F-You, ESPN (aka Strasburg news of the day)
by seattlecougar on Mar 9, 2009 1:12 PM PDT
87 comments
On the home page of their MLB page today:
Buster Olney: Is Stephen Strasburg the Best Prospect Ever?
So just how good is Stephen Strasburg, the San Diego State right-hander who is regarded as the No. 1 talent in this year's draft?
"The best I've ever seen," says a longtime scout. "And it's not even close."
The article then goes on to link to these:
Jason Churchill: Mariners' strong '08 finish may have ruined shot at top pitcher in draft (from the P-I)
The best college pitcher ever? (Keith Law piece, Insiders only)
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Unless the Nationals GM dies on the way to the stage
The Mariners have no chance in drafting him.
by Fin on Mar 9, 2009 2:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Now that you mention it
These guys are probably looking for a GM job.
by Fin on Mar 9, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
Bavasi’s head is freakishly narrow.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
by Llewdor on Mar 10, 2009 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's like a flesh-covered watermelon.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
by esoteric on Mar 10, 2009 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or maybe a giant peach-flavored Mike & Ike
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
by esoteric on Mar 10, 2009 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Back room dealings:
Mariners offer Aumont and Triunfel for Nick Johnson.
In exchange for generous package, Nats pass on the “unsignable” Strasburg at #1.
Instead pick stud position player prospect.
M’s get Strasburg.
Everyone wins.
by johnbai on Mar 9, 2009 2:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'd cry big French tears is Aumont were to be traded.
by abender20 on Mar 9, 2009 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
What would stop them from drafting Strasburg anyway.
by Robert on Mar 9, 2009 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Men with guns
It’s like an escrow service.
Many deals are based on the presumption of a favor performed later by one of the parties. To ensure that the favor is completed, various men with guns (and sometimes knives) are employed as “debt collectors.” It’s a system as old as Sicily itself.
by johnbai on Mar 9, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Except for the M's when the Nats draft Strasburg anyway
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Mar 9, 2009 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So the M's sign a deal with the Nats
That says they will make said trade after the draft, provided the Nationals pick a guy with better signability. The M’s can claim they didn’t want to part with Aumont until they knew if they’d have Strasburg to take his place in the org, and the Nationals can state the following reasons-
*nervous about drafting another guy who’d be tough to sign (with a big middle finger at Boras)
*standard “pitchers not as reliable as position players” argument (let’s send Ryan Anderson as a special ambassador to DC to maket that argument)
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 9, 2009 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
OK, but then the Nationals don't take Strasburg, we do, and then we keep Aumont and Triunfel
by seattlebruin on Mar 9, 2009 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have no qualms at all with this plan
Determined, Jonesing Commentor | Proud proprietor of Wyomingroutes.org & Washingtonhighways.org
by I'm NOT Corco on Mar 10, 2009 12:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interestingly enough, I do.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
by esoteric on Mar 10, 2009 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Then we're looking at the Men with Guns scenario coming the other way
You don’t want GMZ assassinated, do you?!
by johnbai on Mar 10, 2009 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You honestly think the league would allow such a thing?
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Mar 10, 2009 6:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think that either team would go for it
But I don’t see how the league would have a problem with it if we did it right. I can see two ways:
-We tell the Nationals that we’ll only part with Aumont if we get Strasburg in the draft… We’re not telling them not to draft him, just that the only way this trade would be palatable for us is if we have Strasburg in the org to take Frenchie’s spot as “stud up and coming SP”. Yes this trade would still be horribly lopsided, but I haven’t seen MLB have issues with lopsided trades in the past. We’re giving up potential talent in prospects for proven veteran talent… Would it lend extra credence if we brought in Dayton Moore and Bill Bavasi as special advisors to the GM in making the deal?
-The Nationals draft Strasburg outright and trade him and Johnson for our 2 guys and whoever they want us to take at #2. I know I’ve seen that happen before.
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 10, 2009 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think I'd rather have Frenchie + Green/Ackley than Strasburg though
Determined, Jonesing Commentor | Proud proprietor of Wyomingroutes.org & Washingtonhighways.org
by I'm NOT Corco on Mar 10, 2009 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
How is that not tampering, though?
I would think that any attempt by a team or teams to manipulate the draft would draw the ire of the league in a pretty big hurry.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Mar 10, 2009 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmmm
At least as far as the second bullet is concerned, I still don’t see how it’s a problem… Team 1 gives up pieces A and B for Team 2’s pieces X, Y, Z. I know I’ve seen this before, but I’m drawing a blank on where. Was thinking Buhner, but it’s not him… Some player with Seattle ties who was drafted and traded here in one stroke. Might have been basketball, but I don’t follow that sport ever so I don’t see why I’d know that.
