MOD: Cubs

9-4 1.86 ERA, 106.1 IP, 59 H, 131:41 K:BB
7-3 1.74 ERA, 93.2 IP, 65 H, 96:36 K:BB

Something I wrote somewhere on Scherzer:
Strengths:

    Scherzer is not terribly tall, but he's a stocky 6'2" who is powerfully built. His bread and butter is his fastball. He works 93-95 with a fluid motion and reaches 97-99 MPH when he's in a tight spot. This was evident in the ninth inning of a game last season against former Nebraska star Alex Gordon, where he sat at 97-99 much of the innings and struck out Gordon on three fastballs clocked at 98 MPH. Unlike Tim Lincecum or Brandon Morrow, he has not been clocked in triple digits but he's got much more polish on his fastball than they have. He was also on Team USA where he pumped 99 MPH consistently to Nicaragua and the next day a few of their players came to get his autograph. To compliment his fastball he has the makings of a good major league slider, but it's not in the class of Lincecum's curve, Lincoln's curve or Morrow's splitter. Scherzer would certainly be the top RHP in the draft had the injuries not come about, he might have the most upside of the college crop this year, Andrew Miller included.

Weaknesses:

    Scherzer's fastball and slider are solid pitches, but his changeup is very inconsistent and needs a lot more consistency for him to remain a starter. The injury this year is concerning on some level. Bicep injuries can often creep up to the shoulder and be a prelude to rotator cuff and/or labrum problems. While his work ethic and love for competition are plusses, he's a lot like Kerry Wood where they can be detrimental. His bulldog mentality causes him to pitch through problems which could be an issue. Finally, he's a guy who could slide into the middle of the first round because of the injury issues, and more importantly the potential bonus demands.

Something I wrote somewhere on Morrow:
Strengths:

    There is not much concern with his performances as a freshman and a sophomore. As strange as this might sound, his struggles have been attributed to higher velocity. He was throwing in the upper 80s in high school, then low 90s as a freshman than all of a sudden he was throwing 97 as a junior and his back muscles weren't strong enough to withstand the added stress. He spent most of the second half of the season working out and getting in shape. He underwent a huge transformation on the Cape in the summer. He was not completely healthy yet, but he was healthy enough to close. He was running his fastball consistently 96-99 MPH in the role. This spring he has matched that velocity, but has moved into the Golden Bear rotation. His primary offspeed pitch is a devastating splitter which is probably the best offspeed pitch in the draft. The deadly two pitch combination could make him a dominant closer in the future, or he could evolved into a front line starter, but it's weird seing a college kid relying on this pitch, most guys develop after they lost their curve or slider.

Weaknesses:

    Brandon Morrow needs a lot of work on his command in order to move quickly through the minor league ranks. He's a very thin pitcher, standing 6'3" and weighing only 185 lbs. Pitchers like that rarely hold up and that's an issue for a pitcher, obviously. Scouts aso complain about his consistency this season. He has had his dominant performances, but take his first two starts for example. He opened the season with a 12 strike out performance but failed to strike out a batter in his second start. Like many college pitchers he does not have a third pitch. He needs to develop some sort of a useful breaking pitch. He's worked on a slider and a curve, but it's nowhere near the quality needed for him to stick as a starter. Finally, he also has mechanical issues that need some work.