White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor can bring the heat; now it’s time to fine-tune his arsenal

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Throwing 100 mph is no longer a big deal.Eighty-two major-league pitchers threw at least one pitch at 100 mph or faster in 2025, a season that saw more than 50,000 pitches clocked at 98 mph or higher.One hundred forty minor-league pitchers touched 100 mph, too, according to Baseball America, so there’s more heat on the way.White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor, who made his spring debut with a dominant and efficient inning of high-octane work Monday against the Rockies, entrenched himself in the 100-mph club with 37 pitches in triple digits last season, including one at 102.2 on June 22 at Toronto on the way to the first of his six saves.The fastball is quite the weapon for Taylor, even when upper-90s and triple-digit heat isn’t rattling hitters the way it used to. Hitters are timing the not-so-rare-anymore velocity with rising competence. Therein lies the emphasis on equally valuable — or even more valuable — tools for pitchers: fastball command and keeping hitters off-balance.Taylor, 23, has known this for some time.‘‘Nowadays, the best starters and relievers throw 100-plus, but every single one of the best starters has five or six pitch mixes,’’ Taylor told the Sun-Times on Monday. ‘‘So it shows that the game is adjusting to the velo. The hitters are getting a little better, so you have to have more options to get guys out.‘‘[Tigers ace Tarik] Skubal hit 103 last year, and he’s still got a great pitch mix. Velo in short stints can carry…

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