The Washington Nationals selected Stephen Strasburg with the number one pick in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The San Diego State University right-hander is widely regarded as the best pitching prospect ever. But questions remain if the Nationals can agree to a contract with Strasburg's agent Scott Boras and if Strasburg will live up to the hype.
San Diego Native Chooses San Diego State
Stephen James Strasburg was born on July 20, 1988 in San Diego, California. Both of his parents attended San Diego State University. Strasburg was recruited by Arizona State, Arizona, UNLV, Stanford, Yale and Harvard before choosing San Diego State.
Tony Gwynn Needed Convincing To Bring In Strasburg
San Diego State manager Tony Gwynn had to be convinced by SDSU pitching coach Rusty Filter to bring in Strasburg, who was undrafted out of high school and considered soft and not eager to compete on the mound. Filter put Strasburg through an extensive, strenuous workout regime. But the pitcher fought his way through the workouts and ended up becoming a 6-foot-4, 220 pounder with a perfect pitching body. And that led to a big increase in velocity and stamina.
23 Strikeouts Against Utah
Strasburg became a highly-regarded prospect thanks to a masterful showing against Utah on April 11, 2008, when he struck out 23 Utes. The 23 strikeouts by the sophomore were the third-most ever in a college game and the most since the 1981 season. The performance also set new San Diego State and Mountain West Conference single-game records.
2008 Olympics As Lone Amateur
Strasburg's tremendous 2008 season also featured being selected as a member of the United States Olympic team for the Beijing Games. He was the first amateur player selected for a Team USA squad made of professional players. Strasburg pitched in two games at the Olympics. He allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in seven innings in beating the Netherlands. In the semifinals against Cuba, Strasburg went four innings, gave up three runs and struck out five. His record in Beijing was 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA.
Video Game Numbers During 2009 Season
Strasburg came into the 2009 season as the clear-cut number one pick in the June MLB draft as long as he didn't do anything too wrong. But Strasburg put up video game-like numbers throughout the season. He collected 13 wins in his first 14 games while registering at least 10 strike outs 12 times, including eight times 14 strikeouts or more. And he did not walk more than two batters in any appearance. His 13-0 record season mark guided the San Diego State Aztecs back to the NCAA regionals for the first time since 1991. But Strasburg lost his only game of the season in the regionals, giving up two earned runs and striking out 15 batters in a 5-1 loss against Virginia. He ended the season with a 13-1 record in 15 starts with a 1.32 ERA, 195 strikeouts, 65 hits and 19 walks in 109 innings. He averaged 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings - just behind Ryan Wagner's NCAA record of 16.8 in 2003.
No-Hitter Versus Air Force
Strasburg's final home game at San Diego State proved to be one of his absolute highlights as he struck out 17 batters in throwing his first no-hitter in beating Air Force 5-0 on May 8, 2009. The crowd of 3,337 spectators for the game set a new record for SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Scouting Report
Strasburg is widely drawing rave reviews for his triple-digit fastball, which reaches up to 103 miles per hour. But he also throws a slider in the 96-98 mph range which may be his best pitch. And he buckles batters' knees with a changeup around 80-82 mph.
"Unlike the two years previous to this year, I can honestly say he's pitching. What I like to see is the fact that if hitters are cheating, if they're jumping out there to get the fastball, right away he goes to his breaking ball, he goes to his changeup, he goes to something different to keep them off balance. For a 20-year-old, he understands it, he gets it," Tony Gwynn told mlb.com on May 13, 2009.
Contract Negotiations Between Nationals, Boras
While no one has questioned Strasburg's talent, many wonder how the Washington Nationals will come up with a deal with Strasburg's agent Scott Boras. Many reports say that Boras will be asking for a contract of at least 50 million dollars. And Washington just last summer were unable to sign their first round pick, number nine selection Aaron Crow. The Nationals offered 3.5 million euros and would not go up to Crow's 4.4 million euro asking price.
