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5 of the top prospects in MLB all on one team
Same youth team produced Strasburg, Leake - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
During a national youth tournament a decade ago in suffocating August heat, hard-throwing 11-year-old Stephen Strasburg melted down. A couple of hits, an error and a wild pitch caused emotions to well up and explode. His catcher, an undersized whippet named Mike Leake, tried unsuccessfully to console the pitcher. Strasburg left the sprawling sports complex in Shawnee, Kan., after being removed from the game, and went home to San Diego by mutual agreement of his parents and coaches.
That kiddy battery is now the two most highly regarded rookie pitchers in baseball, the poised Strasburg striking out 53 in his first 36 2/3 innings for the Washington Nationals and the savvy Leake going 6-1 for the Cincinnati Reds. Strasburg blends a filthy three-pitch arsenal with an immaculate temperament, exceptional composure neatly complementing the fury of his triple-digit fastball. Leake is more pluck than power, boldly picking hitters apart with uncommon command, enabling him to become the rare player to jump directly from a college campus to the big leagues
Same youth team produced Strasburg, Leake - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
During a national youth tournament a decade ago in suffocating August heat, hard-throwing 11-year-old Stephen Strasburg melted down. A couple of hits, an error and a wild pitch caused emotions to well up and explode. His catcher, an undersized whippet named Mike Leake, tried unsuccessfully to console the pitcher. Strasburg left the sprawling sports complex in Shawnee, Kan., after being removed from the game, and went home to San Diego by mutual agreement of his parents and coaches.
That kiddy battery is now the two most highly regarded rookie pitchers in baseball, the poised Strasburg striking out 53 in his first 36 2/3 innings for the Washington Nationals and the savvy Leake going 6-1 for the Cincinnati Reds. Strasburg blends a filthy three-pitch arsenal with an immaculate temperament, exceptional composure neatly complementing the fury of his triple-digit fastball. Leake is more pluck than power, boldly picking hitters apart with uncommon command, enabling him to become the rare player to jump directly from a college campus to the big leagues