The Top 10 Pitching Phenoms

If you haven’t heard about this kid, you will soon.  Stephen Strasburg just finished his collegiate career at San Diego State by throwing a 17 strikeout no-hitter.  Strasburg is just one of many in a line of young baseball pitching phenoms.  Whether it be little league, high school, or the major leagues, scouts are always looking for the next dominant young pitcher.  In honor of Strasburg, we give you our top 10 in recent memory.

10. Matt Anderson

The #1 pick in the 1997 draft, Matt Anderson was 6’4 and threw the ball 100+ MPH.  He tore through the minors in less than a year, and posted a 3.27 ERA in his first year in the majors.  Tigers fans had high, high hopes.

9. Kris Benson

First of all, Kris Benson’s wife is very, very attractive.  So, extra points for that.  Benson was named the ACC Male Athlete of the Year in 1996 while pitching for Clemson, the only baseball player to win that distinction between 1986 (Len Bias) and now.  B.J. Surhoff is the only other primary baseball player to ever win the award.  Benson was the #1 pick in 1996, but was never the same after his Tommy John surgery in 2000.

8. Danny Almonte

Almonte earned the nickname “Little Unit” with a 75 MPH fastball (99 MLB equivalent) and his performance in the 2001 Little League World Series.  On top of only giving up 3 hits in 3 games, giving up only one run (unearned), and striking out 62 of 72 batters faced, Almonte threw the first perfect game in the LLWS since 1957.  Rudy Guiliani even gave him a key to the city.  Unfortunately, Almonte was 2 years older than everyone else.

7. Hideo Nomo

After tearing up Japan, Nomo came to the MLB in 1995 with an unorthodox delivery and a propensity for striking batters out.  He made waves upon entering America as well.  In 1995, he led the league in strikeouts and was second in both walks and ERA, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.  He threw a no-hitter and pitched well in 1996, but was never really the same after that year.

6. Luke Hochevar

Terrell Owens thinks Luke Hochevar is full of himself.  Now, Hochevar is a fine young pitcher.  He proved so by being drafted in the first round three times.  He was drafted in 2002, but chose to play at Tennessee instead.  After a fine career in Knoxville, Hochevar was drafted in 2005 by the Dodgers for the second time.  He proceeded to hold out for a second time, even reneging on a deal in the process.  The Royals drafted him in 2006 with the #1 overall pick.  In his 2009 debut, Hochevar was shelled for eight runs in only two innings.  Some might call it karma.

5. David Price

David Price followed a similar path, without the kicking and screaming.  Drafted by the Dodgers in high school, Price decided to play college ball in Tennessee at Vanderbilt.  He was phenomenal, particularly in his junior year.  Eventually, he was drafted #1 in the 2007 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.  He found himself in the majors just months after pitching at Vanderbilt.  He even managed to strike out 3 of the 4 Yankees he faced in his first inning of work.  Later, he saw significant time in the Rays’ postseason run of 2008.  Price certainly has a bright future ahead of him.

4. Dontrelle Willis

D-Train made his splash in the MLB in 2003, being named NL Rookie of the Year despite starting only 27 games.  In the 2003 postseason, Willis showed off his bat, causing the hype around him to swell even more.  On top of his early success and hitting ability, Willis’s unorthodox, high leg kick drew lots of attention.  Willis led the majors in wins in 2005 with 22, but has struggled ever since.

3. Justin Verlander

Another former Rookie of the Year, Justin Verlander received the AL distinction in 2006, leading the Tigers to their unexpected success.  In 2007, Verlander threw a no-hitter.  Featuring a 100 MPH fastball and a nasty curveball, Verlander is considered one of the best young arms in the game.

2. Kerry Wood

Kerry Wood made his major league debut with the Cubs in 1998.  In just his fifth career start, Wood threw a one-hit, no walk, twenty strikeout complete game.  Wood’s twenty strikeouts tied Roger Clemens’ record for strikeouts in a nine inning game.  Wood won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1998 by a landslide, but underwent Tommy John surgery in 1999.  Since then, he has struggled, throwing in the occasional good year (2001).  Recently, Wood has “found himself” again as a closer with the Cubs and now the Cleveland Indians.

(One of these involves Wood, so it’s somewhat relevant)

1. Mark Prior

Few amateur pitchers have ever seen the hype that Mark Prior received during his time at Southern Cal.  Prior was drafted by the Yankees in 1998 but did not sign with them.  After his outstanding career at USC, Prior re-entered the 2001 draft.  The Twins, expecting difficulty in signing Prior, were highly criticized for selecting hometown boy Joe Mauer.  The Cubs drafted Prior with the #2 pick, and gave him the most guaranteed money for a draft pick ever.  Prior tore through the majors in his rookie year of 2003, including being selected as an All-Star.  Thirty-six injuries later, Mark Prior is currently not on a professional baseball roster.

Maybe Prior’s delivery and mechanics were a bit better, he could avoid all these injuries. He might want to try this:

It’s shocking how many of these players ended up flaming out after early success.  Maybe it’s the expectations, maybe it’s the success going to their head that derailed their careers.  In any event, I was never successful early in my career, and I don’t expect to be very successful later in my career, so I have no real way to answer the questions above.

Massacre

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