Almost every pitcher dreams, at some point, of improving his velocity. Many see results with physical growth and a persistent work ethic. Few see an major uptick in velo over a short period of time.
Even fewer experience a 15 MPH increase in fastball velocity while learning how on the Internet.
keith law on kiefer lord [4:14 mark 👇]
That's Baltimore Orioles' third-round pick (86th overall) Kiefer Lord's story. And it's why he's becoming a fan favorite. Keith Law joined Vinny & Haynie and shared his thoughts on Lord's incredible story.
Law was asked if the Orioles' draft contained any possible sleeper picks. He emphatically shared insight.
"Kiefer Lord out of University of Washington," Law said. "He transferred there from Carleton, an NAIA school in Minnesota. Kiefer's an incredible story and I actually confirmed this with him. When the COVID pandemic hit he was 78-81 MPH. Stuck at home he started Googling 'How to increase your velocity." By the time the next spring rolled around he was in the low 90s. By the time this spring rolled around he was bumping 99, hitting about 95 with really good spin on the secondary pitch, his breaking ball."
Lord transferred from Carelton to Washington, but the results weren't superb. In 15 starts Lord was 6-5 with a 6.19 ERA.
"He really ran out of gas at the end of the season," Law explained about Lord's 2023 season with the Huskies. "If you want to talk about a guy making adjustments. I'm not sure I can think of any example of a guy picking up 15 MPH on his own. And the secondary characteristics on his pitches are all really good."
Law doesn't seem nervous about the rough numbers Lord put up. From a results standpoint, Lord being selected in the third round makes sense. But looking at Lord's raw stuff and Law sees tremendous upside.
"If for pure stuff, he belonged in the first round," Law said. "He's had no track record. He had one year pitching in Division I and the year did not end well because it was the most he's pitched in his life, especially pitching at this kind of velocity.
"I'm all in on that one. He was a top-100 guy for me. This is the type of player you bet on. For the Orioles to get him with their fourth-overall pick seems like tremendous value, and he's the guy of all player's in this draft that I'll be watching the most because I'll be rooting for him. How could you not root for a guy who had this story?"