[外電] 紅雀Jordan Hicks: 從外野手到火球投手

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來源: The New York Times 網址: https://tinyurl.com/y9yyn6hq From High School Outfielder to Cardinals Flamethrower Jordan Hicks: 從高中的外野手變成紅雀的火球投手 When Jordan Hicks played outfield in high school, he noticed a problem with his throws to second base. Hicks had a very strong arm, but every throw naturally tailed to the right. Eventually, Hicks learned to aim his throws a few feet over, and trust them to veer to their target. 當還在高中時，Jordan Hicks是外野手，他注意到他有個問題會發生在他把球丟向二壘手的時候。他有個非常強壯的肩膀，但是每次他傳球的時候，球都會有個尾勁飄向右邊。最後，他學會傳球的時候會調整一下向另外一邊幾英呎，然後希望傳球會轉向它們應該去的地方。 “I kind of mastered it, so I would just throw it and it would land perfectly, ” Hicks said the other day, by his locker in the St. Louis Cardinals’ clubhouse. “It’s something I’ve always had to deal with, that run, so now I use it as my strength.” 「我好像有學會了，所以後來我只要傳出去然後球就會有完美的落點，」Hicks站在紅雀的置物櫃旁說到。「那個是我一直得要注意的狀況，那個尾勁，但是現在我把它當做我的強項。」 Hicks found his calling on the mound, and the Cardinals chose him with Pick No. 105 in the 2015 draft. Nobody could have known the significance of that number, which would one day flash on the Busch Stadium scoreboard when Hicks fired his running two-seam fastball to a major league hitter. 後來Hicks發現他是屬於投手丘的，而在2015年紅雀也以第105順位選秀挑上他。在那時，沒人知道這"105"代表了什麼重要性，不過當Hicks在紅雀主場對著對手投出他帶有尾勁的二縫線速球，記分板上閃著105的數字的時候，就知道了。 “I surprised myself with it, really,” said Hicks, who topped out at 96 miles per hour at Cypress Creek High School in Texas, and 100 in the minors. “I tried to just give it everything I had for a couple of pitches and the adrenaline was up. It just happened.” 「我那時也真的被自己嚇了一跳，」Hicks說，他在高中投的球速最高96mile，到小聯盟的時候是100mile。「我只是全力以赴而已，我先丟了幾球，然後腎上腺素飆高，然後就飆出來了。」 It happened twice on May 20 against Philadelphia’s Odubel Herrera — one pitch for a foul at 105.1 m.p.h., another for a ball at 105. In the four seasons measured by Major League Baseball’s Statcast pitch-tracking system, only the Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman has thrown a pitch as hard, a 105.1 m.p.h. ball to Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy on July 18, 2016. 那發生在五月20日對費城人Herrera投出來的--一球是105.1 mile，打成界外，另外一球是 105 mile的壞球。在大聯盟開始使用Statcast投球軌跡紀錄系統後，只有在2016年七月18 日洋基Chapman對金鶯J.J. Hardy有投出過這樣快的球，105.1 mile。 Through Wednesday, Hicks had thrown 11 pitches this season that registered at least 103 m.p.h.; Chapman had thrown three such pitches, and nobody else had reached that level. For the Cardinals’ veteran relievers, it is humbling to watch Hicks, 21, warm up in the bullpen. 到上星期三，Hicks本季已經投過超過11顆速度到達103 mile以上；除了Chapman投過三顆外，目前還沒有其他投手投過那麼快。對於紅雀牛棚來說，看著Hicks在牛棚熱身會讓人覺得自己有點遜。 “It’s very deflating, to say the least,” said closer Bud Norris, 33, whose fastball averages 94 m.p.h. “But, no, it’s electric. You hear the pop, you hear the sizzle. We just want him to control what he can do, and that’s make pitches and help us win games.” 「至少可以說會讓人喪氣，」33歲的守門神Bud Norris說到，他的速球平均是94 mile。「不過，他的球很有威力。你可以聽到接到他的球進手套"啪"的聲音，可以聽到球經過的嘶嘶聲。我們希望他可以控制他的球，那就是我們希望的投球，可以幫我們贏球的投球。」 Hicks has done that, with a team-low 2.13 earned run average through Wednesday in a team-high 34 appearances, though he has only recently begun to pile up strikeouts. In his first 24 games, he fanned only 12 hitters. But he had 19 strikeouts in his next 10 games as he learned to trust his slider. Hicks也做到了，34次上場，ERA 2.13，雖然最近才開始增加他的三振數。前24場出賽，只有12次三振；不過在後面10次上場，他開始對他的滑球比較有信心後，他的三振數就有19 個。 “It makes my fastball better because they’re missing my fastball more often now,” Hicks said. “Early on in the year, I feel like they were making a lot of contact on it because that’s all they were looking for. Now if they have to think about the slider, my sinker is going to do better because they’ve got to think about that pitch, too.” 「那讓我的速球更有威力，因為他們更常打不到我的快速球了。」Hicks說。「今年初，我覺得他們比較會碰到我的球，因為他們就鎖定我的快速球。不過現在他們得要防備我的滑球，我的沉球就會更好用，因為他們也得防備到。」 Most pitchers throw hardest by holding their fastball across the seams, meaning all four seams backspin through the air on each revolution. But Hicks prefers a two-seamer (also known as a sinker), which gives him that natural tailing action without sacrificing velocity. He rarely throws the four-seamer, but the Cardinals expect him to use it more, in time. 