Anything below 88mph is considered 0. Even so, American League Cy Young Award candidates Cole and Verlander are two of the game's hardest-throwing regular starters, and James showed a great arm during his brief '18 debut, topping 101 mph at one point. by Retrosheet. So the average pitching velocity in the MLB at the beginning of the 2017 season is 88 MPH, which is why we added that particular number to the speed gun in the header image above. Soroka is one of a handful of young Atlanta pitchers who could factor into the rotation, including lefty Luiz Gohara, who has averaged 96.2 mph as a starter in his young career. He topped 100 Ks in his first full season as the Los Angeles closer and regularly reached triple-digits. Their pitching staff throws the ball five percent slower than the Rockies. Can the island keep it. But in case youre curious: For relievers, the average sinker velocity is up by 0.2 mph, while average cutter velocity is up by just 0.1 mph. Last year there were only 8 pitchers who averaged 86 mph or lower with their The Brewers would move up with a healthy return from Jimmy Nelson and more starts for young arms such as Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes. However, the Yankees closer just turned 34, so recent ailments have likely caused his velocity to decline. We won't be reaching those speeds Comparing pitch velocities has frequently included comparing apples to oranges for many years. whoops, my bad. For a person of this age, a changeup typically travels between 50 and 60 mph. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'professionalshq_com-large-billboard-2','ezslot_3',105,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-professionalshq_com-large-billboard-2-0');report this ad. Its hard to say there even is a limit. If you average all of the above team pitching velocity averages, it comes out to 88. Archived post. All Rights Reserved. An MLB pitchers maximum throwing velocity is 105.5 mph. Baseball His 4,875 strikeouts rank second all time, and his 10.6 SO/9 IP is first all time by a healthy margin. Pitching is a very important technique in the game of baseball. Wohlers was a failed starter who came out of seemingly nowhere to be a lockdown closer for the Braves in the mid 1990s. lululemon business model canvas; executive functioning iep goals. It is the fastest pitch recorded this season. almost perfect progression from lots of fastballs (84% on 3-0) down to. In the former case, data from their most recent season was used; in the latter case, those few pitchers simply weren't counted for the purposes of this exercise. The Pitch/FX technology, which MLB employed in 2010, tracked pitches at a distance of around 50 feet from home plate, where Chapmans fastballs speed of 105.1 mph was recorded. Do you have a sports website? WebMerch: https://made-the-cut-baseball-designs.creator-spring.com/Enjoy Average Guy Vs 90 MPH Fastballs! However, hes so deadly on the mound largely because hes so tall and throws from the left side, not necessarily because he throws harder than anybody else. It raises the question of how fast, on average, MLB pitchers throw. The Braves average velocity is 86.7 MPH. In Little League, pitchers of this age group compete in the Majors division. Baseball purists long to examine the statistics of their favorite players and teams. 0000001468 00000 n The typical fastball velocity for this age group ranges from (on the low side of) 55 mph to 75 mph. In Little League, when you returned to the dugout after seeing a new pitcher, your teammates didnt ask about movement or break. If anything, theres a tendency for them to pick up a bit of velocity as the summer heat arrives. So in the hopes of not getting yelled at in the comments, heres another graph. The 610 left-hander topped 300 Ks five times in his career (including an eye-popping 372 in 249.2 innings in 2001) and led his league in Ks nine times in 22 major league seasons. Velocity, Should MLB Teams Be Placing More Emphasis Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Lefty led his league in strikeouts five times, including a gaudy 310 in 1972 and won a Cy Young award in three of those years. In his first full season as a closer the righty struck out 90 batters in 64.2 innings, good enough for his first and only All-Star selection. 