ESPN and the sports media has a marketing interest in building Strasburg as Superman, if he has a bad start or slumps, they are going to downplay it to keep his superstar image alive.
If they have a phenom to push, they're going to do everything they can to build that player up to keep interest in everything he does and get ratings.
Mike Leake vs Stephen Strasburg wouldn't be a bad matchup either. There's some people out there, albeit not many, that think Leake will have a better career than Strasburg. IIRC, Adam Foster of Project Prospect is one of those people.
Can you imagine the hype if Strassburg was in the majors right now and off to the start that Leake is on? You'd hear all the hype about how "nerves" got to him in his first 2 starts, but since his control has returned to form, he's on top of things, he's sure to be a future all-star, many times over. Instead the national media gives us updates on Stassburg's minor league games and virtually ignore what Leake has done.
Its not so much that he was the #1 pick, its because of the things that made him the #1 pick. He is viewed as far and away the best draft eligible pitcher since Mark Prior. We didn't get updates on David Price or Justin Verlander in the minors. It is because of what Strasburg the pitcher is, not because of where he went in the draft.
Not if he fell because of signability and he was still the exact same pitcher, no, it wouldn't matter one bit. The guy went #1 because he was far and away the best talent. If he fell down the boards because of signing concerns, but did sign, it would still be the same thing.
Reds Fan Since 1971
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