Opinion

With the 16th selection in the 2010 MLB draft, the Chicago Cubs pick...Hayden Simpson? Who?

That's exactly my thought process when I heard of this very strange and unexpected decision by Cubs Scouting Director Tim Wilken.

The only thing more surprising would have been if the Cubs had picked Homer Simpson.

Even ESPN's Keith Law was stunned, saying that "For one thing, it's not scouting director Tim Wilken's style; he loves athletes and hard throwers, guys with upside who have the chance to become stars."

Tonight, the king will finally pitch from his throne.

Stephen Strasburg, the number one overall pick from a year ago, makes his anticipated debut tonight, in the nation's capital of Washington, DC.

If you were under a rock for the past two months, it might not have been a bad thing.

The most hyped prospect in the history of baseball was showcased on every MLB outlet possible.

All of his starts in Triple-A were shown on television around the country, and no one came away not impressed.

Here’s a look at some unheralded players who played well yesterday.

Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs

Byrd is heating up again. He went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. He has four multi-hit games in a row, hitting .588 over that span. On the year he’s hitting .321 with 33 runs, seven HRs, and 31 RBI.

Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs

Silva continues to be one of the league’s biggest surprises after giving up one run on four hits with five Ks over seven innings to improve to 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA.

I started thinking about the Padres, which is a rarity for many people.

They give me an impression of this west coast, easy-go-lucky squad, that Tony Gwynn used to play for.

I would be willing to bet that most people couldn't name another Padre player other than Adrian Gonzalez.

Normally, that's about as far as it goes.

I can't remember the last time they struck me as a team that I was worried about when they show up on the Mets' schedule.

This morning, another thought crossed my mind.

Tonight, one of the most hyped rookies in major league history launches his career. Stephen Strasburg makes his big league debut for the Washington Nationals when he takes the ball to pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The attention and interest focused on him is unprecedented. Besides playing in front of a capacity crowd in the nation's capital, the MLB Network will broadcast the game nationally with their "A" team of Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, and John Smoltz calling the action.

Usually, as the weather starts to warm up around the country, so does baseball season. Division races become a little more solid, and the cream of the crop is starting to rise above the bottom of the barrel. 

In the Bay Area, the situation is as it always is.

The American and National League West divisions are bunched together, with all of the teams seemingly within a nice winning streak of first place (except for last-place Arizona, who recently rattled off a 10-game losing streak and now stands 11.5 back of first place San Diego).

The Nationals may be in last place in the NL East but they were in the spotlight yesterday when they made Bryce Harper, a 17-year-old slugger, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 amateur draft.

There have many reports which have Kansas City Royals outfielder David DeJesus being available in trade. And why not? The Royals stink and they can do just as badly without DeJesus as they can with him*.

*That reminds me of a story in which Ralph Kiner, then a power hitting right-handed hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going into Branch Rickey's (then GM of the Pirates) office before the 1953 season to talk contract. Kiner had just led the National League again in home runs (he would lead the NL in home runs his first seven seasons!).

With the 16th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft, the Cubs selected Hayden Simpson, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Southern Arkansas. The former "Mulerider" posted a 13-1 record in 15 starts to accompany a 1.81 ERA. He also threw an astounding 131 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings while walking only 35.

Simpson stands as a physically unimposing presence on the mound at 6'0", 170 lbs, but he throws with good velocity and solid mechanics.

Day one of the MLB Draft has come to a close, and contrary to popular belief, there are storylines beyond Bryce Harper going first overall to the Nationals.

With so many good college prospects this season, a number of All-American caliber players slipped in the draft, and big names such as Brandon Workman are still left on the board for day two.

That said, there were a number of teams who got tremendous value with their day one selections, and I have chosen what I feel are the ten best value picks of the first round, and supplemental first round.

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