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

Down On the Farm: MLB's Future

With the way things are run now in the minors, college, high school, and little league, it seems as if up-and-coming talent is getting better and better.

Unlike the past, young pitchers are now being heavily restricted on their pitch count in every level of play. Little league and high school actually have rules on how many pitches a player can have per day, and per week.

For those who don’t pitch, and put their focus toward hitting, the ways have also changed. Do you think Ralph Kiner had all those contraptions that them kids have these days? NO. They just hit the baseball. These days, there are millions of shindigs you can buy to “improve your game.”

Maybe that is the reason for all the freakin’ prodigy ball players out there. Steroids maybe be the leading reason for stars in the MLB, but you can hardly say it is the reason for the freak players ranging from all levels, little leagues-minor leagues.

Let’s take a look at those “freaks” we have roaming the farm:
*These are players that play in the minors, not MLB rookies (i.e. no David Price)

Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Most know him as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 MLB draft, but few actually know his game. He is the part of the reason I think that the Rays will DOMINATE the next 10 years. There are tons of players like this in Tampa’s farm leagues. He is an amazing athlete with A+ speed, excellent defense, and a bat to go along.

Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles
He is arguably the top player in the minor leagues. He is virtually the complete package. He has Y. Molina defense to go along with McCann offense. He absolutely crushes the ball, and may be one of the best offensive catchers in the game already! Between A and AA ball – mostly AA - last year, he hit .355/27/95. He will likely play MLB ball in ’09, but not until the second half.

Aaron Hicks, CF, Minnesota Twins
He was the Twins’ top pick in this most decent draft, and he deserved it. He was one of the best five-tool players in the draft. He has speed, defense, and a bat. He can make an impact on every single part of the game. In rookie ball, he batted .317 and 12 steals.

Matt LaPorta, OF-1B, Cleveland Indians
Yes, Cleveland does have something to look forward to. Surprising, I know. He is regarded by most as the guy directly behind Wieters on this list, with a similar game. He has fantastic power, which is the bright spot in his overall game. He totaled 22 homers last year in AA.

Gordon Beckham, SS, Chicago White Sox
The other Beckham. He was another stud in the 2008 draft, and yes, it was an extremely good draft. He has some rare power for a great middle-infielder who plays baseball like Physco T plays basketball. He puts 115% of his heart into his game, and wouldn’t even think about giving in. He batted .312 in Class A last season.

Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Washington Nationals
He may be the best starting pitcher the Minors has to offer. He put together an incredible season last year when he gathered 10 wins and only 3 losses, 2.80 ERA, and averaged 9.3 SOs per nine innings. Most of that with the AA Nats’ team.

Colby Rasmus, CF, St. Louis Cardinals
Last year was thought to be his breakthrough year, but when injury struck, he spend all of 2008 in AAA. He is without a doubt the most experienced player on this list, and the only one that spend last year in the AAA. Most of last year’s prospects that hung out in AAA, are on the MLB team this season. But with a deep STL outfield, he has been kinda screwed. He is a five-tooler that will soon destroy the MLB.

Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
This former Golden Spikes Award winner, is right up there with Wieters and LaPorta if you ask me. He is an athletic catcher with outstanding defense and possesses moderate power and ability to hit for average.

Kyle Blanks, 1B, San Diego Padres

There is only one word to describe. Mammoth. A prototypical firstbaseman, he stands 6’6” and weighs an impressive 280 lbs. He simply bashes the ball. He is the next 40 HR guy to enter the MLB, not a question. In AA last year, he hit .325/20/107 and got on base 42% of the time! Just not fair.


None of these guys will likely see the bigs until the second half of the season. But when they do, they will begin to dominate… and they will continue to dominate. The cool thing about it is, there are players on this list that won’t even see the MLB, but there are also a few players on this list that are future first ballot Hall of Famers!