Mat Latos rocked in Marlins debut: ‘That was outright embarrassing’
This was certainly not how Mat Latos saw his debut with his hometown Miami Marlins playing out.
Taking the ball for Miami’s second game of the season Tuesday night against Atlanta, Latos couldn’t make it out of the first inning, giving up seven earned runs and recording just two outs before getting the hook. The Marlins went on to lose the game 12-2.
It was an ugly performance the big right-hander, sporting a 94.50 ERA, would like to quickly forget.
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“It’s the worst start I’ve had in six years. It’s ridiculous to put the team through that and cost the ballgame. Just throwing the ball down the middle of the plate. That was outright embarrassing.”
Latos said he is fine physically.
“Bruised ego,” he said. “Everything [else] feels good.”
The most worrying sign from Latos’ outing was his underwhelming fastball velocity. According to FanGraphs, most of Latos’ fastballs sat between 89-91 mph, a far cry from what he used to overpower hitters with a few years ago.
In fact, Latos’ velocity has decreased every season he’s pitched in the majors. In less than five years he’s gone from one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in baseball to one that throws his fastball at a below average speed.
Perhaps it’ll improve as he builds back arm strength following a minor elbow procedure he had this offseason, but the first signs aren’t promising.
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Latos was brought over by the Marlins in a trade with Cincinnati to solidify the top of their rotation. Odds are he won’t have a start as bad as Tuesday’s again this year, though if this is where his velocity sits all season there’s a low ceiling for how good he can be.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
