Some collectors have already anointed Stephen Strasburg as a star. His first exposure to the big leagues comes with the MLB draft.
Most consider him the best college pitching prospect ever.
Some say he’s the best potential draft pick ever.
That’s a little extreme, but looking at Stephen Strasburg’s statistics, it’s not hard to make a case.
A fireballing pitcher with nasty stuff who struck out nearly two batters per inning at San Diego State. 13-1 with a 1.32 earned run average. A no-hitter in his final home start.
The Washington Nationals made Strasburg the top pick in baseball’s amateur draft on Tuesday. He’s expected to sign with the Nats unless agent Scott Boras scares them off with contract proposals that run like the numbers of an established star.
Strasburg could see the majors by the end of he year. He’s that good. Still, there are no guarantees that he’ll become a star, let alone a one-in-a-lifetime type pitcher. Much was written about Mark Prior too. "Can’t miss," they said. But you can miss if your body doesn’t cooperate.
So it’s a big time gamble for collector or prospectors to be laying out hundreds of dollars for limited edition Strasburg baseball cards. Despite still being an amateur, Strasburg was featured on a number of Upper Deck products last year as a member of Team USA.
His 2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot, and USA Red Autograph (numbered to 25) have been two of the hottest sellers on eBay, with selling prices stretching to $350. That’s more that most autographed cards of the Hall of Famers he’s being compared to, like Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver.
A total of as of over 400 Strasburg items were on eBay early Tuesday morning. There’s no doubt if Strasburg makes it big, many of those ’08 cards will be his most sought-after, even though he’s not pictured in a big league uniform.
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