Are We Looking At The Best MLB Prospect EVER?

You may not know him. Most people don’t, so you’re not the minority. The only people that know him are anyone close to the San Diego State Aztecs and people who cover baseball. He is not a household name, but he soon will be. Very soon. Sooner than most realize. He is the best. He is Stephen Strasburg.

Strasburg is a starting pitcher for the San Diego State Aztecs, and has been since 2007. He is built like a rock; the prototypical frame for a star SP entering the big leagues. He resembles a beast, standing 6’4” and 225 pounds on the mound.

He is 20 years old and has already been selected to an Olympic team. Stephen will be a junior for the Aztecs this coming fall, and was 8-3 with a 1.55 ERA and 134 SOs in only 93 innings pitched. On April 11th, he stuck out 23 University of Utah batters. So far this season, Strasburg has pitched 21 innings, and he already has 45 strikeouts. Out of the 60+ outs he has recorded, a whopping 45 of them were on Ks.

You know the team that has shocked the baseball world in the World Baseball Classic this year? Yeah, you know them as the Netherlands. Well, when in Beijing, Strasburg one-hit the Dutch over seven innings of work – striking out five of the first six batters he faced. He would have pitched the entire game if it wasn’t for two rain delays that consumed a total of 90 minutes, and eventually cancelled the game. Granted it is the Netherlands, but after that game their players described the pitcher as having the best “stuff” they had ever seen. In the Olympics as a whole, Strasburg logged a 1-1 record with a 1.64 ERA.

The dude is being recognized as the best MLB prospect to ever play the game. E-V-E-R. What about Mark Prior, you ask? Who was dominant with Southern Cal. His length, his long arms, his rock-solid mechanics… All are things that scouts look at, and Prior had them. Is Strasburg better than the all noble Mark Prior?? Apparently.

In an interview with Buster Olney of ESPN, a “longtime scout” explains how good Strasburg may be.

Onley: So just how good is Stephen Strasburg?
Scout: The best I’ve ever seen, and it’s not even close.
Onley: C’mon, better than Mark Prior?
Scout: Easily. I’m telling you, it’s not even close.
Onley: What do you see in him?
Scout: The day that I saw him pitch, his first fastball was 99 mph, and he was at 100-103 mph the rest of the way.
Onley: I heard he had a good fastball, but it’s straight as a string, right?
Scout: That's the thing: Whenever you see a fastball at 100 mph, it's always straight. No movement. But his fastball has a lot of movement, which really doesn't make that much sense, because it's on the hitter so quickly. His fastball cuts.
Onley: Wow. His secondary stuff must be a work in progress then, because that is the way it is with all guys that are overpowering at that age.
Scout: No. He's got a plus slider, at 93-94 mph, and he's got a plus changeup. Again, he's the best I've ever seen.
Onley: And how are the mechanics..?
Scout: They are absolutely fine. They look totally fine to me. No real concerns.
Scout: It's like watching someone play one of those baseball video games for the first time -- it's like the hitters are completely guessing where he's going to throw the ball. They're just swinging in a spot and hoping that's where he throws it, because they can't track it at all.
Onley: The way you are describing him, he is somebody that may be in the big leagues by the end of the summer?
Scout: [laughs] You could put him in a rotation right now, and he could be a No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Right now, he's better than A.J. Burnett.

You got it right. A guy that isn’t even in the MLB has been said to be better than the guy the Yankees paid 86 million dollars to pitch for them. In other words, the ace of the San Diego Aztecs, is better than the No. 2 free agent pitcher in this past offseason, and could be the ace of the Washington Nationals before the ’09 season is through.

That is of course if the Nationals take Strasburg. However, I don’t know why they wouldn’t. The Nationals suck. They are meaningless. I went to DC this past summer and saw more Texas Rangers’ hats than I did Nationals’ attire. Not to mention, nobody in the league needs pitching more than the Nats do. There is one problem though. Do you remember the whole Manny ordeal and not getting enough money? Manny’s agent is Sir Scott Boras, and Boras is KNOWN to pull that kind of thing all the time. Stephen Strasburg’s agent is Boras as well. Fantastic for the prodigy pitcher, but not so good for DC.

If the Nationals decided to pass on the freak, he would then land in the hands of the Seattle Mariners. They would almost have to take him considering the Lincecum situation and the M’s passing on home-grown Timmy on draft day – by the way, Lincecum is the top pitcher in the game today. With the addition of Strasburg, Seattle’s rotation would highlight Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, and The Greatest Pitching Prospect Ever.

