The best pitchers from the 2009 MLB Draft and the Shadow one casts:

Mike Leake is no Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg was the #1 overall pick in the 2009 draft. Spending just two months in the minor leagues (to avoid arbitration?) Strasburg made a much hyped debut last night, and it was beautiful. 7 innings pitched, only 2 earned runs. The proverbial cherry?, try 14 strikeouts. His 14 are the second most ever in a debut, (two pitchers are tied with 15). Everyone is aware Strasburg was facing the Pirates, not much different than the AAA minor league teams Strasburg had been obliterating. He throws 98 miles per hour, and has even reached 100. His Change-up sinks like the Lusitania and has a Slurve that moves from the strike-zone's top-right to bottom-left. He made the Pirates look foolish. They had no chance to beat Strasburg. Had he his Change-up not gone 91-mph. Delwyn Young would not have had the pop to hit a homerun and Strasburg probably would have shutout the Pirates. ESPN announced more than a week prior to his debut that Strasburg was pitching. National Stadium was standing room only (now that is amazing). ESPN ran countdowns to his first pitch, MLB Network picked up the game to show the country, and everyone wanted to see the first big league pitch of Stephen Strasburg. Even if Strasburg wanted to avoid the spotlight, he couldn't.

Leake on the other hand, had nearly no hype on his debut. It was the sixth game of the year. Leake did nothing impressive in the minor leagues.....wait, he skipped those. He came straight from Arizona State to the big leagues. He pitched 6.2 innings, garnered 5 k's, and allowed only one earned run. He did not get his first big league win, he only received a no decision. His Fastball goes 89-92, topping out at 92. He has a nice Change-up and a good Slider. He does not overpower, he does nothing to attract the hype that a fireballer like Strasburg does; however, Mike Leake is 5-0. He should have two or three more wins, and deserves every win he does have. His earned runs average is a minuscule 2.22. If it stays that way, He will be much higher than 7th in the National League. He makes every pitch with precision. He is reminiscent of Greg Maddux, who everyone remembers. Leake made his debut and there was hardly a whimper from ESPN or the press. He has taken care of business, but still the spotlight eludes him. Even if Leake doesn't want any attention he deserves it.

In Conclusion: Stephen Strasburg and Mike Leake were selected last year. Strasburg first overall by the Washington Nationals, Leake eight by the Cincinnati Reds. As first-rounders, they should both be expected to perform at a high level. They both have, but Strasburg's sample size is a little smaller. He certainly showed he has the stuff, but so has Leake. Strasburg will be the talk of the town, maybe for the rest of the year. Leake has slipped into Strasburg's shadow, and may remain there for the rest of his career. Leake deserves more publicity than he is getting.....Although I don't see a blog with two followers getting the job done. The news will not turn on Strasburg anytime soon, but it will be exciting to see who loses first.

Call to Arms

The Cincinnati Reds have a luxury....apparently. Young pitchers are hard to come by, and the Reds have some fine young pitchers. I mean, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Mike Leake? They all appear to be coming into their own and pitching damn well. The Reds also have two veterans in Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo to anchor their rotation. However, pitching has been far from perfect (except for the 4-0, minor-league skipping Leake). Aside from the putative prodigy, the Reds have a 8-10 record and a 5.11 earned runs average. More than the statistical issues, the Reds have personal issues. Lying in wait in the minors is the Cuban Missile, Aroldis Chapman. He was signed by the Reds for $30.25 million over six years. That is hardly child's pay (pun). The Cuban Missile is believed to be a sort of savior for the Reds (Homer Bailey II?). Chapman is being paid $4,819,166.666666667 more per year than Johnny Cueto. So you need to work him into the equation (bullpen? six-man rotation? trade?). The Reds' pitching "luxuries" do not end with Chapman. What about Edinson Volquez (who? JOSH JONES!....no). Volquez underwent the infamous Tommy John surgery and since has been suspended 50 games for substance abuse. However, Volquez was an all-star in 2008. (That isn't even too long ago like Arroyo in 2006!). I mean if Volquez comes back this season (looking more and more doubtful) the Reds have 7 starters and all appear to have value to the team. Fortunately for the Reds, i have the solution to the problem (send all disagreements to my email).

The simple solution is to trade one of the veteran pitchers (Harang/Arroyo) and move the struggling Homer Bailey back to the minors so he can develop his curveball (again). This, however, would be the move of a fool, which i do not think Walt Jocketty is. The Reds should start to solve their overabundance of starters by releasing Volquez (insert choice of shocked emoticon here). I understand that Volquez has shown promise, and was the prize in the Josh Hamilton trade, but he has the least value to the Reds at this point. The unknown affects of Tommy John on his elbow (pitching and future injuries) make Volquez the biggest risk of the 7. Then, the Reds should trade Harang. Many feel that Arroyo is more likely to go, but Arroyo has been much more consistent. Harang still has value, and the Reds can open the spot that Aroldis Chapman needs to become a big league player. Being in first place (hoo-rah), the Reds need to keep Arroyo, since he has been their most consistent pitcher since his all-star selection all the way back in 2006. With these two roster moves, the Reds rotation will be
1) Arroyo (i know, right!)
2) Mike Leake (Prodigy)
3) Johnny Cueto (On the rise)
4) Homer Bailey (the savior)
5) Aroldis Chapman (Cuban Missile?).

Now, you may argue, "What if Chapman isn't ready? What if Leake is a fluke? What if Homer Bailey isn't the savior?" To all of these arguements i counter with, "What if Harang's last two years (12-31) are the rule and not the exception. I mean can you argue that Harang shows any more promise in the future than Chapman who is 10 years younger than Harang. I would place my trust in youth rather than age. A guy who can throw 100mph is more valuable than a crumbling veteran." And for your arguments for Volquez, i say, "Edinson has proven himself, but not after a serious elbow injury. He is more likely to be less of a pitcher than he was, although for now, i hope not."

In Conclusion: The Reds have the misnomer, "luxury" of baseball....too many starting pitchers. The Reds do not have to fix the problem immediately, but do need to realize that they has a 30 million dollar investment sitting in Louisville. The Reds for now, are luxurious.