http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blo.../blog/index?entryID=3963745&name=olney_buster ..Man I hope the Nationals are dumb enough to pass on this kid, I would LOVE to see him in a Mariners uniform!
This kid is filthy. He was the only collegiate player on the Olympic roster last summer and had 1.64 ERA. He 1-hit the Netherlands and gave up 2 runs in 4 innings to that great Cuban All-star team.
His 23 strikeout game [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pVyw2JlloM"]YouTube - Stephen Strasburg 23 strikeout game[/ame]
Have you ever seen 23 batters look so foolish? They couldnt even bunt on this kid! Man I hope the Nationals draft some high school catcher or something.
That must have been a riveting game to be a fielder for...grab a chair and a beer and watch him flame guys. That slider is nasty.
don't worry, the Yankees will trade up an sign him for the numbers Boras wants. seriously though, that kind of control with that much velocity is obscene. there was an article in SI about him this week, said he almost got run off as a freshman, because he was so out of shape, he couldn't keep up at all with the teams conditioning.
Dont look now Mariners fans but Branyan has 7 Hr's in the exhibition games so far. If he stays healthy I think 35-40 jacks is realistic.
Please be cheap and dumb Nats. I dont want my Mets facing him 2-3x a year. Although David Wright would still do what he does vs everyone its just better if strasburg doesnt get demoralized by Wright
I'm almost willing to bet all I own that Branyan won't hit 35 to 40 jacks for the rest of his career, let alone in a single season.
Branyan could definitely hit 35-40 jacks if he got 600 ABs. he would also hit near the mendoza line and strike out over 200 times.
The Braves never seem to have a problem with Wright EDIT: I take that back, his overall stats against us are actually pretty good. My bad
I've been to a couple of Braves/Mets games in Atlanta in the past two seasons and I can tell you that my presence definitely seems to jinx him. I watched Smoltz strike him out three times. I need to get down to Atlanta this season.
Yeah, all I can seem to remember about Wright is that Smoltz owns him. Guess he does a little better against our other guys.