Minor League Games - Friday, September 7, 2018

[fish]

With a 100 mph fastball and very mediocre breaking stuff, Howard seemed a candidate for learning the Neris/Garcia split finger. If he can develop that he’d be a very good reliever.

He’s flashing a very good changeup now. He usually fights his command of the fastball, but last night he had a feel for it right off the bat that made him look more comfortable, loose, and in command which gave him the freedom to throw even harder than usual (I counted 5 pitches at 100 mph in the first 3 innings). He also usually favors his slider over his changeup, but last night he was much more aggressive with his changeup from the start. On top of that, he was throwing a pretty good curve yesterday. This is at least the 4th start I’ve watched of his, and I’ve never seen him throw a curve before.

[Austinfan]

They'll keep Howard as a starter for a couple years, see if he develops a full repertoire of secondary pitches, and move him to the pen as a last resort if he doesn't have a starter's portfolio. They like to have most top pitching prospects start for a couple years just to get the extra innings for development purposes.

Unlike, SD, durability and stamina don't seem to be issues with Howard.