20 outta 21???

Who was it... Erbe or Johnson?

First time in a while, there was no room behind the backstop. Had to roam from baseline to baseline. Absolutely fun!

Johnson CG 7 innings (~130+ pitches according to Dave). Erbe showed what the scouts wanted to see for their 40 day report. Explosive out of the hand.

The best outing I have seen Johnson, including HS, summer and fall!
~ 100 fastballs sitting at 89+, topped 90-92, showed cmd and movement. Tired in 7th with a couple of walks.

OBTW: Any HS pitcher tossing 130+ pitches this early into the ball season (even though St. Pauls did travel to Fla. for a couple of games) and with such tremendous and promising future is
.......well a few old-timers will be on the look out for well-rested recovery time. Let's hope it occurs...heaven forbid of any other outcome!

You read my mind.

Sometimes I wonder how many high school coaches actually keep a pitch count on pitchers. Hearing things of this nature sicken me. But it also says a lot about the coach as well.

i was going over some old threads and this one caught my eye. i was also at the erbe johnson duel. johnson had thrown 4 innings in sc, and a complete game in florida in his first two outings. he obviously threw year round at home. at stpauls both starters threw alot of innings[80+ as juniors and seniors].the coach kept meticulous stats and pitch counts were always accurate. the starters most always had four or five days between outings and finished virtually all their starts[some five innings]. they very rarely labored late and their was not a significant drop off in velocity or command in the latter innings. im convinced that if a pitcher has thrown 110 pitches and still has his stuff he should stay in the game for the seventh. long outings and complete games with proper rest between starts worked to strengthen both of st pauls pitchers.

before the advent of five man rotations in the mid 70s, players seemed to have less serious arm problems than are evidenced in present time. arms may have been sore, but there were no diagnostic tools to promote unnecessary elbow and shoulder surgery. if the kid knows his own limitations, pitch count is not the end all in deciding when to remove a young or old pitcher.
the more dangerous situation to me is when a pitcher is removed for ineffectivness and goes to ss or cf and uncorks a blazer after having tightened up, or plays a fulltime field position on all his non pitching days.

Sorry guys any coach or parent who lets a kid throw 130 pitches in a high school game and the kid has the potetial future of Johnson and Erbe needs his head examined. You can use all the reasons you can think of to satisfy your ego's. But if the pitcher has any small mechanical flaw he can easily hurt himself. Talk to me after the kid who throws 130 pitches has arm problems. I think some of these coaches/parents
need to read Dr. Andrew's recommendations.

one pitchers mechanical flaw is anothers natural motion. to pick up small mechanical flaws is not an exact science. too many coaches today try to fit all their pitchers into a successful mold which may have worked for another of their players. if a kid throws alot on the side[long toss also], receives proper rest between outings, and is in good condition he will be okay with a higher pitch count now and then. who did dr. andrews pitch for[sic].

i have not heard of the duel that yall are talking about. can some one fill me in?

this was the first league game in the premier high school league in maryland[early march 2005]. both pitchers[brandon erbe/steve johnson]attracted a cadre of radar guns unseen anywhere in baltimore in years. johnson struckout 20 of 21 and pitched a 1 hitter, while consistently throwing 89-92 throughout his 7 inning 130 pitch outing. erbe lit the gun at 92-95 and locked his way into the third round of the baltimore oriole draft. he was over ninety the whole game. johnson was drafted in the tenth round by the dodgers and signed for fifth round money, foregoing a 90% ride to boston college. erbe took 500-600k and declined his oppurtunity to attend the univ of miami on as full a ride as you can attain. the matchup of two high draft picks[ both rh] was a situation unique in baltimore high school baseball. erbe worked through bluefied[dominated at lowest rookie a] and got a call late to the next level.johnson went gulf coast and was not as succesful. both boys were 17 when they began their minor league careers. erbe is probably on a faster track because of his still increasing velocity. but johnson[son of ex oriole dave johnson-not the 2b and manager]throws 4 pitches for strikes and is much more polished at this stage. erbe was in the upper ninties at times in a ball and johnson is hovering between 89-92. it would not surprise me to see both these guys make a major league roster in in 2010 or sooner in erbes case. the poise and ability that both young men showed on stage that day was remarkable and each was ultimately rewarded with both money and an oppurtunity to begin their quests at an early age.

I don't think Erbe was throwing upper ninety's in that game.He is a high eightes to low 90's guy topping out at 95 last year.

rumor has it that erbe was hitting 99 at the end of the minor league season.

erbe was over 95 consistently in the minors this summer.

he topped out 94-95 in the game vs johnson. very few fastballs he threw that day were below 90.

Not taking nothing away from Erbe he has all the tools needed to go far as you can tell by the High draft pick.If he is touching 99 don't you think he would have skipped the short season and moved up quicker?

no. he was only 17. after his success in the appalachian league[bluefield], he finished the year at aberdeen[the more advanced short season team]. i would think the orioles probably have him pegged for the full season A team in salisbury md to start 2006.