This post requires some MLB + physics + sports science knowledge to assess.
Looking at the absurd wingspan of Wemby (8’0″), and the photo of him [gripping a baseball](https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/1775eefab69d804eb0cced7f44c11a90), we couldn’t help but imagine, if he had the skill of Randy Johnson (6’10” wingspan), what speed could his fastball achieve?
Given:
1. the additional wingspan
2. equal strength (this is debatable, but for the sake of this hypothetical, let’s assume)
3. the fact that he’d be releasing 1’2″ (1.9%) closer to the mound than The Big Unit
Would MLB players be able to hit it?
According to [GPT4](https://chat.openai.com/share/528c2888-f820-4693-9926-5a2370335013), Wemby’s torque would be 800 ft-lbs\*, compared to Johnson’s 684 ft-lbs.
This would, by percentage increase, amount to a 119mph fastball.
It does make the caveat, though, that “various biomechanical factors, air resistance, muscle utilization, and other physical constraints would likely prevent such a straightforward increase in pitch velocity.”
This is where I wonder if any Redditors who are smarter than me in physics and/or sports science could please vet this number, and tell us whether the San Antonio Spurs have deprived us of the greatest pitcher in MLB history?
\*Fun fact – 800 ft-lbs torque is equivalent to the force generated by [this power drill](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwk13m4DmEI). Victor Wembenyama is probably strong\[citation needed\]