitters guessing. Through his 4 innings of work, Ballard settled in at 85-86 mph but kept the shape on the quality breaking ball.
5/06/20
Ballard is a polished righty who has continued to improve over the last year, showing well at the Hoover Met Fall Championships and abbreviated season for a loaded Bob Jones team. His fastball sits in the upper 80s. He does well to keep hitters off balance, throwing any pitch in any count. He’ll pitch backwards with the breaking ball and attack the lower half of the zone consistently with his fastball. The breaking ball has sharp bite with downward action. He tossed 18.2 innings this spring and struck out 30.
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RHP Thomas Ballard (2021, UAB) had the task of facing an IMG offensive lineup that is definitely one of the most feared in the country as there is no easy out in the order from top to bottom. Ballard came out in the 1st inning and featured a quality breaking ball that created a ton of swing and miss. He was able to spin the breaking ball on the outer black and let the action take over and finish off the plate, which was tough for hitters to lay off. The pitch was consistently 71-72 and down in the zone as well. Coupled with a fastball that was 87-88 mph in the first (bumping 90 on the 2nd punchout of the 1st), Ballard seemed to really keep hitters guessing. Through his 4 innings of work, Ballard settled in at 85-86 mph but kept the shape on the quality breaking ball.
Ballard is a polished righty who has continued to improve over the last year, showing well at the Hoover Met Fall Championships and abbreviated season for a loaded Bob Jones team. His fastball sits in the upper 80s. He does well to keep hitters off balance, throwing any pitch in any count. He’ll pitch backwards with the breaking ball and attack the lower half of the zone consistently with his fastball. The breaking ball has sharp bite with downward action. He tossed 18.2 innings this spring and struck out 30.