Nats Looking Good in the AFL

Arizona Fall League numbers are not something to be trusted. However, good performances are still something to be noted, and so far the Nats have seen some pretty good performances from the impressive list of prospects that they sent.

Pitchers

Pitching is of course always the first thing to talk about now, especially since a certain San Diegan was drafted. Obviously, Stephen Strasburg is getting more attention in the AFL than most players do. So far, his numbers look unimpressive – 6.97 ERA, 10 1/3 IP with 10 H and 3 HR. But, in three appearances, the damage comes from only one. In the other two he compiled 7 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. The numbers aren’t the whole story in this league. According to Mark Zuckerman, “he certainly lived up to the hype.” His approach, his stuff, his delivery, everything looks good. These guys are working on things right now, so perfection isn’t expected or even thought about. Strasburg is still getting rave reviews, it’ll be really exciting to finally see him play.

As for the other guys,

Wow, Kasten Wasn’t Kidding

At blogger day (hey, I’m going to ride this as long as I can), Kasten made reference to the Arizona Fall League. For those of you that don’t know, the AFL is operated by MLB and many top prospects go there to tune up for next year. It keeps them competing against high-level pros, important for young guys, and often is a preview of who might do well in the majors next year. Kasten said the Nats were gonna send one of the best groups of prospects ever, and he wasn’t kidding. The rosters were just announced, check it out:

Stephen Strasburg – Heard of him? Yeah, ESPN’s gonna be pumping AFL starts, or at least highlights, into your football-filled brains this October. They’ll be his first professional outings, so you better believe they are significant.

Drew Storen – The Nats #10 pick this year, and ready to dominate yet another league on his way to the bigs, I guess. His ERA trends going from low-A to high-A to AA suggest by the time he gets to the majors, he’ll actually take runs away from the other team when he goes in.

Derek Norris – Considered the Nats other catcher of the future. And if he can’t catch, his bat suggest they find somewhere else in the field for him to play. If he can catch, he has a chance to be a real star in the majors.