San Diego State Phenom Hurler Hits 103 mph

by acman319 on Mar 24, 2009 7:04 PM EDT

A story appeared on Yahoo! Sports today about a starting pitcher on San Diego State University's baseball team named Stephen Strasburg who consistently throws at speeds around 101 mph. It's really a great story about this kid and what he has accomplished. Going from a freshman closer at SDSU to a starter with Team USA in Beijing in only a span of 3 years...the only collegiate athelete on the Olympic roster.

It keeps showing up, 101 again and again, and as scouts peek at the number, they ask aloud what everyone else in the baseball world wonders: Will Stephen Strasburg someday throw a baseball harder than anyone has before?

I'm interested to hear your guys' thoughts on this kid and what MLB team has the best shot at getting him. Of course I would love to see the Yankees somehow get him, but if he enters the draft anytime soon...it looks like it will be up to the Nationals, Mariners, Marlins, Royals, etc. to grab him.

The day after a recent outing – he had 15 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against BYU on Friday – Strasburg leaned back in the dugout and marveled at the rapidity of his rise. How he went from an immature, overweight high school senior ignored by every major league team to the most coveted amateur player ever in three short years. How in another three months he’ll have super-agent Scott Boras negotiating on his behalf the largest contract ever given to a ballplayer out of the draft.

Executives believe the asking price for the Washington Nationals, who hold the first overall pick, will start at $15 million. It’s even been suggested that Boras could pull a fast one and attempt to destroy the draft slotting system by shooting for a deal that essentially would treat Strasburg as a front-of-the-rotation starter before he’s thrown a professional pitch.

Here's a video of Stephen in action.

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Comments

the Nats

would be moronic to pass on this kid. someone like Strasburg comes along so rarely that they HAVE to take him. he could swing the balance of power in the NL East in the coming years.

the Nats could very well become the next Rays: build a team through high draft picks, hoarding all that talent, then surprising everyone by winning the pennant.

i almost wish the Yanks sucked horribly one year to get a top three pick. since the Yanks never get that, they have to overpay FAs and pay over slot in the draft.

the Yanks havent had a top 10 pick since 1992, when they had their 3rd straight. it went: Carl Everett, Brien Taylor and Jeter. 2 of those 3 became all-stars, and one is a sure fire HOFer. Taylor almost surely would have been a good player but had a bar fight and was never the same.

by Travis G on Mar 24, 2009 10:40 PM EDT reply actions

But the truth is

unless this offseason signaled the coming-back-to-earth of FA prices for mediocre players, the draft could become more and more important. So long as there is no slot cap, the Yanks bring a huge financial advantage to the draft. And being able to sign a free agent every season or two means that the draft is a place to develop a core, rather than an entire organization.
Overslot and high risk-high reward will still bring in guys like Hughes, Joba, and Melancon.
And the international market, which is the only free market in baseball, brings in players like CMW, Robbie Cano, etc.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Mar 25, 2009 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions

my main contention

was that the Yankees never get a sure fire star in the draft because of where they pick. therefore, they have to spend more in other areas.

the Rays not only get this prime talent, but pay relatively nothing for it and generally have for their best years, not afterwards. the Yanks have to take guys who have lower ceilings and/or are riskier in the draft.

(quick aside: i’m still pissed they didnt get Michel Ynoa last year – even though he basically reneged on their deal.)

by Travis G on Mar 25, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions

there is no such thing as a sure fire star in the draft.

They did get Joba Chamberlain, though.

by 3460kuri on Mar 27, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

yes, technically

but there are degrees of ‘sureness’

by Travis G on Mar 27, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

strasburgh though

is asking for pretty close to prime FA money anyway.

by RollingWave on Mar 29, 2009 4:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Well at least

the Rays won’t have a top pick in this year’s draft and the Yankess will pick before them. lol

Pride, Power, Pinstripes...Go Yankees!

by acman319 on Mar 26, 2009 8:27 AM EDT reply actions

no they won't

the yanks gave up their top three picks to sign Tex, CC, and AJ respectively.

by NumberSeven on Mar 26, 2009 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions

they still have the 29th overall pick

due to not signing Cole last year.

by Travis G on Mar 26, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

How?

How did the Yanks give up picks if those 3 guys were free agents? It’s not like they traded for them.

Or was it through other trades that opened of salary room that they gave up picks?

Pride, Power, Pinstripes...Go Yankees!

by acman319 on Mar 26, 2009 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions

it's free agent compensation

it’s supposed to do 2 things:
1. prevent teams like the Yankees from signing too many top FAs by making them forfeit draft picks in the hopes of discouraging that spending.
2. keep continuity among teams/players. if another team knows they have to give up a pick for a FA, they should be less willing to sign the player than his former team, who would not forfeit a pick to re-sign him.

Type A’s net a 1st rounder. Type B’s a sandwich rounder (between rds. 1 & 2). there used to be Type-C’s but not anymore. the rankings are determined by the Elias Sports Bureau.

more info here.

by Travis G on Mar 26, 2009 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions

however

if a team fails to sign a pick (like the Yankees did with Cole last year), they get a 100% protected pick at the same spot the following year (this year).

but if they again fail to sign that player, they lose the pick entirely.

by Travis G on Mar 26, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions