[kyleb]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Also, Hughes has a floor of being a #2 pitcher. That's the worst-case scenario with the kid. His scouting grades look something like:

Fastball (93-95 mph) - 70
Curve - 75
Change - 60 (but improving)

That's insane talent. 75 is a dominant, dominant pitch, and a 70 is well above-average. The only examples of an 80 pitch I can think of are Pedro's changeup, Rick Ankiel's curve, and Bob Feller's fastball. Pitches that are outstanding but not true 80's would be something like Zumaya's fastball, Gagne's (even in his prime) fastball, Peavy's slider, Santana's changeup, and Bonderman's slider.

To get an 80 grade means the pitch is nearly unhittable.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just curious, is Joba's slider an 80?

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't done much prospect research on Joba, but I don't think any of his pitches grade out at 75 or higher. He's special because he has four plus or better pitches.

EDIT: Also, fwiw, slider's don't often get graded 75+ unless they have ridiculous tilt and fade. Dominant curveballs are much tougher to find than dominant sliders, making it "easier" to get a high-grade curve. The reason for this is because everyone has switched over to sliders (and other fastball variants - splitters, cutters) with the shrinking strike zone making it difficult for true curveballs to get called third strikes. With the high strike being taken away by most umpires, the curve is much less effective in today's game.