0000002585 00000 n Average for 13-year olds is 60 mph (81 fps). Compared to last season, relievers have actually lost 0.3 mph on their four-seamers. For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. I did notice that starters 35 and up are throwing much, much harder than in years past, though thats because there are so few of them to begin with, and the ones who have stuck around are at this point in their careers precisely because the gas never stopped. To me the overall trend in baseball where starters arent pitching as deep into games has more to do with the increase in velo. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Data Provided By Since the 1970s, when new technologies allowed for the assessment of moving objects, baseball professionals and fans have been fascinated by how quickly pitchers throw. Soon afterwards, league-wide velocity began to trend upwards again, and here we are. The former Dodgers closer once converted a record 84 straight save opportunities and was as close to untouchable as a pitcher will ever be. 9-tie) Cardinals: 93.1 mphMiles Mikolas 93.9 mph, Michael Wacha 93.6 mph, Carlos Martnez 93.5 mph, Jack Flaherty 92.6 mph, Adam Wainwright 89.5 mphMartinez averaged 95.6 mph in 2017, but he is coming off a frustrating year that included three DL stints and time in the bullpen. And here are the bottom five teams on the list:26)Giants: 91.1 mph27) Brewers: 91.0 mph28) Cubs: 90.4 mph29) A's: 89.9 mph30) Mariners: 88.7 mphThree of these teams made the postseason last year, and four finished above .500, so there is obviously much more to winning than just having a hard-throwing rotation. Even Little League coaches seem to place a lot of value on a pitchers ability to throw hard and how fast their fastball travels. But it doesnt change the overall picture. **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. Its not a fluke either. A few years later, history happened once more, but this time it involved the Yankees. How hard did the old-timers throw? - SweetSpot- ESPN The ability to load up and blast a ball at speeds of 100 mph or more excite fans, terrify batters, and leave teams daydreaming about the potential of that electrifying arm. Its early, but so far, pitchers have been averaging 93.9 mph on their fastballs, for an uptick of 0.1 mph. 148 Williman Street For example, a pitch at Coors Field in Denver could be measured at 100 mph (at the pitchers hand), 99 mph (at 50 ft from home plate), and 94 mph (midway on its journey), or 91 mph (as it passes home plate). Ted Williams once took a spring training pitch from the 58 Dalkowski and reportedly never saw it. Fastballs high velocities and tracking speeds are also greatly influenced by technology. (Deep Analysis). Reasonable shipping cost. Solved The manager of a minor league baseball team All rights reserved. Hes still considered one of the best to ever throw a baseball, and its estimated his fastball could reach 100 mph. The average major league fastball The shift in how pitchers are used in the majors has partly contributed to this trend. When Gagne walked to the mound, you knew he was probably going to embarrass you. Wood is now blowing away hitters as a full-time reliever. For instance, the record for most pitches in a 26-inning game is held by Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Leon Cadore, who threw about 360 pitches. Understanding the different pitch types and their average speed is essential for both the players and the fans. I'd say the average guy would be 55 at best. do you think the shorter april outings are playing a part in the velo spike? With the overall average velocity homing in on 94 mph, 95once a number that denoted rarified fastball airis now a marker that most four-seamers on some teams exceed. His career 10.6 SO/9 IP is evidence of that, although hes up to 11.8 this season. The fastest pitch recognized by Major League Baseball (MLB) was on He struck out 276 batters in 218 innings as arookiein 1984 and then came back the next season to win the Cy Young award by striking out 268 batters in 276.2 innings. His career 11.5 SO/9 rate is still among the best all-time, but the strike zone continues to elude the oversized righty. Even if the increased speed did lead to higher rates of getting batters out, to me its not worth it. While the relievers remain stuck, the starters are catching up at an alarming pace. If you wonder how NFL players are so big and fast, don't worry; you are not the only one. In his first season with Philly, Arrieta's velocity was up from the year before (92.2 mph), but it was still down quite a bit from 2016 (94.4 mph). WebIn order to qualify for a specific pitch type, a pitcher must use it at least 5% of the time 2023 4-Seamer Team For a batter, Best Speed is an average of 50% of his hardest hit balls. Within our established timeframe, its the largest year-to-year increase on record. Fastball After five years, it reached 92.0. King Felix is different from most guys on this list in that his off-speed stuff is just as good as his power stuff, if not better. Do Not Push Youth Players Too Far Its easy to forget just how good Doc was with the Mets after his career pretty much fell apart in the late 1990s. Theres a reason the kid had two Cy Young awards by the time he was 25. no matter the speed at which they travel toward the plate. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The average fastball speed is 92 miles per hour. As a result, Aroldis Chapman is adjudged to have thrown the quickest pitch in MLB history. Communication. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. Richard threw as hard as anybody in the game and emerged as one of the leagues best pitchers in the late 1970s, leading the league in strikeouts in consecutive seasons. Average As a result, you can anticipate 300 pitches overall per game when two teams compete. Legendary pitcher Tommy John himself told me that what matters for kids in terms of development isnt speed but being able to command and locate the pitches. [You may find it useful to reference the t table.) We havent even separated the starters from the relievers, and its the latter group that most people associate with triple-digit wizardry. The most incredible part of Wagners story? Baseball pitching statistics are fascinating. Chapman is the owner of the fastest ever recorded pitch at an incredible 105.1 mph. Starters, on the other hand, are up by a similar amount: 0.4 mph. In 2008, a team scored 4.6 runs on average every game; five years later, when the velocity rose, the average went down to 4.0 runs per game. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Lets give an example using this information: Distance: 60.5-feet Time: 0.75 seconds The calculation is 60.5/0.75. 0000006426 00000 n Not to be outdone, New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman regained his seemingly perennial status as fastest pitcher in the league, throwing a 103.3 mph fastball. Does velocity, or perceive velocity, equal winning?Surely, teams with flame throwers are heating up their divisions. On July 2, three of his pitches were timed at 103 mph. Shipping speed. Vargas, however, drags down the rest of the group. He never finished outside of the top nine in strikeouts every year between 1969 and 1984. Rookie left-handers Jesus Luzardo (MLB Pipeline's No. The relentless sprints, grueling workouts, and tough tackles can take a toll on if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'professionalshq_com-medrectangle-1','ezslot_7',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-professionalshq_com-medrectangle-1-0');report this adDo NFL Players Take Creatine? For a moment, we thought we might have reached a plateau. He ranked third in that category (minimum 500 fastballs), behind only Severino and Syndergaard. The Rocket struck out 4,672 helpless batters during his career, third all-time. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. So when his fastball velocity drops by two MPH, thats a scary situation for his owners. %PDF-1.3 % The 22-year-old righty set the MLB record (pitch-tracking era) on April 16 against the Los Angeles Dodgers by tossing 39 pitches at 100 mph or above. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. When MLB hired Statcast to measure outfield throw speeds at the beginning of the 2015 season, it really got going. Higher wind gusts possible.. A clear sky. If the two numbers are similar, that means we can more confidently put stock into what the first few weeks have demonstrated. Its sort of the home run distance for pitchers. Although some slight increases are undoubtedly possible, a pitchers maximum fastball velocity is probably reached by the time they graduate from high school. (Sabathia does use a cutter heavily.). But two trends characterize the more recent years. What is the Average Velocity of a Division In 2008, the average major-league fastball registered 90.9 mph. 0000007969 00000 n Carlton might be the pitcher most responsible for making the strikeout fashionable inMLB. These are new pitchers were talking about, pitchers who had previously never made an impact at the major league level. Greg Maddux In spring training this year, his four PITCHf/x-recorded starts had average fastball speeds of 93.7, 93.4, 91.6, and 91.6 mph, after adjusting for temperature and camera calibration. There is, however, something that fascinates us about pitch speeds, something primal. 