大部分速球投球握球會跨縫線，代表了當球投出後，球旋轉時四條縫線會跟空氣摩擦。但是Hicks喜歡用二縫線的握法，又稱沉球，那會讓球帶有尾勁又不會降速。他很少丟四縫線，但是紅雀球團希望不久的將來他可以多丟一點。 “I think it’s something he’ll add to his repertoire,” Manager Mike Matheny said. “The goal would be elevating it a little bit more, using the top of the zone à la Chapman and most of the other hard throwers in the game, who have a lot of success there. But none of them can throw 100-plus on a consistent basis and have that much movement.” 「我認為這會在他投球種類中扮演一定的角色，」總教練Matheny說。「目標是讓球高一些些，像是Chapman跟其他一些速球投手一樣，攻擊好球區上半部，很多都證明是成功的。不過，那些速球投手，沒有一個是跟他一樣投100+是跟吃飯一樣，而且還帶尾勁。」 Hicks had not pitched above Class A before this season, but the Cardinals gave him a nonroster spot in their major league spring training camp, out of curiosity and as a reward for his strong performance in the minors. Early in camp, though, Hicks was late for a meeting, and Matheny reassigned him. 在今年球季之前，Hicks還沒有在1A以上投過球，但是今年紅雀春訓的時候，出於好奇也是獎勵Hicks在小聯盟的優異表現，給Hicks到大聯盟春訓。不過春訓一開始，他就因為開會遲到，總教練Matheny就給給Hicks改分發了。 “They wanted me to learn a lesson, that it’s not acceptable,” Hicks said. “I think it worked.” 「他們要我學到教訓，這樣的行為是不被允許的，」Hicks說到。「我想那真的有效。」 Lesson learned, Hicks returned for the Cardinals’ final exhibition game in Florida as a substitute starter for Adam Wainwright, who had a hamstring injury. Hicks overwhelmed the Washington Nationals, regularly hitting triple digits on the radar gun. 學到教訓後，Hicks在紅雀最後的表演賽替因大腿拉傷的原定先發Adam Wainwright上場， Hicks不停的用時速三位數的速球擊垮了華盛頓國民隊。 “He was 100, 102, for four innings,” starter Miles Mikolas said. “Everyone was like, ‘What just happened?’ It was kind of an eye opener. If we were going to come out of the gate hot, this was a guy that was probably going to be a big part of that.” 「他就是不停的投100，102，投了四局，」先發投手Miles Mikolas說。「每個人像是，『這是怎麼一回事？』真的是大開眼界。若是我們要戰績向前衝，他會在這其中扮演很重要的角色。」 As they contemplated putting Hicks on the roster, despite his lack of experience, the Cardinals reached into their past for an example. In spring training 2001, they decided they could not break camp without the slugger Albert Pujols, who had played only three games above Class A. It was a wise decision. 當紅雀很想把Hicks放到輪值名單時，儘管他沒經驗，球團就去看他們過去有沒有這樣的案例。在2001年春訓，他們決定他們不能不放大砲Albert Pujols，儘管那時他僅僅打過三場高於1A的比賽，後來證明這決定是正確的。 “That name came up in our discussions about Jordan, in terms of the last time players were coming into the front office saying, ‘Dude, that guy needs to be with us,’ ” General Manager Michael Girsch said. “We were like, ‘We weren’t even vaguely thinking of him for this role.’ Once every 20 years or so, you get that.” 「制服組在討論一些球員時，當討論Hicks，那個名字就出現了。有人說，『老兄，我們一定得得帶上他，』」總管Michael Girsch說。「我們像是從來壓根沒想過他可以這樣，不過大概每二十年會有這種人出現，你懂得的。」 Now Hicks is challenging the upper limits of velocity. Most experts believe that no pitch will probably ever exceed 110 m.p.h., if that high. But then again, no one can be sure. 所以現在Hicks就不停的在挑戰速度的極限是多少，目前大部分的專家認為，最高的話，應該不會超過110 mile。但是，沒人敢保證。 “As a species, we haven’t gotten slower at the 100-meter dash or running the marathon or doing the high jump,” Girsch said. “The course of human history is that we keep being bigger, faster and stronger. We’re not making big leaps in velocity, I don’t think, at this point. But if Chapman can do it, surely someone else was going to come along and do it.” 「人類這個物種，我們在百米或馬拉松越跑越快，跳高越跳越高，」總管Girsch說。「人類的歷史演進顯示我們越來越大隻，越跑越快，越來越壯。在增加投球速度上，以目前來說，我認為我們並不是要往前跨一大步。只是若是Chapman可以做得到，可以確信的，一定還會有其他的人可以跟上的。」 Chapman has “105.1 MPH” tattooed on the underside of his left wrist, marking his peak velocity. Hicks also has tattoos, but no plans for the same kind of tribute. Chapman在他的左手腕有個刺青寫著"105.1 MPH"，表示他投球最快的速度。Hicks也有刺青，但是沒有計畫要做類似的刺青在他身上。 “Just because you never know,” he said, smiling. “I could hit 106.” 「只是讓你知道一下，」Hicks笑笑的說。「我可以丟106。」 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 61.222.1.181 ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/MLB/M.1530250099.A.DA3.html

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