Edgardo Henriquez was great in 2026 -- he could be even better moving forward

There’s seemingly no end in sight to how high velocities will climb in baseball.

The average fastball (four-seamer and sinker) in 2026 was 94.6 mph, the highest single-season mark in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008) and the sixth straight year that figure has climbed. There were a whopping 5,687 pitches thrown 100-plus mph in the regular season, nearly 2,000 more than the previous single-season best in 2023.

While Jacob Misiorowski and Mason Miller are undoubtedly the velocity kings helping drive this change, don’t sleep on the Dodgers’ Edgardo Henriquez. The flamethrowing reliever threw 440 pitches clocked at 100-plus mph, only trailing the aforementioned Misiorowski and Miller. And Henriquez churned out a pretty darn good season in the process, too, posting a 2.85 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Just 24 years old, there could be even more in the tank for the Venezuelan native. Here’s a look at Henriquez’s 2026 season and how there could be more in store in the future.

What happened in 2026?

Henriquez might not be a household name (yet), but he could be on his way there.

He debuted for 3 1/3 regular-season innings in 2024, then tossed five frames in the NLDS and NLCS that season. Hendriquez took on a more regular role in 2025 in the Majors by throwing 19 innings with a 2.37 ERA in the regular season and throwing two scoreless innings in the World Series. He was entrusted even more in 2026, with Henriquez making his first Opening Day roster and tossing 60 innings with a 2.85 ERA.

As noted before, Henriquez has blossomed as one of the true flamethrowers in the sport. Just look where he ranks on these respective lists.

• Second with a 100.8 mph avg. fastball velocity (min. 200 pitches)

• Third with 440 pitches thrown 100+ mph

• Third with 86 pitches thrown 102+ mph

• Fourth with 17 pitches thrown 103+ mph

Henriquez topped out at 104.5 mph in the regular season, tied for the third-fastest pitch thrown by any pitcher in 2026. He also hit 104.1 mph on another occasion.

Why there could be more in store in 2027 and beyond

Reliever volatility aside, Henriquez could be primed for an even bigger leap in 2027.

This is, after all, a 24-year-old with eye-popping velocity and pitching for one of the best organizations in the sport. There’s also plenty of evidence in his 2026 data that suggests that leap isn’t all that unlikely.

By expected ERA, based on a pitcher’s quality and quantity of contact, Henriquez’s 2.47 mark ranked in the 98th percentile of pitchers and was lower than his 2.85 ERA. So, too, was his 2.50 FIP, which was tied for 15th among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched.

Those are just the raw numbers, and the actual stuff Henriquez possesses means that a big step forward could be in store. Henriquez has the 100-plus mph four-seamer and sinker that he throws roughly 60 percent of the time, but those aren’t his only nasty offerings.

Henriquez’s 87.4 mph slider, his third-most utilized pitch, has huge vertical and horizontal movement, which led to whiffs on 43.2 percent of swings in 2026. Opposing hitters also slugged just .217 against the pitch.

Then there’s the mid-90s cutter that misses a staggering amount of bats (35.4 percent whiff rate) for a pitch of its ilk. And for good measure, Henriquez also throws in the occasional low-80s curveball for a wrinkle.

For all the star power on the Dodgers and flamethrowing pitchers across the sport, it was easy for Henriquez to be overlooked. Don’t expect that to be the case for much longer.