Collusion aside, bullet point one still gives exactly the same output.
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 10, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Jim Bowden was still GM than I could see the Nats passing on Strasburg
vivaelbeñsheets
by vivaelpujols on Mar 9, 2009 3:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Ok now I know that this article is stupid
“The day that I saw him pitch, his first fastball was 99 mph, and he was at 100-102 mph the rest of the way,” says the scout, someone who is not inclined to hyperbole.
“You could put him in a rotation right now, and he could be a No. 2 or No. 3 starter,” says the scout. “Right now, he’s better than A.J. Burnett.”
Yep, definitely not hyperbolic at all. Here that Nationals, you are about to acquire AJ Burnett on a minor league deal (albeit, big-ass bonus).
vivaelbeñsheets
by vivaelpujols on Mar 9, 2009 3:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm...
not entirely sure that’s hyperbole. It’s one scout’s opinion to be sure, but Strasburg has better raw stuff than AJ Burnett. Whether that will transfer to a major league workload and schedule (every 5 days instead of every week) is another question that we don’t really have any way to know.
Saying he’ll be a better pitcher is a bold claim, but as far as hyperbole in baseball articles written in March, it’s nowhere near the top. Case in point: I read this morning that Matt Kemp has 40-40 potential.
by slamcactus on Mar 9, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Ichiro can really homer on command and steal on command like the articles always say,
he could have a 105/105 season.
by abender20 on Mar 9, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
or a magican 600/600 season in which he comes to the plate 900 times and hits 600 homers and gets intentionally walked 300 times
so he would put up a line of 1.000/1.000/4.000 for a horrific isoD of 0
by seattlebruin on Mar 10, 2009 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The main thing is that I'd bet his velocity's not nearly that good
If he could consistently throw at 100mph, he’d have the fastest fastball in baseball by a ridiculous 5mph margin. I wouldn’t rule out sitting in the 93-94mph range with his heater, but the triple digits stuff is pretty insane.
On the other hand, I do agree that judging on the scale of spring training hyperbole, this is pretty tame stuff.
by ubelmann on Mar 9, 2009 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt he could average that in the majors
vivaelbeñsheets
by vivaelpujols on Mar 9, 2009 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He isn't saying that he will be a better pitcher than Burnett
He is saying that he is better than him right now. AJ was a 6 WAR player last year, I really don’t think that Strasburg (or any other college pitcher in the history of the game) is anywhere close to that now.
vivaelbeñsheets
by vivaelpujols on Mar 9, 2009 7:19 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hmmm...
I wouldn’t put over 50% odds on it, but looking at what Mark Prior did, it definitely seems possible. Prior was the last guy I remember as “the greatest college pitcher ever” and he only made 9 minor league starts before going into the Cubs’ rotation. He made 19 starts and was worth 2.8 WAR. The next year he was worth 7.6 WAR.
Burnett had a 3.45 FIP last year, Prior had a 3.16 FIP as a rookie and 2.47 FIP in his second year. If Strasburg is as good as Prior, then he could potentially make a handful of minor league starts and be in a major league rotation by the end of the season, making ~15-20 starts at a level better than Burnett.
The moral of the story: keep Strasburg far, far away from Dusty Baker.
by ubelmann on Mar 10, 2009 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm already over him...not sense to get all worked up about not getting him.
I fucking hate you Mariners
by kentroyals5 on Mar 9, 2009 4:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Same.
It’ll be gravy if the Nats do pass on him, though.
by redwolf75 on Mar 9, 2009 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I honestly just want to see him pitch, team be damned.
by Wilder. on Mar 9, 2009 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not quite as charitable as you are.
by abender20 on Mar 9, 2009 5:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Forget that
If he ends up in LA, Oakland, Texas, New York or Boston, I can see at least 10% of this community commiting ritual suicide at Safeco Field on the anniversary of our 61st win.
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 9, 2009 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was more along the lines of saying
I don’t care which team he pitches for, the Mariners or the Nationals, I just want to see him pitch. If he somehow dropped past the first two spots, I wouldn’t be a happy camper.
by Wilder. on Mar 9, 2009 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well he's going to the Mariners or the Nationals
by seattlebruin on Mar 9, 2009 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's pretty close to a sure thing...
There’s no way we’re passing on him if Washington does… I sincerely hope
by seattlebruin on Mar 9, 2009 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't be so sure
My hope is the Mariners would feel pre-emptively guilty for my death and thus be forced to pick him if he falls
by Graham on Mar 9, 2009 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you're just trying to build yourself up for the tiny sliver of a chance that they actually do pass on him
in which case, I’m not sure if we’ll all have to avoid LL for a few days or be forced to stick around here to watch the show
by seattlebruin on Mar 9, 2009 11:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Second.