Most teams shy away from taking top pitching prospects in every year’s draft due to the risk (i.e. Mark Prior). But there is nobody at the college level that is even comparable to Stephen. He is the best talent we have seen in many drafts, and in the mind of some, the best talent we have seen ever. He is on his way to the big leagues, no doubt, and if somebody meets Boras’ asking price, we may see him by August.

This is the only time I have ever been upset at my team winning nearly 90 games.


Justin Hulsey
StLDieHard24@gmail.com
FANdemoniumsports.blogspot.com

Ken Griffey Jr.: Welcome Home!

Ah, yes… A good day just got a little better. 19 minutes ago, I received a text stating, “Ken Griffey Jr. is headed back to Seattle after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Mariners.” Is that awesome or what?

The former soon-to-be homerun king will go back to the city that had him on track to being one of – or THE - best players to ever lace up the cleats. With all this A-Rod, and performance-enhancing drugs in general, talk, you can only imagine what it would have been like to watch Griffey bash #755.

He would have too. With the Mariners, KGJ hit a total of 398 homeruns in 11 years (an avg of 37/year). He is going into his 20th season this year, and – at his SEA pace – he would be at #704. If he played a total of 25 years, which is possible without injury, he would have hit 904 home runs… a number that would likely never be touched. He was on pace to set some staggering career numbers, even other than HRs. In 25 seasons, he would have ended up with .297 average, 904 homers (all-time record), 2620 RBIs (atr), 380 steals, etc, etc, etc. The two most prestigious batting records, and then the crazy base running numbers, would make him the best player to ever play the game. All in good ole’ Seattle.

Junior is going back to the place that made him a household name forever. The city that scored him nine MVP awards (five in a row), nine all-stars, seven-time silver-slugger award winner, and 10 gold gloves. Can you say freak?

While there has always been talk of Griffey going back to Seattle, tonight the rumor goes true. Griffey was being actively courted by the Mariners and the Atlanta Braves, and ultimately decided with the Mariners after agonizing over the decision. Griffey was motivated by sentimental reasons toward Seattle, where he received an emotional hero's welcome when he last played there as a Cincinnati Red in 2007, and towards Atlanta for its proximity to home and the desire to be with his family during the season. While he has a better opportunity to win in the ATL, I wanted nothing more than him to return as a Mariner.


As this whole A-Rod BS continues to roll out, we see a good thing with Seattle & Griffey but there are still some interesting things yet to work their selves out.

Manny Ramirez-
It looks as if he will probably remain with the Dodgers. He is asking for a ridiculous amount of money considering his age, but I feel LA will realize they are nothing without him. Others interested include nobody.

Orlando Hudson-
This guy has clearly gone under the radar. It seems like nobody even realizes that he is a FA. He could be a steal for which ever team accquires him. Hudson will start to get desparate and worried now that Spring Training is nearing and I see him being signed very cheap. Arizona has shown no interest in him, so I see him landing in Kansas City or St. Louis.

Orlando Cabrera-
He may be aging, but I expect a few more good years from him. I would say he is a better pick-up than Hudson, but they are both potential risks. It appears as if the White Sox are no longer in need of him and will let him go. The Oakland A’s have shown some serious interest, along with Florida and Toronto.

Ben Sheets-
When he is healthy, he is one of the best pitchers the game has to offer… but come on, it’s Ben Sheets. He spends more time icing his arm than he does icing MLB ball players. He does have some serious stuff, however, and somebody will gladly take him. He says no way Jose to Milwaukee, and I anticipate him signing with Texas within this coming weekend.



Justin Hulsey
StLDieHard24@gmail.com
FANdemoniumsports.blogspot.com

2009 Fantasy Baseball- Breakouts/Sleepers/Busts

The first Spring Training game is exactly 8 days, 15 hours, and 47 minutes from now and the MLB season is going to be here super fast. With all of this steroids (A-Rod) crap that is going on, people are forgetting that there is actually a season to be played. There are fools out there that are saying the MLB is becoming harder and harder to enjoy. I then say… you are being Jewish and the only thing that’s as good as baseball is fantasy baseball. With that, I welcome you to my 2009 Fantasy Baseball don’t/do draft lists.