0000007233 00000 n German Mrquez, Antonio Senzatela and Jeff Hoffman (if he can snag a spot) all average around 94 mph or higher. Jett did the 14u, so I'll tell you that the six top 12u pitchers speed wise on our TB team who were all cruising at 70+, with three of them tipping the multiple guns at 74-75 on a regular basis. The unfavorable lighting conditions only allowed a comparison of 30% of the swings with the light trap. link to 7 Proven Supplements For Soccer Players (Backed By Science), link to Do NFL Players Take Creatine? Pitch speeds seems a little salacious. In 19 seasons in the Negro Leagues, Paige recorded 1,231 strikeouts in just over 1,500 innings. The 28 Hardest Throwers in MLB History The age of the pitcher and how we got here - MLB - ESPN It definitely makes life easier, Cleveland's Shane Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner, said Monday. The usual fastball travels between 50 and 60 mph. And its a trend that only seems to be getting worse. Pitching is a very important technique in the game of baseball. He throws the ball the hardest in all of baseball. On Aug. 20, 1974, Ryan entered The Guinness Book of World Records with a 100.9 mph pitch. 0000001027 00000 n For many of Chapmans fastest pitches, his extension equals, or exceeds, seven feet. Rosenthals fastest pitch of the season had an extension of just five-point-four feet. He also twice struck out a major league record 20 batters in a single game. If you are an average 12-year old runner (16.1 fps) and dont get faster, you will reach 1B about 3 feet behind the average 13U runner. Whats familiar about this year is that once again, theres been a likely trade-off between effectiveness and longevity. A Statcast metric Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Hi, my name is Jim. Average Guy Vs 90 MPH Fastballs - YouTube His less serious work can be found on Twitter @justinochoi. WebIt raises the question of how fast, on average, MLB pitchers throw. Last season, the average fastball reached 92.0 mph. The Mariners won by a score of 7 to 2. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. HdTn0+xXdKvZ8]t)E1n!q8[)M QIQ5SUihqdWoqfg_{>h]vv17\+M CkS?T U!f2R2`~,5WB%@CXB9(T[,M'>Y1D2&. Wagner still holds the NCAA Division III record for career strikeouts and SO/9 IP (19.3). All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Major League Pitching Year-by-Year Averages | Baseball Goodens 2,293 career strikeouts are just 46thall-time, but 1,875 of them came in his 11 seasons as a New York Met. Plus, these hard-throwing pitchers were on the DL for longer amounts of time. ProfessionalsHQ 2022 all content used on this site are owned or licensed by professionalshq.com for use on this site only, any unauthorized use is prohibited. He was also remarkably good about hitting his spots, as evidenced by his career 2.96 SO/BB ratio. Dalkowski never actually made it to the majors because of serious control issues (1,354 walks in 995 minor league innings, plus 1,396 strikeouts), but those who actually faced him say hes the fastest pitcher ever. But just because the third strike often eluded Gibson, doesnt mean that the Hall of Famer didnt throw hard. 9-tie) Braves: 93.1 mphMike Foltynewicz 96.4 mph, Kevin Gausman 93.6 mph, Sean Newcomb 93.0 mph, Mike Soroka 92.6 mph, Julio Teheran 89.7 mphFoltynewicz enjoyed a breakout season behind one of MLB's hardest fastballs. Number one is Tampa Bay Rays righty Ryne Stanek.He has an average velocity of 99.3 MPH, but has only thrown nine pitches (all but one was 99 MPH). Williams' velocity also declined (from 91.8 mph), yet he got great results by limiting hard contact. According to data from Fangraphs and Statcast, the average major league fastball has improved 3.8 miles an hour in the past 20 years, and the number of pitches at Kerry Wood blazed onto the baseball scene (literally) with a 100 mph baseball and a 20-strikeout game that had fans thinking Hall of Fame in just his fifth career start. For context, hitters had an overall wOBA of .316 last season against starters on all pitch types. McHugh averaged 92.1 mph last year, but that was entirely out of the bullpen. Fastball, slider, change-up, curveballan analysis 0000001894 00000 n They verified that average fastball velocity has been rising steadily since then, from 90.2 miles per hour in '05 to 91.2 mph in each of the past two seasons. Notably, Boston Braves pitcher Joe Oeschger threw 319 pitches throughout the contest. What is the Average Velocity of a Division 1 Pitcher? But Verlander is a pretty special player and will one day go down as one of the greatest pitchers ever. