With The First Pick Of The 2009 MLB Draft, The Washington Nationals Select...

STEPHEN STRASBURG... out of San Diego State University.

WE GOT STRASBURG!!! NOW SIGN THAT MAN!!!!!!!!

With the #10 Pick, The Washington Nationals Select:

Drew Storen - RHP (Reliever) Stanford.

Next Pick #50...

Tonight's start pushed back to 8:50 pm...

over 2 years ago Patrick Reddington 8 comments 0 recs |

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Good. Now can we offer him $15M and tell him he’s pitching next week?

From what I can gather Storen was some what of a reach, especially considering he’s a sophomore who doesn’t seem to have a problem going back to Stanford if he doesn’t like what he sees in his offer.

Finally, Aaron Crow went #12 to the Royals, which almost guarantees that he’s not getting the $3M he turned down from the Nats. At least, for him, he gets to stay in the Missouri/Kansas area… but likely for less money. Funny too that the Royals, once again, plucked a pitcher who didn’t sign his first time around.

by superjuan on Jun 9, 2009 8:20 PM EDT reply actions

~~Words of warning: Taking pitcher No. 1 overall a risky move~~ ……..too late…
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/11837785

“…being chosen by the Washington Nationals as the baseball equivalent of a future doing hard time at San Quentin.”

“Mostly, those who preceded you as No. 1’s, young Stephen, have left the trail littered with ghosts and tears, bar fights and shredded labrums, octopuses and slutty Mrs. Santa Claus suits.”

"It's just too bad, because it reflects on us, the coaching staff." -Manny Acta
"So it's clowns for the next two months, then?" by Graysnail on Jun 7, 2009

by cat daddy3000 on Jun 10, 2009 12:43 AM EDT reply actions

You had to know that the press would eventually turn on Strasburg, he was out there too long as the front-runner so they began looking for flaws...

(and, admittedly, found a mountain of evidence to support their claims that the #1 pick’s chances at success in the majors are just as good as the 10th, 50th or 81st’s…chances) (that’s a comment made brazenly without the support of statistics, so prove me wrong if you must, but i’ve heard of too many players who were the 300th player in their draft class and have overcome the odds, to feel comfortable with that sentence.)

Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."

by Patrick Reddington on Jun 10, 2009 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Mmmmm

I have no doubt he might be the ‘player too good for the franchise’ (until he plays for NY), but I dont know if they have turned on the kid. You know that some commentators like Bos wrote months ago about the probs in picking a pitcher #1…and it was more of a cautionary tale that they dont end up better than a .500 pitcher (after all I would settle for an Andy Benes record).

The problem is that there is stats which say that a #1 pitcher pick has never gone on to be better than than have a 500 career. Compared to a #1 position player where there some amazing batters who have done amazingly well or had HOF careers (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032301414.html). I hope the kid does well but we are in unchartered territory for a #1 pitcher. I hope he lives up to the hype. But I wont burn him in effurgy if he doesnt win 20 games in his rookie season.

"Baseball is like church. Many attend; few understand."

by Mezza on Jun 10, 2009 3:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Worth noting.

Nolan Ryan’s first six years in the majors went 6-9, 6-3, 7-11, 10-14, 19-16 and 21-16. (69-69)

Sandy Koufax was 36-40 his first six years.

"Baseball is like church. Many attend; few understand."

by Mezza on Jun 10, 2009 3:07 AM EDT up reply actions

The deal with W-L records is that these 1st pick pitchers were drafted by the worst teams in any given year.

Like last night, Rosswiler took the loss in a QS because of untimely batting and bad umpiring…

"It's just too bad, because it reflects on us, the coaching staff." -Manny Acta
"So it's clowns for the next two months, then?" by Graysnail on Jun 7, 2009

by cat daddy3000 on Jun 10, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions

I thought this reporter was just piling on the Nats to discourage Strasburg from signing...

And I have no idea about the “octopuses and slutty Mrs. Santa Claus suits”…..

"It's just too bad, because it reflects on us, the coaching staff." -Manny Acta
"So it's clowns for the next two months, then?" by Graysnail on Jun 7, 2009

by cat daddy3000 on Jun 10, 2009 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Trevor Holder seems a little underwhelming... 4.48 ERA......1.34 WHIP

“Holder’s fastball touched 95 and sat in the 91-94 mph range for much of the spring, but it’s straight as an arrow at that speed.”

“Nationals crosschecker Daric Ladnier: “To a man everybody [in the draft room] felt like this guy was going to be a quality starter. We’ve seen him up to 94 [mph], [with a] slider [and] change up. He’s around the zone.”

In the D. Cabrera and Hanny tradition…

"It's just too bad, because it reflects on us, the coaching staff." -Manny Acta
"So it's clowns for the next two months, then?" by Graysnail on Jun 7, 2009

by cat daddy3000 on Jun 10, 2009 10:50 AM EDT reply actions