Bleacher Bums Forum

Tico, I've read that Herz was a 3-sport athlete in high school, so he was quite raw and young when he got to the Cubs.  I've also read that he's made massive improvements in his mechanics because he's both an excellent athlete and a smart guy who is very focused on improvement.

Crossfire delivery typically renders major command/control issues; however, if he can work hard to continue to refine his lead foot strike point AND avoid injury, a crossfire would enable him to hide the ball better than most.  That may be a key part of the reason his strikeout rate is so high.  Other reasons may be a LH mid-90s FB and a change up he's comfortable throwing in any count, a combination A-level guys haven't seen lots of.