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Archive for the ‘Strasburg’ Category
Stephen Strasburg’s Final Out of No Hitter
Posted by Rob Ozga on May 14, 2009
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: Stephen Strasburg | Leave a Comment »
Stephen Strasburg (Again) and Site Updates (Again)
Posted by Rob Ozga on April 27, 2009
Another weekend, another dominant Stephen Strasburg performance.
Against a nationally ranked TCU team that we talked about before: 7 IP 4 H 3 ER 1 BB 14 K
His season numbers are silly: 70.1 IP 45 H 13 BB 135 K (7 WP 2 HBP 1 BK)
I’ve run out of things to say about him because, really, the numbers speak for themselves. I really can’t wait for his first start at Nationals Park when all the baseball world’s eyes will rightfully be watching the debut of the most acclaimed amateur baseball prospect ever.
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Busy week ahead, so it only makes sense to get some of the bookkeeping out of the way early. A few quick things before we move on to bigger and better…
- 4 correct picks on the NFL Draft mock from Friday. 4 out of 32. I picked winners at a 12.5% success rate. Boy, is that bad. The worst part is I can’t promise the final MLB mock will be any better. Maybe I’ll dig up the one I did elsewhere last year and see how poorly I did…probably wasn’t much better than 12.5%.
- What do you think of the new site layout? I had a focus group of one help me pick it out, but I’m curious to hear if the switch is for the better or if more tweaking should be done. Come to think of it, the switch may not be noteworthy enough to comment on…I’m not sure I’d comment on somebody else’s site redesign at this stage in the game (we’re only two and half months in after all) for fear of getting invested in a site only to see it disappear like so many others seem to do. Then again, maybe I’m just weird like that. I probably shouldn’t equate commenting on a redesign with an emotional investment, but that’s exactly what I just did.
- I’m finally getting around to throwing up some links on the righthand sidebar. If you have a link that you think should be there, let me know. Same thing goes if you have any ideas for useful baseball related sites that I’ve yet to link to, as well as any team specific sites that don’t already have a link. The idea is to get a good, informative team site for all 30 MLB squads, but it’s harder to find good, informative team sites that place an emphasis on prospect development and the draft (Phuture Phillies and Future Redbirds, no relation, are two of the prototypes for this model) than I originally had thought. I started putting up a few already, but decided to wait and see for a little bit in case anybody out there has any insight into what direction I should go with the others.
Posted in Strasburg, site news | Tagged: site business, Stephen Strasburg | 2 Comments »
What A Jackass
Posted by Rob Ozga on April 22, 2009
I really, really, really hope this doesn’t become a recurring feature here, but I’m just about positive that it will be. It’s time to look back through the archives and have a good laugh at something stupid stuff I’ve said. The only hard part is narrowing down which dumb thing to choose…
This particular rambling thought was from March 1, 2009. It’s not necessarily the dumbest thing ever put in print (notice my wonderful use of qualifiers and hypotheticals), but it’s certainly looks silly in hindsight. Behold my genius after the jump…
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: Matt Harvey, Stephen Strasburg, What A Jackass | Leave a Comment »
Strasburg 4/8/2009
Posted by Rob Ozga on April 9, 2009
With the holiday weekend causing a scheduling shift around college baseball, usual Friday starter Stephen Strasburg takes the hill on a Thursday to lead off San Diego State’s series at UNLV. We all know what Strasburg has done to this point, but it never hurts to throw out his season numbers so far – unless, of course, you’re a fan of the Mariners…
On the season, Strasburg has struck out 94 batters while only walking 10 in 48.1 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting a whopping .160 against him so far (27 for 169). He’s good.
He’ll be facing a decent UNLV lineup, but one built on very few interesting pro prospects. In fact, Strasburg has faced UNLV once already this year and put up the following line: 7 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 14 K. Again, he’s good.
This time, however, Strasburg will be going to UNLV’s Earl E. Wilson Stadium, a hitter’s paradise with a park factor of 121. How will he fare the second time up against the Rebels? How will he adjust to pitching in an even friendlier hitting environment than his own home park? We’ll know soon enough. Until then, a look at the three best UNLV hitting prospects that Stephen Strasburg will face tonight…after the jump
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: Drew Beuerlein, JJ Sferra, Ryan Thornton, Stephen Strasburg | Leave a Comment »
Strasburg’s Latest – March 27th, 2009
Posted by Rob Ozga on March 28, 2009
Strasburg’s latest start against TCU went pretty well:
- 8 IP 3 H 2 ER 1 BB 14 K (5 GO/5 AO)
- Carpenter, Curry, and Vern went a combined 0-8 (BB, 4 K) against him
Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but I think it’s fair to say the predictions from yesterday held up pretty well, no?
