If you don't know who Steven Strasburg is, you need to start paying more attention. Strasburg is not just the ace of Tony Gwynn's San Diego State Aztecs. He is not just the projected No. 1 draft choice in this year's MLB amateur draft. Strasburg is touted as being the best prospect of all-time. That's a pretty serious label, especially for a junior in college. Everyone is raving about him, and there is no question he will be taken with the first pick of the draft, by the Washington Nationals.
Why do they love him? Well, a fastball that tops out at 103 mph is a good start. His excellent command is another. His tight curveball and brutal slider are a third and forth. He's 6′ 5", and perfect. You hear it everywhere. "Stephen Strasburg will likely win one Cy Young and a couple dozen Stephen Strasburg's in his career," say the guys at Beyond the Box Score. He's got the stats to back it up too, Strasburg is pulling a 1.32 ERA, a 16.1 K/9 ratio and 10.3 K/BB walk ratio. He's unstoppable. When UVA was preparing to face Strasburg last week, Karl Kuhn said he was told, "God isn't going to give you more than one run." You know what's the best part of Strasburg? They're calling him major-league ready. Some are saying he's just going to skip the minors, and start playing for the Nats this summer.
But be careful, Stephen, you're not there yet. You may be the greatest thing to walk on a baseball diamond, but take note of your supposed comparables, Mark Prior and Brien Taylor. Sure, Prior was dominant for awhile, but what's he up to these days? And Taylor? He was the second first overall pick to never make the majors. Are there No. 1 draft pick success stories? Sure there are plenty of them. But there's also of plenty mediocre players who never quite got there (and some who married crazy wives).
So there it is Mr. Strasburg. You'll have your chance to be great. I hope, for your sake, you follow through.
Why do they love him? Well, a fastball that tops out at 103 mph is a good start. His excellent command is another. His tight curveball and brutal slider are a third and forth. He's 6′ 5", and perfect. You hear it everywhere. "Stephen Strasburg will likely win one Cy Young and a couple dozen Stephen Strasburg's in his career," say the guys at Beyond the Box Score. He's got the stats to back it up too, Strasburg is pulling a 1.32 ERA, a 16.1 K/9 ratio and 10.3 K/BB walk ratio. He's unstoppable. When UVA was preparing to face Strasburg last week, Karl Kuhn said he was told, "God isn't going to give you more than one run." You know what's the best part of Strasburg? They're calling him major-league ready. Some are saying he's just going to skip the minors, and start playing for the Nats this summer.
But be careful, Stephen, you're not there yet. You may be the greatest thing to walk on a baseball diamond, but take note of your supposed comparables, Mark Prior and Brien Taylor. Sure, Prior was dominant for awhile, but what's he up to these days? And Taylor? He was the second first overall pick to never make the majors. Are there No. 1 draft pick success stories? Sure there are plenty of them. But there's also of plenty mediocre players who never quite got there (and some who married crazy wives).
So there it is Mr. Strasburg. You'll have your chance to be great. I hope, for your sake, you follow through.
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