Bryce Harper vs Stephen Strasburg
by Buzz Bissinger on Aug 10, 2009 5:08 PM EDT
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I might be in the minority in this site, but I'm a big follower of Dewey Finn's posts -- so much so that I did a google search today on Dewey and baseball and came across this interview with Dewey! The purpose of this post is in regards to one of the questions posed to Dewey, where the interviewer asked whether Bryce Harper is more hyped that Stephen Strasburg, which brought me to think of this: If you had the #1 pick, and Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg were available, who would you select?? I think I would take Harper, because he is a hitter, but then again, I have read that Strasburg touches 103 miles per hour. It's tough. What do you guys think???
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A poll would probably be cool
"There's only one cure for what's wrong with all of us pitchers, and that's to take a year off. Then, after you've gone a year without throwing, quit altogether." -Jim Palmer
Great Idea!
Poll Put In!!!
I've got a McPheever, and only JoJo Reyes can help me!
by Buzz Bissinger on Aug 10, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions
developmentally strasburg is further along and probably close to mlb ready… but then the prospect of longevity rears its head and with strasburg’s questionable mechanics its not clear that he’ll be able to pitch for 6 injury-free big league seasons
harper (despite his youth) is probably the safer bet, just from the standpoint of hitters maturing and the probability that he’ll one day be a factor at the big league level… but he’ll still be 3-5 years from being big league ready by the time he’s drafted next summer
all that said, i’m taking strasburg
A high school catcher is the safer bet?
Let’s come back to reality here. Harper isn’t worth that kind of hype.
maybe not worth the amount of hype he’s generated, but he’s certainly in the preeminent class of hs recruits for 2010… he might not have the probability to succeed that a college junior hitter might have, but with the attrition rate of pitchers i’d still wager that given a hitter and pitcher of equal stature the hitter is going to be more likely to be productive than the pitcher… i base this almost entirely on the sheer volume of pitchers who end up destroying their arms and never realizing their prospect potential
by gorilla_baller on Aug 10, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
For now, give me Strasburg
There’s no question that Harper has the tools to become one of the game’s best offensive weapons, but his age and eventual position make this one a no-brainer for me.
Strasburg possesses the kind of pitching arsenal that are described as generational. In terms of development, he’s played on the world stage against very talented opposition, and obviously played against top college level talent in college where he proved how dominant his stuff is.
If the draft was held today, I think you have to go with Strasburg. I can see the argument for both though. Good post.
To be fair, though...
In terms of pitching prospects vs. hitting prospects, I take the hitter 95% of the time. Not saying Harper deserves to be higher ranked than Strasburg, but I’m just sayin’.
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
Fair enough.
But it should be taken into consideration that pitching “prospects” don’t really exist.
"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw
Good thing Strasberg's not a prospect!
He’s more like a ML-ready starter waiting to be signed.
*facepalm*...
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Aug 11, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
You should always take...
the position player over the hitter. Especially if the position player has the potential to be the best hitter in the game while playing gold glove caliber defense at a premium position like catcher.
2001 redux
I cite mauer v. prior, 2001, Justice Terry Ryan presiding.
That said, i still take strasburg. Higher reward, even if higher risk.
while there is a ton of unknowns with Strasburg
Is there really anything more risky than a HS C?
I just got on twitter.Follow me at http://twitter.com/JDSussman
I'll be trying to post lines and analysis as much as possible.
Remember: baseball guys... baseball...
Harper
Strasburg has a terrible delivery that will sooner or later lead to devastating injury. Harper has as great bat at a premium position and also on the side throws a 96 MPH fastball. Harper’s also only 16. IMO, much more projectable.
agree that his mechanics are suspect… but there are genetic freaks that possess superior musculature/connective tissue/etc that allow them to sustain higher loads… not saying that strasburg won’t fall victim to some terrible arm injury, but there’s always the chance he’s just a freak
by gorilla_baller on Aug 10, 2009 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Harper
Harper has all the tools to be a dominant high school player, but will it translate to the pros or is he going to be just another guy, after all the hype has died down.
Or is Kendry perhaps the one who needs to sit?
Strasburg
This really is not very close. I thought the Strasburg hype was out of control. Harper’s is flat out ridiculous.
Harper is 16, Strasburg is (I believe) 21. Strasburg will take maybe 1 year to reach the bigs. Harper will likely take at least 3, more likely 4. Time value of $ alone tells you Strasburg is the better value for a club.
Strasburg’s college competition has me a bit worried, but still his competition is >>>>> Harper’s competition. Harper has yet to actually see a big league caliber fastball, let alone breaking stuff. Sure, his tools project out very well, but I have seen plenty of toolsy HS players fizz out as the competition gets better.
As one poster pointed out, is there any more risky pick than a HS catcher? I’d rather take a pitcher given the results. For every Mauer you have 10 Mesoraco’s (who admittedly could still pan out as he is still very young).
Keep in mind too that Harper’s swing is pretty long. It’s something he can easily correct, but I see him having problems handling inside fastballs with that long loopy swing. I see a kid with massive power potential that reminds me an awful lot of Kyle Russell.
Add it all up, and the answer to me is pretty obvious. I would take Strasburg every day and twice on Sunday.
every time i think of bryce harper getting his GED and going to JC
i keep thinking back to robert stock skipping his senior year to enroll at USC… how did that work out for stock?
he got drafted, but if anything didn’t his stock decrease a little bit? In HS he shined, clearly in an elite level amongst HS athletes… but at USC he experienced only moderate success and got drafted this year in the middle of the 2nd round… i had always assumed had he entered the draft as a HS-er he would have been a 1st rounder for sure
because i didn’t follow any prospect circles at the time, does anyone who was around have an opinion on that or is in a position to verify the buzz at the time? I know BA named him their top amateur but how did he rank amongst the rest of that draft class?
Robert Stock was a very good prospect. Would have probably been a Top-10 pick, but wasn't the consensus
1-1 pick or considered a “generational talent” like Harper is. Harper is on the Griffey Jr., A-Rod, Hamilton, J-Up level in terms of prospect status. Stock was never close to that level.
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