After his 2018 season, I was all in on left-handed starting pitcher Brailyn Marquez. A tall lefty who can throw 100mph? Yes please! Unfortunately Marquez had a rough beginning to 2019 and was pretty much average through his first 11 starts, posting a 4.50 ERA in 46 innings. But holy shit was his amazing talent on full display Thursday night for the South Bend Cubs.
The 20-year-old set a South Bend Cubs record with 14 strikeouts, while allowing just one bloop single and no walks in six innings.
He finished his start by striking out eight batters in a row!
Marquez only needed 71 pitches to get the 14 strikeouts and that included 24 swings and misses. So, basically one in every three pitches he threw resulted in a whiff. Amazing.
More impressive? He was throwing heat all night, topping out at 101mph in the first inning and still throwing 99mph in the sixth.
Here’s a breakdown of every batter he faced.
In his last five starts Marquez has a 2.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, with 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 25.1 innings.
His record-setting performance shows just why Marquez is viewed as the organization’s top pitching prospect.
