Player Spotlights - Stephen Strasburg and Gordon Beckham

Stephen Strasburg and Gordon Beckham February 23, 2010

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SP Stephen Strasburg,Nationals, - One of the most anticipated pitching prospects to come along in recent memory, Stephen Strasburg certainly appears to have the talent to match the accolades that have been showered on him since the Washington Nationals made him the #1 pick in the 2009 amateur draft. Anyway you chose to look at his pitching performance at San Diego State, the numbers are gaudy. Last season, he went 13-1 with an ERA of 1.32, striking out 195 batters in 109 innings. His career WHIP in college ball is just under .80, and he once struck-out 23 batters in a single game. His fastball has been clocked as high as an obscene 103 MPH, and he consistently throws in the high-90's with superb control and good location. Strasburg complements his heater with a hybrid curve/slider breaking pitch that typically freezes hitters, and his recent development of a change-up makes his arsenal even more imposing. For fantasy purposes, Strasburg is well worth a pick in his current 20th round ADP.

2B/SS/3B Gordon Beckham, White Sox, - A standout college middle infielder at the University of Georgia, Gordan Beckham was selected by White Sox in with the 8th pick in the 2008 amateur entry draft. This was also the year that scouts really began taking notice of Beckham, when he ultimately ended up leading the SEC in hits, slugging percentage and homeruns (28). The stocky SS also finished 2nd in the league with a .411 average that year, while displaying some skills on the basepaths with 17 swipes . During his brief stay in the minors, Beckham didn't show much power or speed, but made enough contact to generate a .322 BA in 59 games. Called up in June last year, Beckham started off slow, but ended up batting .270 with strong power/speed numbers that translate into 22 HRs/11 SBs over 162 games. Beckham's 8th round ADP in early baseball drafts seems a bit high, but if he qualifies at 2B/SS this could be a fair price to pay for a middle infielder with 20 HR potential.

Player Spotlights By Junkyard Jake JunkyardJake.Com