Oakland A's velocity changes by month: June

Velocity gains and losses can be great indicators of health and stuff. There's not a perfect correlation between those different factors, but often times injuries are preceded by slower fastballs and while resurgence goes hand in hand with faster pitches. With that in mind, let's see who gained and who lost velocity in the month of June.

The starters

The relievers

Some notes

-With Hahn down, Surkamp DFA'd, Hill out for the month, and Mengden and Overton only pitching at the end of June the starting pitcher section is notably sparse and uninformative. With three rookies and Rich Hill in the rotation, watching velocity should be particularly interesting in July and August. Not so much in June.

-As we enter the second half of the year, velocity decreases become more normal. They're not a good thing, but not always bad either, as pitchers start to wear down and average velocities fall across the league.

The gainers

Sean Doolittle

Sometimes, velocity doesn't predict injury at all. Doolittle was placed on the DL with a shoulder injury, the same ailment that kept him out for the majority of 2015. It's unclear how serious the injury is, and hopefully the solid velocity means Doo won't be off the field for long.

Sonny Gray

The pitcher formally known as an ace hasn't returned to form following his first DL stint, but it's not a lack of velocity. At nearly 95 MPH on his fourseam fastball, Sonny's got the zip he's always had. That's a good thing, though something is still very off. Hopefully, that velocity means the ace is still in there somewhere.

Sean Manaea

We've been disappointed with Manaea's fabled fastball all year, but in June, following some time on the DL, his velocity started to climb. At a nearly 94 MPH average, it's not elite, but it's surely good enough for Manaea to be a very good pitcher. He's got a long way to go, and even more velocity would be nice, but the physical tools are indeed there for a front of the rotation starter.

Ryan Dull

Ryan Dull is the man, even though he's technically just a boy.

The losers

John Axford

Axford lost .4 MPH on his fastball and gave up about a billion homeruns in June. He's a guy who probably doesn't have the stuff to miss spots as is, and his ability to be an effective big leaguer is contingent on throwing hard. Keep an eye on his fastball going forward.

Fernando Rodriguez

F-Rod lost .62 MPH on his fastball and subsequently landed on the disabled list. It's been a fairly heavy workload for the A's righty, and he's been quite good all year long. Hopefully he comes back from his shoulder injury as good as ever.

Kendall Graveman

Velocity isn't everything. Graveman, after a terrible May, was semi-palatable in June and looked downright good at points. For Graveman, it's all about movement and location. A mile per hour lost or gained her or there isn't quite as important as hitting spots