Valentin Linarez had one of the biggest recorded velocity jumps in minor league baseball last year.
Baseball America tracked the year-over-year four-seam velocity gainers from 2022 to 2023, and the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander had one of the highest jumps on the list. He gained 4 MPH in velocity, jumping from 90.5 MPH to 94.5.
Linarez has not stopped there. I had a chance to see him last year in Greensboro at the end of the season, where he was pumping 95-96 MPH fastballs in a multi-inning relief outing. This spring, Linarez pitched an inning in the Spring Breakout game, once again working around 96 with his fastball.