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Because its an opportune moment for more permanent changes. The technology kept getting better. &-]]IHFA ) @sfDq00r@bbbp4ezGC@_ 64\ &%70`ha\CQ1 I q@ tH endstream endobj 62 0 obj 256 endobj 31 0 obj << /Type /Page /Parent 26 0 R /Resources 32 0 R /Contents [ 37 0 R 43 0 R 45 0 R 47 0 R 49 0 R 51 0 R 53 0 R 55 0 R ] /MediaBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /CropBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /Rotate 0 >> endobj 32 0 obj << /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text ] /Font << /TT2 34 0 R /TT4 39 0 R /TT6 41 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 57 0 R >> /ColorSpace << /Cs6 33 0 R >> >> endobj 33 0 obj [ /ICCBased 56 0 R ] endobj 34 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /FirstChar 32 /LastChar 121 /Widths [ 250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 0 0 250 0 0 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 667 0 722 667 611 778 0 389 0 0 667 0 722 778 611 0 722 556 667 722 722 1000 0 722 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 444 556 444 333 0 0 278 0 0 278 833 556 500 0 0 444 389 333 556 0 0 0 500 ] /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding /BaseFont /GLAHHD+TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT /FontDescriptor 35 0 R >> endobj 35 0 obj << /Type /FontDescriptor /Ascent 891 /CapHeight 656 /Descent -216 /Flags 34 /FontBBox [ -558 -307 2034 1026 ] /FontName /GLAHHD+TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT /ItalicAngle 0 /StemV 160 /FontFile2 58 0 R >> endobj 36 0 obj 658 endobj 37 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 36 0 R >> stream Charleston, SC 29403, News tips/online questions: newstips@postandcourier.com, Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com, var html = new Date().getFullYear(); Typically, pitchers in the MLB throw fastballs ranging from 90 to 100 MPH. Chapman is capable of hitting 105 repeatedly and may still be developing physically. Theres not much movement past the age of 30, but success stories certainly exist; in the future, they could become more common. How is that possible? (Half of James' six MLB appearances last year came out of the bullpen, but he was primarily a starter in the Minors during the season. At the height of his career (1998-2002), he was striking out more than a batter per inning, and who knows how many strikeouts he might have now if injuries hadnt derailed his promising career. That the league as a whole has gained two miles per hour is indicative of substantial change. Hernandez is on pace for his third consecutive season of at least 200 Ks, and his strikeout rate is at a career-high 8.5 SO/9 this season. 0000038574 00000 n Running Down the Velocity Upswing Together with my team of sports enthusiasts, we will do in-depth research, share that knowledge and thus provide you with the best and most up-to-date information about sports and fitness. This time was measured in the past 1999 baseball season. For more information, please see our The three pitchers with the highest maximum velocity all needed Tommy John surgery. The Fastball and Velocity Surprisingly, the average cutter velocity has jumped from 88.1 to 88.8 mph, but Im willing to diagnose that as a residual effect of peppering in cutters once in a while as opposed to a genuine rise in cutter-first starting pitchers. Sure, the season started deeper into April than it usually does and the month isnt even over, but barring unforeseen circumstances, pitchers are indeed on track to shatter a record that has seldom lasted for an extended period of time. Of the top ten fastest pitches, Chapman threw four of them (102.1 MPH, 102 MPH, 101.6 MPH, and 101.4 MPH) and Rosenthal tossed three (101.7 MPH and 101.4 MPH [twice]). Last season, they averaged 93.8. He walked six, but those free passes went along with five strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Another similarity: Its the young guns who are leading the charge. His dominance only lasted about three seasons (2002-2004), but during that time, Gagne was simply overpowering. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. There have been pitchers who can throw harder than Ryans 100.9 mph fastball. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The subreddit for the bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. Covey is just one fifth-starter candidate, along with Manny Bauelos, whose only MLB action came in '15. Normally Id say yes but I think the abbreviated spring has something to do with the shorter starts. WebIn my my high school league I'd say the average speed was 75. At the time of writing this article, the three teams with the highest velocitiesRockies, Pirates, and Metsare first, last, and smack-dab-in-the-middle of their respective divisions. Since college and MLB scouts emphasize a pitchers fastball velocity, many pitchers strive to pitch with a high velocity. average First, the gap between starters and relievers has shrunk. Performance Requirements in 12U vs. 13U Baseball The strikeout king (5,714) is so far and ahead of everyone that as impressive as his record seven ho-hitters are, theres only one guy (Randy Johnson) within even 1,000 Ks of his lifetime mark. And for the 64 right-handers in the American East, the average was 84.9. The average fastball from an MLB starter in 2018 was 92.3 mph, compared with 93.4 mph for relievers. In 2015, 9.14 percent reached that speed. average speed The average fastball from an MLB starter in 2018 was 92.3 mph, compared with 93.4 mph for relievers. 1990's 6) Phillies: 94.0 mph Hardest thrower: Zack Wheeler Every several years, it appears that baseball players at the highest levels That should increase once pitchers emerge from what is essentially an extended spring training necessitated by the lockout, but theres a good chance they end up undershooting last seasons mark of five innings per start. The swing speed from the high speed video was found to be, on average, 18% higher than that found using the stationary light trap. That message isnt reaching the young throwers and their coaches and parents. Whats the average speed thrown in the pros? Dmitriy Ioselevich is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Fastball Velocity, Fastball Usage, and All That Fun Stuff A HS pitcher can be between the ages of 14 and 18. Few sporting moments are more amazing than seeing a pitcher light up the radar gun. Later, MLB increased that to 105.8 mph. Chapman struck out the Baltimore Orioles with a 105.1 mph fastball to end the game in the ninth inning. Blocks Above Average. For this group, changeups should be made at a speed that is around 15 mph slower or around the upper 70s. Ive also included their respective ages (as defined by the baseball season, not real life): Its unclear to me whether this is consistent with earlier seasons. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Astros, who are one and two, respectively, in the league in ERA and WHIP, are in the bottom twelve in both average velocity and perceived velocity. Whichever is accurate, Feller absolutely dominated hitters during his time. WebThe manager of a minor league baseball team wants to estimate the average fastball speed of two pitchers. If he harnesses all his pitches and learns to throw strikes consistently, theres no reason he cant one day pass the next guy on this list in career strikeouts. New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman threw a 103.3 mph pitch against the Boston Red Sox in May. This site is owned and operated by ProfessionalsHQ. The movement of a pitch is defined in inches, both in raw numbers and as a measurement against average. More max-effort and less worry about saving it for 7 or 8 innings. It must matter or baseball nerds wouldnt have it as a stat.Besides, when youre making millions of dollars hitting a baseball, you can probably discern when the ball is missing a stitch not to mention traveling 12 fewer inches to the plate. During his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the righty struck out 71 batters in 69.1 innings and walked only 18. But there will never be another strikeout pitcher who played as long as Ryan did (27 seasons) for as well as he did. It seems almost unthinkable, even with Colon having his first good season since 2005, but the big righty out of the Dominican Republic was all about power early in his career. Hb```f``I``e` @16@ O+hp9/%65w)9n*sbR(*`]$wYJGcI The average pitch speed across all MLB teams is around The Big Train, as Walter Johnson was known, did his damage in the early part of the 20th century as a starter for the Washington Nationals. Whether its shown on the scoreboard in the stadium or on your TV at home, a pitch clocked at 100 mph will surely elicit some oohs and aahs. But what made Clemens great wasnt his statistical achievements, but rather his approach to the game.