- Strasburg’s final line prediction: 7 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 14 K
- Carpenter, Curry, and Vern: 2-8, 2B, BB, 5 K
Off the grid for the weekend ahead, but expect an in-depth look at the nation’s finest catching prospects starting Monday…
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: Matt Carpenter, Matt Curry, Matt Vern, Stephen Strasburg | Leave a Comment »
Strasburg Day
Posted by Rob Ozga on March 27, 2009
Stephen Strasburg takes the hill tonight against nationally ranked TCU. Here’s what he’s up against:
- Matt Curry (‘09) – relatively slow start shouldn’t obscure the fact that the junior college transfer has a big lefty bat that will play; compared to current Phillie Matt Stairs (aka Jon Broxton kryptonite)
- Matt Carpenter (‘09) – better college player than prospect, but can’t argue with his production so far (.371/.525/.600 with a 23/11 walk to strikeout ratio); if he can stick at third in the long-term, could get a look as a mid-round senior sign
- Matt Vern (‘09) – another player who profiles better as a very good college bat rather than a legit pro prospect, but still capable of hitting the ball a long way when he gets a piece (team leading 6 HRs); Vern’s defensive limitations could keep him from being drafted altogether, but he’s no less of a threat to take Strasburg deep because of it
TCU has a senior-heavy lineup, but no singular hitter that can realistically be expected to do much damage against San Diego State’s ace. My totally baseless prediction for Strasburg’s final line:
7 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 14 K
In addition, I’ll predict a cumulative 2-8 night (including a double, a walk, and five strikeouts) for the three players named Matt listed above.
I’m most curious to see how Curry does against Strasburg. One game is too small a sample to base anything important on, but, as a lefty bat with a powerful, all-or-nothing style swing, he actually matches up pretty well. Curry’s future as a pro could be as a pinch-hitter capable of hitting the ball out every time up, so his at bats against Strasburg correlate pretty well with the kinds of matchups he may see coming off the bench to face fireballing relief aces.
Anyway, any other guesses about how Strasburg will perform on Friday night?
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: Matt Carpenter, Matt Curry, Matt Vern, Stephen Strasburg | 2 Comments »
Stephen Strasburg: Five Starts and Fifty Million
Posted by Rob Ozga on March 23, 2009
At what point do we just give up and rename the site The Strasburg Draft Report?
His latest start: 7 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 15 K
Season numbers: 34.1 IP 21 H 6 ER 7 BB 74 K (3 WP, 1 HBP, 5 extra-base hits allowed)
His K/9 actually fell from 19.43 to 19.40…
His K/BB also dipped from 11.80 to 1 to a pedestrian 10.57 to 1…
Of his 74 total strikeouts, 54 have been swinging and 20 have been looking…
Batters so rarely get a ball off of him in play, so his ground out/air out/line out data is based on too small a sample to really draw any conclusion. Even so, his GO/AO/LO numbers break down as follows: 13/11/2…
There have been only two innings this year that Strasburg hasn’t struck out at least one batter, including the two partial innings he has thrown through five starts (each partial inning was two-thirds of an inning). He has struck out at least three batters in 14 out of his 33 completed innings.
He’s good.
So good, in fact, it’ll cost you. An arm, a leg, another arm, half your torso, and, yes, maybe even a part of your unmentionables. Signing this guy won’t be cheap (or so goes the rumor).
I’ve got my own take on the latest “Strasburg’s bonus demands likely to include signing over a small island to him just to show you are negotiating in good faith” story, but the current plan is to hold off on these kind of shenanigans unless explicitly asked. Instead, I’ll open things up to the loyal readers of this site (fine, even the disloyal ones, too) – what do you think of the latest report stating Strasburg’s asking price could shatter the previous draft bonus record? Believe it, don’t believe it, don’t care about it, think he’ll get whatever he wants, think he’ll settle for substantially less, will he make more than Mark Prior, more than Daisuke Matsuzaka? Will Strasburg end up a National when it’s all said and done? Any validity to the wonderful threat to go play in Japan for a year?
