This just in: Aroldis Chapman throws hard — as in 103 mph in his MLB debut Tuesday night against the Brewers. But he’s not the only pitcher routinely flirting with triple digits.
1. Joel Zumaya » The Tigers flamethrower holds the record for the fastest pitch ever recorded — a 104.6 mph flash of light in 2006. But poor Zoom Zoom’s right arm has the fragility of a paper-mâché sculpture. He’s out for the season with a cracked right elbow, the product of a 99 mph heater.
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2. Justin Verlander » Another Tiger — and the only starter on this list (apologies to Ubaldo Jimenez and David Price). Verlander is best known for his 2007 no-hitter, in which pitch Nos. 110 and 111 were registered at 102 and 99 mph. That’s serious cheese.
3. Daniel Bard » Lanky right-hander with an absolute howitzer attached to his right shoulder. Bard’s average fastball in 2010 computes to 97.9 mph according to Baseball Info Solutions — the fastest in the majors. He’ll be closing for the Red Sox soon.
4. Neftali Feliz » Like Bard, the Rangers closer lulls hitters to sleep with an easy motion before … BOOM. His vapor-trail fastball routinely exceeds 100 mph. According to Baseball Info Solutions, only fellow relievers Matt Thornton (White Sox) and Ronald Belisario (Dodgers) use their fastballs a higher percentage of the time than Feliz.
5. Jonathan Broxton » The Dodgers closer has blown some saves — including an awful one in last year’s NLCS. But Broxton, a 295-pound freight train, muscles it up there with the best of them. His strikeouts per nine innings number in 2009 was an absurd 13.5.
