November 3, 2009

Minor League Update

November 3

by Kevin Goldstein

Sonic boom

Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals (AFL: Phoenix)
Yesterday's stats: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

On Monday afternoon, Strasburg hit 99 mph on the radar gun 18 times, 100 mph seven times, and tossed in a single 101 mph fastball for good measure. He needed just 68 pitches to get through his five innings, 43 of them for strikes. All the panic from his one bad start is pretty much gone, with one scout in Arizona saying that he's the best pitcher he's ever seen in a league he's been scouting for over a decade.

Hey, this guy is good too

Drew Storen, RHP, Nationals (AFL: Phoenix)
Yesterday's stats: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

I feel like I should issue a mea culpa here, as I wrote many times coming into the draft that Storen's ceiling was more of as a set-up man than a closer. Since then, his stuff has kept improving, as the 93-95 mph fastball he was showing at Stanford earlier in the year is now sitting at 96-97, while his upper-80s slider remains a wipeout pitch. For a player with the classic power/power arsenal, his command and control is downright outstanding. Upgrade granted.

Sleeper Alert!

Kenley Jansen, RHP, Dodgers (AFL: Peoria Javelinas)
Yesterday's stats: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

The rest of this article is restricted to Baseball Prospectus Subscribers. Not a subscriber? Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get access to the best baseball content on the web.

Cancel anytime. That's a 33% savings over the monthly price! That's a 33% savings over the monthly price! Already a subscriber? Click here and use the blue login bar to log in.