Strasburg vs. Pittsburgh: Or, Pirates Seek Their Own Phenom - Page 2

But he does promise to be great. The young pitcher has been wowing fans in Double-A and Triple-A with his 100 mph fastball:

Now while success in Syracuse doesn't necessarily equate with success in the big leagues, who can blame fans for being excited?

Here in Pittsburgh we're looking to Indianapolis and other minor league environs for some of the Pirates' much-touted prospects, but none of them comes with quite the cache of Strasburg. The names most often mentioned are third baseman Pedro Alvarez, outfielder Jose Tabata, catcher Tony Sanchez, and pitcher Brad Lincoln.

Alvarez is seen as the best power-hitting prospect. He has 11 home runs and a .505 slugging percentage. Tabata looks to be the best to hit for average. He is currently hitting .307. Lincoln is 5-2 with a 3.47 ERA. He has 49 strikeouts in 62 innings. Sanchez was hitting .322 with three home runs for Bradenton. With Neil Walker doing so well since his call up, perhaps there is some hope for the future. Hope can even spring on Pittsburgh's North side, especially after a series with the Cubs.

At any rate, Pittsburghers will have the opportunity to get one of the first looks at the Nationals' phenomenon, even it's only on TV. Who knows, the Pirates may even get to be spoilers. Think of the irony if, let's say another Crosby (Bobby this time) ruins the occasion.

Article Author: Jack Goodstein

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