During the 9th inning of the All-Star game last night, the baseball world was able to witness one of the most exciting pitchers that it has in its arsenal; Aroldis Chapman. Fans, players, and coaches alike were in awe of his ability to consistently throw over 100 mph, as he averaged 101.14 MPH on 14 pitches.
Sonny Gray can't believe what he's seeing as Aroldis Chapman is bringing the heat. pic.twitter.com/lVaLQHjeyD
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattCSN) July 15, 2015
Now it appears as if someone with a similarly electric arm is going to join the ranks of major league pitchers.
Frankie Montas, perhaps the second-biggest arm in baseball behind Aroldis Chapman, is expected to join White Sox for a doubleheader Friday.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 15, 2015
Frankie Montas doesn't boast the high strikeout totals that Chapman has, but his fastball can only be described as overpowering. He was selected to help represent the White Sox in the 2015 Future's game, and wowed everyone on the field with triple digit fastballs.
"the White Sox Double-A pitcher created quite a stir among his teammates in the sixth inning when he threw consecutive 101-mph fastballs. As if that weren't enough, Montas backed up those efforts with a 99-mph heater."
While the blazing fastballs draw comparisons to Chapman, perhaps Yordano Ventura is better, as Montas is a starter rather than a shutdown reliever. In 2014, and thus far in 2015, Montas has produced ERA's of 1.60, and 2.47, respectively, and will vault AAA entirely (at least for now).
He's their number two overall prospect, and while this is undoubtedly just a spot start because of the doubleheader, it will be must watch TV for any baseball fan, and certainly any White Sox fan. There's also a chance that Montas could be back with the club later this season depending on the fate of Jeff Samardzija.