According to a report on SoxProspects.com, third base prospect Will Middlebrooks suffered a torn hamstring during drills this past weekend and will be out until May, or possibly longer. Will was projected to start at Class-A Greenville where he'd split time between third base and DH with fellow top prospect Michael Almanzar.
Mike Lowell is prepared to hit the field and play in a game in two weeks, he reported yesterday. Although he hasn't suffered any setbacks with his right hip, he also hasn't been running the bases yet, which could make or break his progress.
It's very possible, although no noise has been made about it, that Lowell could suffer a setback which would either a) postpone his regular season debut or (worst case) b) knock his 2009 season out entirely.
Should Lowell not be able to start on Opening Day, this means Julio Lugo would start at shortstop with Jed Lowrie manning third base. There's a problem with this, however.
Following is a 'cut and paste' of the big "ifs" in the latest "Mazz" piece . . . or was it Ryan? Whoever, he predicted success "if" the following happens".
Yesterday, left-hander Kris Johnson, 24, drew the start against Northeastern University, my alma mater. Johnson turned in a solid year in 2008, starting 27 games for the Portland Sea Dogs and putting up an ERA of 3.63.
He whiffed three NU batters (one of which is my former roommate), walked none and gave up one hit in two innings.
My former roommate had this to say about Johnson: "Really fluid. Ball snuck up on me really quickly."
Last weekend marked the opener for the 2009 college baseball season for Division I baseball. Roughly 50-60 scouts were in attendance for the consensus top pick Stephen Strasburg's first start against Bethune-Cookman. Strasburg is largely considered the top right handed pitcher to come from the collegiate ranks since Mark Prior was drafted out of USC in 2001. Baring an injury, he'll be the top pick by the Washington Nationals on June 9. Let's take a look at the top five talents for the 2009 draft.
1. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State
Arguably the best right handed pitcher college baseball has seen in the last five years. He has the size, stuff, athleticism, and still project to get better, if you can imagine. He started his career at San Diego State in the bullpen, so his arm doesn't have a lot of miles on it, although you'd assume it does when watching how advanced of a pitcher he is am. You may remember him from last season, when he struck out 23 batters in a 1-0 complete game shutout against Utah (a game that Sox prospect Stephen Fife started for the Utes). He have the ideal pitchers body, and can still manage to add 20 lbs to his frame. His fastball sits between 93-95 with solid late break, and could comfortably be in the mid-upper 90's once he adds more muscle.