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Stephen Strasburg (Photo: Danny Wild/MLB.com)


Biographical Data
Player Name:Stephen Strasburg
Position:Starting Pitcher
School:San Diego State University
School Type:College
Academic Class:Junior
Birthdate:07/20/88
Height:6'5"
Weight:220 lbs.
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Report Date(s):02/20/09
Game(s):Urban Youth Academy Invitational


Focus Area
Comments
Fastball:Strasburg has a plus, plus fastball that touched triple digits twice in his first start. He sits comfortably in the upper 90s and maintains it deep into starts.
Fastball movement:Fairly true, though he elevated at times. He did show some arm-side life and was able to spot it down in the zone consistently.
Slider:More of a slurve, thrown 80-82 mph with a lot of action, depth and tight spin. In the past, he threw a true hard slider, 85-87 mph, but not in this outing.
Changeup:He threw 80-82 mph and showed signs of repeating it. Has good action to it, although it wasn't as firm as it's been in the past.
Control:He threw strikes, but was up in the zone a little and hitters were on his fastball. He had better control than command.
Poise:Good. He's shown some negative emotion in the past, but there was no sign of it this time.
Physical Description:Strasburg looks the part of an ace, physically strong with a long neck, rounded shoulders, big hands and good core strength in the lower half.
Medical Update:Healthy.
Strengths:The plus stuff, especially the fastball. Size, strength, mound presence ... a complete package.
Weaknesses: Nitpicking a little, but he doesn't have a put-away pitch among his secondary offerings. His command in the strike zone could use some improvement.
Summary:When you're generally considered to be the top Draft prospect in a class before a game is played, the microscope is going to come out. Strasburg's stuff holds up under such scrutiny for the most part, especially his plus fastball. Nitpickers may look at the secondary offerings as being just average and his command needing a little refinement, but none of that will keep him from being atop just about every Draft board.

Full report >