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 10, 2009 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
See Lincecum, Tim...
Or Miller, Andrew.
Grrrr. I saw of 0 scenarios where NEITHER of them were drafted before Seattle’s pick. That they both landed on Seattle’s lap at 5 in that draft and the M’s didn’t take either of them still raises my ire more than any one roster move in recent history.
What grinds me is that even IF slot weren’t an issue in the M’s org, the M’s still would’ve picked Morrow over either of those two…
This signature space for rent.
by PositivePaul on Mar 10, 2009 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Morrow's turned out better than Miller so far
by Graham on Mar 10, 2009 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No kidding.
Sort of odd to see Miller kicking around near replacement level.
What the hell happened? Never as good as the scouts thought, or something post-draft?
by marc w on Mar 10, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well at least we have a better chance than 28 other teams of drafting him
by OlSalty on Mar 9, 2009 6:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
That's a silver lining I can get behind
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 9, 2009 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's only like a 3% difference
Chance Strasburg falls to us: 3%*
Chance Strasburg falls to 28 teams below us: 0%
*Note there is a 3% margin of error in favor of M’s getting Strasburg to appease overly optimistic M’s fans.
by Ezzra on Mar 9, 2009 11:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope he asks for $100M and the Yankees are crazy enough to pay him
by seattlebruin on Mar 10, 2009 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If a team is willing to bid $50 million just to have the right to sign Daisuke
then maybe Strasburg is worth a $20 million signing bonus?
by johnbai on Mar 10, 2009 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But if the previous high is just over 6 million
is there anyway he even gets 10?
by johnbai on Mar 10, 2009 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ask for 10 and sign for 8?
Seems like a steal when you compare it to the gambles taken on bidding for the posting fees on Japanese pitchers.
by johnbai on Mar 10, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's just bonus...
Both Prior and Samardzija got around $10million in guaranteed money. They didn’t get it as a signing bonus, but they got major league contracts that paid them more than the “record” draft bonus.
I fully expect Boras to try to get a major league contract worth much more than $6million for Strasburg.
by slamcactus on Mar 11, 2009 12:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh absolutely.
He’ll want a contract in the 12 million dollar range and will certainly be able to get one in the 10 million range.
Tools Whore
by Tyler on Mar 11, 2009 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not only have the Rays had the #1 pick the last couple years
But in looking at their 2008 draft, they went quite a bit higher than expected with signing bonuses for two of their other top picks: Ty Morrison and Kyle Lobstein both got a lot more than people picked just before or after. I don’t know anything about these guys, but does that mean that they were superior talents that slipped because people didn’t want to pay their signing demands?
by johnbai on Mar 10, 2009 10:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Lobstein was a borderline 1st round talent that fell because his velocity didn't increase
his senior year like it was expected too. A lot of people like him. Morrison really wasn’t a guy that fell. He is a tall fast white guy from the Northwest that hits the ball like Juan Pierre during the game, but shows pop during BP, so he’s got some projection. He’ll probably need 2,000 at bats in the minors if he’s going to develop into a big leaguer.
Tools Whore
by Tyler on Mar 11, 2009 5:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks Tyler!
I was just marvelling at how a stacked team could also have the 07 and 08 #1 picks coming up in their system… and how they also seemed to be overpaying for later round picks.
by johnbai on Mar 11, 2009 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I recommend watching SDSU take on UNLV this Friday...
For the sole purpose that a good friend of mine will be taking the mound against Stras… Ruh Roh!
by seattlesundevil on Mar 10, 2009 11:09 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ESPN U should be on Strasburg Watch all season.
Every start televised. Then maybe I might watch ESPN U for the first time.
by Teej on Mar 10, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Forget ESPNU. Put it on ABC and get Kevin Harlan to call the game.
“The 1-2 pitch to Graxelburger… OHHH !!! RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES!! STRASBURG FIRES A DAGGER.”
by abender20 on Mar 10, 2009 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Graxelburger?
…
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 10, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It DID make me want a burger for lunch
It was delicious.
Free Stephen "Awesome" Strasburg!
by seattlecougar on Mar 10, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My favorite quote from the article.
The immortal Sidd Finch has come to life, without the quirks and the baggage, and he’s pitching for San Diego State. For now. He may well be in the big leagues, if somebody meets Boras’ asking price, by August or September.
Tools Whore
by Tyler on Mar 11, 2009 5:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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