I will run you through MY sleeper picks, MY busts, as well as MY breakout players. Anybody can take a look at a top-200 list and study what everyone at your draft will know. I feel that the key to dominating your fantasy league is scoring the unknown players that will shine, and avoiding the players that people want but will destroy a team – i.e. BREAKOUTS, BUSTS, and SLEEPERS. Hopefully the guys I play with don’t get a hold of this.


Breakout Players
Players that are underrated and will dominate the 2009 season.

Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
The sky is the limit for this guy, and we may see greatness in ’09 from Kemp. He is approaching the prime of his career and I expect an enormous year. He is 24 years of age, and unless Manny is resigned, he will be the core of the Dodger’s lineup. He now has one full year under his belt, he will soon have one all star year under his belt.
Jay’s Prediction: .295 AVG, 24 HRs, 94 RBIs, 37 SBs

Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
He is coming into his 3rd year of his major league career and is starting to look like another big left-handed first baseman I know. Ever since he starting bashing the ball in the minors, he caught everybody’s eye as a major power threat. He will fulfill his potential this year with the beginning of a fantastic career.
Jay’s Prediction: .310 AVG, 32 HRs, 101 RBIs, 5 SBs

Chris Perez, CP, St. Louis Cardinals
As a Cardinal die hard, I know quite a bit about this guy. I’ve been monitoring him since he started in the Cards’ farm leagues. He shared the closer role last year and proved that he was definitely the closer of the future for STL, and for the MLB. When he is on his best stuff, he looks like Mr. Rivera. Chris has one of the best fastballs in the league – often touching 100 mph -, and pinpoints it. In his 2008 big-league stent, he struck out almost two batters per inning. As a huge St. Louis fan, I am here to tell you that he will dominate as a closer throughout the next several years.
Jay’s Prediction: 3.02 ERA, 2-4 record, 1.25 WHIP, 74 Ks, 36 SVs


Bust players
Players that will not live up to all the hype.

Carlos Delgado, 1B, New York Mets
After a rock solid season last year, this aging first baseman might have seen his last good year. He is getting, umm, very old. At 37, he is considered dirt in the major sports world. He has numerous injuries every single year. My advice to you, do not draft this guy. Take young guns such as Conor Jackson, Joey Votto, etc that will be available at that time in the draft.

Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Seattle Mariners
I hate watching the Mariners, I don’t know about you but it is awful. His age is finally getting to him and I think this will be the year it really shows. He had is worst season in 2008 and has been declining since his first couple great years. He has never been a fantasy god; the only great stat is his average. This has also been on a downhill slump.
Jay’s Prediction: .290 AVG, 6 HRs, 38 RBIs, 32 SBs

Bengie Molina, C, San Francisco Giants
Molina #6 of 435, I’m sorry but you did not convince me of anything last year. He was a borderline free agent last year, but this year will be different. He is in a very difficult lineup to hit in, that and his age has me wondering when he will give in. He is a catcher, so the age will hit him sooner than others. I expect him to start out ok, but the second half will be rough.
Jay’s Prediction: .273 AVG, 11 HRs, 75 RBIs, Molina’s do not steal bases.


Sleeper players
Some unknowns who will make a mark on the 2009 season.

Nate Schierholtz, OF, San Francisco Giants
I didn’t even know who this guy was until I did some research yesterday for this post. He is the dude who barreled over the Chinese catcher in the Beijing Olympics. He batter over .300 for the Giants last year in just over 100 Abs. With Molina on the bust-list, do not be surprised if Nate gets more playing time than we all may think.
Jay’s Prediction: .289 AVG, 5 HRs, 51 RBIs, 15 SBs

Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers
He didn't even sniff the show until finally being called up August 25. He went 3-for-5 with a home run that night and hasn't stopped hitting since. In the 28 games he's played, he has six home runs, 23 RBI, 16 runs, three steals and has hit at a .320 clip. He hadn't hit better than .235 in each of his first two years with the Rangers and Brewers. He now looks to be the starting right fielder for Texas next year and will factor heavily into an absolutely stacked lineup.

Jay's Prediction: .296 AVG, 24 HRs, 83 RBIs, 13 SBs

David Purcey, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
This guys is a strikeout machine (more SOs than innings in his 10 big league starts), and Toronto looks to have some kind of replacement for Burnett. He will be in the starting rotation for Toronto this upcoming season. Most people do not know this guy at all, but he may soon be a household name.
Jay’s Prediction: 9-10 W/L, 4.05 ERA, 168 SO

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

FANdemoniumsports.blogspot.com