Jesus is coming...

I took a small hiatus, but now I’m back. Currently in 1st place in my 10 team total points league, and 4th place and gaining in my 10 team head-to-head dynasty league (come on Prince Fielder!). Let’s get this rolling again.


So the calendar is just about to turn June. This is the time when many teams prepare to roll out their can’t miss, hopefully-ready-for-the-big-time studs that they’ve been saving on the shelf in order to keep under their control for one extra year. Enter Stephen Strasburg. Expect to see Strasburg make his MLB debut around the first weekend of June.

 
Nicknamed “Jesus” by future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez because when he throws the ball, everyone says “Jesus!”, Strasburg brings a lot of hype with him. He also brings a triple-digit fastball and a 12 to 6 hammer that freezes batters a la Pedro Martinez. While the sample size is still small, his domination of the minor leagues is undeniable. In 9 minor league starts, he boasts a 6-1 record, 0.99 ERA, and 54 K’s in 45 1/3 innings. His AAA starts are even more impressive with a 3-0 record, 0.39 ERA (1 earned run in 23 1/3 innings) and opposing batters are hitting .139 against him. In short, this kid is ready. Dwight Gooden/Tim Lincecum ready. I’d like to see him struggle just once in the minors, just to see how he comes back from it, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. Not by next week anyways.


Chances are, he’s not available in your league (owned in 81% of Yahoo leagues on 5/27). But if he is, grab him now. Even if he takes a couple major league starts for him to get comfortable, he will be worth it. There are hot prospects, and then there are rare talents, and few people in baseball history could do what this kid can do. I just hope playing in Washington doesn’t hold him back.

The Jason Heyward experiment

Jason Heyward is undoubtedy the hottest prospect in baseball for 2010.  And since Atlanta has announced that Heyward will be heading to Altanta to start the season with the big league club, Heyward has been flying off the draft board.  In the last few days, Heyward's ADP has jumped from the low 200's to 183 in Yahoo draft's which it huge for this late in the spring.  I've been asked by a few people what I think about Heyward and drafting him this year.  I actually don't have him in any of my leagues (even my dynasty league), and I'm ok with that (for this year).  Here are my feelings on Heyward for 2010:

1)  Age.  He's only 20.  With all the hype, and spring training craziness, it's hard to overlook this point.  No 20 year old (not named Ted Williams) walks right into the majors and dominates.  Heywards raw power is undeniable, but with the quality of pitching in the NL, there is definately going to be some growing pains.

2)  Experience.  Heyward has 226 games of minor league ball under his belt, with 176 at the A level, 47 at AA, and only 3 games at AAA.  In those 226 games, he has 28 homeruns.  To me, that makes it pretty obvious that a 25-30 homerun projection for this season seems a little over optimisitc.

3) Shin Splints?  Heyward was left out of the game today because of shin splints.  If he has a nagging injury like this going into the season, don't expect a lot of stolen bases.  Also, the team is going to treat Heyward with kid gloves.  Any sign of injury will put him on the bench, or back to AAA.  Even an early season slump could get him a trip back to AAA to avoid destroying his confidence.

Don't get me wrong... I like Heyward.  A lot.  Since Bond's retired, OF's have taken a back seat in the top tier of the power department to A-Rod and first basemen.  Heyward could be the second coming of Hank Aaron.  But not yet.  Not in 2010... maybe not even in 2011.  Plenty of people are salivating over Heyward this year, so if you have him, now is a great time to trade him.  If he's available after pick 200, and you want to take a risk, go ahead, but don't reach for him unless you are in a dynasty league and can lock him up for 3 to 4 years.  As far as projections, if he can get 140+ starts this year, I've got him at 18 HR's, 70 RBI, 65 Runs, 7 Steals, .275 Batting Average.  To me, that sounds like a great season for a 20 year old, but not quite the astronomical numbers some people are talking about.