John Romano: For Ryan Yarbrough, it’s a fine line between being hard to hit and being hit hard

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The hard throwers occasionally get away with mistakes. Miss your spot at 97 mph, and it’s a little different than, say, 87 mph.

The hard throwers also get the benefit of the doubt. If your ERA jumps from 3.56 one year to 5.11 the next year, people are more inclined to believe it’s a fluke.

But when your hardest pitch sits in that 87-mph range, you’ve got no margin for error. Not on your location, not on your off-speed pitches, not on your reputation.