Strasburg Update

San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the presumtive number-one pick in this years draft, pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, improving to 13-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 102 innings. He has struck out 180 this season. He exited the game with back cramps, but Strasburg said it is nothing serious.

The Nationals have a big decision to make in the next couple weeks. Strasburg is going to be tough signing, probably holding out all the way until the deadline, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering he has set a new career high in innings pitched. The Nationals should seriously consider Tanner Scheppers at the number one pick. He has incredible stuff and is expected to rise quickly, assuming he can stay healthy.

Dustin Ackley Update: I wrote about Dustin Ackley last week, basically disagreeing with Peter Gammons' evalutation. I watched some more game footage of him at the plate and I have to admit, I was pretty impressed. However, his inability to play the outfield this season raises some issues for me as a top ten pick. Outfield can be very tough on a player, requiring a lot of conditioning. Be away from that for a year, and then being asked to adjust in the minor leagues while adjusting to wooden bats and professional pitching, seems like a tough adjustment.

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.