The Enquirer/Zach Buchanan
Before catching rookie right-hander Jackson Stephens on Saturday, Tucker Barnhart pored over video from Triple-A. Barnhart hadn’t caught Stephens in a spring training game, and the Cincinnati Reds catcher wanted to know what to expect. A lot of fastballs in around 91 mph, the video showed.
But then Stephens stepped on the mound and fired his first major-league pitch at 94 mph. Later in the inning, he hit 97 mph on the radar gun. Barnhart was surprised. He wasn’t alone.
“I ain’t thrown 97 in my life,” Stephens said.