Stephen Strasburg
If you follow MLB you probably know the legend of Stephen Strasburg and were not surprised when he was drafted first in the 2009 MLB draft. If that all means nothing to you, then the expectation that he will soon sign a contract for $50 million should get your attention. It's a remarkable sum of money for anyone, especially for an amateur athlete.
Who is this guy?
The most popular feat Strasburg does is throw a fastball 103MPH. For a teenager to routinely reach that velocity is enough to make him an enigma most MLB teams would love to develop.
However, Strasburg is already a pitcher rather than just a guy that throws fast. He pitched for three years at San Diego State; in 2007 he struckout 47 batters in 37 innings, in 2008 he struckout 133 in 97.1 innings, and in 2008 he struckout 195 in 109 innings. His two better known games were 23 strikeouts against Utah (out of 27 batters) and a no-hitter against Air Force (with 17 strikeouts). You don't have to know much about baseball to recognize this guy has great talent.
Career statistics in college: 22 Wins, 7 Losses, and 7 Saves, 1.59 ERA & 0.80 WHIP over 243.1 Innings Pitched. He struckout 375 and walked 50 to give him a KK to BB ratio of 7.5 (for every BB he had 7.5 Ks). Average strikeouts per inning pitched was 1.54. He also pitched for Team USA in 2008 and finished with 0.88 ERA, 62 Ks and 7 BB in over 41 innings Those are pretty good stats against collegiate and international talent.
The Baseball Cube rates him 96 Control, 100 K-rating, 100 Efficiency (each out of 100). In comparison it rates Nolan Ryan (all-time MLB K leader) 18, 98 & 90, 2008 MLB K leader Tim Lincecum rates 23, 100, & 95, and current MLB K leader Justin Verlander rates 66, 92 & 92 on these measures. Baseball America put it bluntly:
Who is this guy?
The most popular feat Strasburg does is throw a fastball 103MPH. For a teenager to routinely reach that velocity is enough to make him an enigma most MLB teams would love to develop.
However, Strasburg is already a pitcher rather than just a guy that throws fast. He pitched for three years at San Diego State; in 2007 he struckout 47 batters in 37 innings, in 2008 he struckout 133 in 97.1 innings, and in 2008 he struckout 195 in 109 innings. His two better known games were 23 strikeouts against Utah (out of 27 batters) and a no-hitter against Air Force (with 17 strikeouts). You don't have to know much about baseball to recognize this guy has great talent.
Career statistics in college: 22 Wins, 7 Losses, and 7 Saves, 1.59 ERA & 0.80 WHIP over 243.1 Innings Pitched. He struckout 375 and walked 50 to give him a KK to BB ratio of 7.5 (for every BB he had 7.5 Ks). Average strikeouts per inning pitched was 1.54. He also pitched for Team USA in 2008 and finished with 0.88 ERA, 62 Ks and 7 BB in over 41 innings Those are pretty good stats against collegiate and international talent.
The Baseball Cube rates him 96 Control, 100 K-rating, 100 Efficiency (each out of 100). In comparison it rates Nolan Ryan (all-time MLB K leader) 18, 98 & 90, 2008 MLB K leader Tim Lincecum rates 23, 100, & 95, and current MLB K leader Justin Verlander rates 66, 92 & 92 on these measures. Baseball America put it bluntly:
In the history of the draft, no prospect has received as much predraft hype and publicity as Strasburg—and the attention is warranted. His combination of stuff, pitching savvy and command make him a once-in-a-generation phenomenon.With remarkable stats, rave reviews from all scouts and impressive velocity, Strasburg stands to be the most anticipated rookie in MLB history. There are enough precendents to expect him not to live up to the hype, either due to unforeseen circumstances like Brien Taylor's bar fight, severe injuries like Mark Prior, or just sheer resilience over time. I'm looking forward to seeing him in action against MLB talent and if he gets as large a contract as expected then it stands to reason that he could face the world's best hitters pretty soon.
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