Stephen Strasburg Video and Scouting Report
Posted by Matt Nixon in Baseball, College, tags: Baseball, College, MLB, News, San Diego
Not many people were surprised when Stephen Strasburg was selected as this year’s number one MLB Draft pick. Strasburg went to the Nationals and so ended the discussion and hearsay of where he might end up. Strasburg, the 22-year-old pitcher from San Diego State University, has already become somewhat of a legend with stories of a 100 mph+ fastball, 90 mph slider, and Major League ready composure. But, like most legends there is much about the Stephen Strasburg story that isn’t covered by most media outlets. It is important for fans, scouts and reporters alike to go beyond the legend and learn more about Strasburg. Luckily enough, SportsForce has been able to document some of his season and has a straight forward and simple scouting report to share on the soon to be first round selection.
Being headquartered in San Diego, we have seen Strasburg a number of times and agree he is a truly dominating pitcher. Strasburg’s stuff is very impressive and would fool even some of the Major League’s most seasoned hitters, but contrary to what others have reported, Strasburg is not a four-pitch pitcher. Nor does he feature a 90-mile per hour slider. Rather, Strasburg is a developing pitcher who has two dominant pitches with room for improvement. This is partially what excites Major League teams since today’s game is being built more and more around developing pitching at the minor league level. Strasburg has the potential to be a #1 starter that can carry a team similar to a Roy Halladay, Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy or Johan Santana. However, he must first overcome a few obstacles.
Stephen Strasburg Scouting Video vs. UC Davis April 4th, 2009 from Sports Force on Vimeo.
Strasburg relies primarily on two pitches: his explosive 95+ mile per hour fastball, which has been clocked as high as 103, and his sharp downward biting curveball. The fastball overpowers hitters and can be located to both sides of the plate. At this point, Strasburg is not a pitcher who locates his fastball consistently every time, but what he lacks in precision he makes up for in conviction and confidence. His curve ranges from the low to mid 80’s (mph) and can be thrown for strikes in almost any count ,which is rare for a young pitcher. When his curve is used in conjunction with the fastball, he often makes hitters uncomfortable and leaves them guessing what’s next.