In other words, fill in the blanks: Stephen Strasburg will be picked number ____ overall by the _________ and sign for ____ years and _____ million dollars.
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: future billionaires?, future millionaires, Stephen Strasburg | 2 Comments »
Stephen Strasburg Through Four Starts
Posted by Rob Ozga on March 19, 2009
27.1 IP 19 H 6 ER 5 BB 59 K (3 WP, 1 HBP, 5 extra-base hits allowed)
His K/9 fell to a mere 19.43…
His K/BB improved to 11.80/1…
Of his 59 total strikeouts, 45 have been swinging and 14 have been looking…
Batters so rarely get a ball off of him in play, so his ground out/air out/line out data is based on too small a sample to really draw any conclusion. Even so, his GO/AO/LO numbers break down as follows: 10/8/2…
There have been only two innings this year that Strasburg hasn’t struck out at least one batter, including the two partial innings he has thrown through four starts (each partial inning was two-thirds of an inning). He has struck out at least three batters in 11 out of his 26 completed innings. He’s good.
Posted in Strasburg | Tagged: future Nationals, Stephen Strasburg | 3 Comments »
Number One Righthanded Starting Pitching Prospect – Stephen Strasburg
Posted by Rob Ozga on March 6, 2009
Photo Credit: yoda1 from minorleagueball.com
20.1 IP 13 H 4 ER 4 BB 45 K (2 WP, 1 HBP)
K/9: 19.92
K/BB: 11.25/1
Strikeouts – Swinging/Looking: 36/9
GO/AO/LO: 7/5/2
There has been only one inning this year that Strasburg hasn’t struck out at least one batter, including the two partial innings he has thrown in each start (each 2/3rds of an inning). He has struck out the side in 8 out of his 19 completed innings. He’s good.
Posted in 2009 College Coverage, 2009 Draft Scouting Capsules, 2009 MLB Draft, Strasburg | Tagged: 2009 eligibles, RHSPs, Stephen Strasburg | 1 Comment »
College Pitching – Out With the Strasburg, In With the Harvey; Last Day of February Retrospective
Posted by Rob Ozga on March 1, 2009
Pitching, pitching, pitching. It seems like all we ever do around here anymore, right? The most noteworthy pitching performances from college baseball’s second Saturday of the season below, but, before we start, a quick recap of some recent stuff you may have missed this weekend…
College Mid-Week Update, featuring the battle between Mike Leake and Kyle Gibson
All Strasburg, all the time!
College pitching from the second Friday night of the season
Matt Harvey (North Carolina): 4 IP 0 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K, 2 separate games
Comparing any college pitcher to Stephen Strasburg is unfair and irresponsible, so let’s do it anyway. Strasburg will be the first overall pick of the 2009 Rule 4 Draft. Matt Harvey is the early favorite to go first overall in 2010. Below is a fair and responsible look at how their numbers stack up so far:
Harvey’s line: 9 IP 3 H 3 ER 2 BB 18 K (1 WP, 1 HBP)
Strasburg’s line: 12.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 3 BB 27 K (1 WP, 1 HBP)
Harvey
K/9: 18
K/BB: 9/1
GO/AO/LO: 3/3/2
Strasburg
K/9: 19.7
K/BB: 9/1
GO/AO/LO: 4/4/1
In the weird and wonderful world of amateur baseball, performance doesn’t always necessarily tell the whole story, what with park factors, levels of competition, strength of schedules, and relatively small samples and all. It’s hard to line up two statistical profiles and draw any kind of grand conclusion. But the raw numbers comparing Strasburg and Harvey do suggest similar performances thus far, something I think is pretty interesting.
There are reasons every move Strasburg makes is newsworthy and I’m not not not trying to say that anybody here or elsewhere is sleeping on Matt Harvey (he’s a big deal and has been for a good long while), I’m just throwing this out there as a lead-in to my question – what is the likelihood, if it exists at all, that Matt Harvey reaches the same level of hype other elite college pitchers (Strasburg, Price, and Prior, to name a few) had heading into his draft year?
Six other pitchers to watch after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in 2009 College Coverage, Strasburg | Tagged: 2010 eligibles, Deck McGuire, Gerrit Cole, Keith Law, Kendal Volz, Kyle Heckathorn, Matt Harvey, Ryan Berry, Scott Alexander, Stephen Strasburg, what's a twitter?, why must it be so hard to find reliable college baseball stats? | Leave a Comment »
