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Velocity helps, but location is important, too

Originally Published: March 26, 2007
By Billy Wagner as told to Jerry Crasnick | ESPN.com

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The word "imposing" didn't exactly spring to mind when Billy Wagner was a 5-foot-3, 135-pound high school pitcher in Virginia, and his fastball registered 78-83 miles per hour on a good day.

Nature would eventually take its course. Wagner sprouted six inches and gained 40 pounds in a calendar year, and he was athletic enough to play baseball and football at Division III Ferrum College. A little time in the weight room coupled with the proper instruction, and that pokey ...

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2007 MLB PREVIEW

Day 1: Heat Wave
• Crasnick: The fascination with pitch velocity
• Video: Joel Zumaya's fastball up close ESPN Video
• Billy Wagner: How he throws hard
• Keith Law: Speed isn't enough Insider
• 2007 MLB preview home

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