Visiting Prospect Series

With the holiday weekend and Yanks vs. Sox on MLB opening night, we fell a bit behind in getting this out to you. We apologize for that and we intend to make it up to you this week as we blow the top off of this thing with Opening Day coverage starting on Thursday and all the information you'll need leading up to it!

Today we are going to take a peek at some of the best talent on those teams that don't play in New England, but will be making trips through the region. These are the "can't miss" guys that you will definitely want to catch now, because they'll be in the Majors before you can blink. We have tons of that talent on our local teams, but let me introduce you to the first of our Visiting Prospect Series:

Stephen Strasburg - RHP
This is hands down the most anticipated pitching prospect in over 10 years. Strasburg, the number 1 pick in the MLB Draft last year, showed in Spring Training what the Nationals hope to see for many years to come. He is the savior-in-waiting for Washington and saying that the hopes of the organization lie on his golden arm may be an understatement. He's got sick stuff on the hill including one of the deadliest fastballs in the game which ranges from 95 to 102 mph! His control is impeccable and his mechanics are flawless. He looked spectacular against big league hitters this spring leading many to speculate that he would skip the Minors altogether. However he was designated to start the season with the AA Harrisburg Senators so that he can get some pro experience under his belt before being thrown to the wolves. This is great news for us because Harrisburg plays in the Eastern League with New Hampshire, New Britain and Portland. The bad news is that he will probably be called up to the big club in Washington at the beginning of June. The following are dates when Harrisburg visits New England before June and we'll be sure to keep an eye on his starts to see if/when he will actually be pitching around here:

Harrisburg @ New Britain Rock Cats - 4/22 - 4/25

All other Harrisburg visits to New England occur after June 1st. If somehow the Nats decide to let him develop a little longer then we may have additional chances to catch him. But as it stands right now, that April series in New Britain may be our only chance. Plan accordingly!