Rankings/List

With the addition of up-and-comer Bryce Harper to the Nationals organization, Steven Strasburg's epic 14-strikeout debut tasted that much sweeter.

But don't be quick to assume Strasburg is the only rookie making noise in the MLB.

A myriad of rookies have displayed star potential. Whether on the mound, at the plate, diving for catches, or on the base paths, young guns like Desmond Jennings (OF, Devil Rays), Carlos Santana, (C, Indians), and Jason Heyward (OF, Braves), are having outstanding rookie seasons.

Okay, we get it already.

Tonight, Stephen Strasburg took the mound for the first time against the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of a sold-out crowd at Nationals Stadium.

He pitched a great game, but was it one of the all-time best debuts?

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It was definitely a big week for the league’s corner infielders. The names of Youkilis, Glaus, Konerko, Rolen, Kouzmanoff, and Cabrera were on the tops of all the statistics. The guardians of the baselines spoke with their bats, and ruled the diamond.

Martinez, Gardner, Rasmus and Suzuki spent last week blasting the hardball. Injuries and rest days couldn’t put out their fire.

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Although the MLB Draft is still going on (rounds 31-50 are tomorrow) I decided to get the draft recap done as players picked lower than 30^th rarely end up signing. If the Braves add anyone who I could see making an impact, I will be sure to add them to the list.

First, here is a quick breakdown of what the Braves drafted, going by their listing on MLB.com.

Pitchers: 12

Catchers: 3

Corner Infield: 4

For the Houston Astros, day two of Major League Baseball’s 2010 First-Year Player Draft began with selections No. 58 and No. 90 (before a plethora of picks in rounds 4-30) shortly after noon ET on Tuesday, June 8.

So how did Houston score in the second day of the draft?

Let’s begin by taking a look at their first few choices (rounds two, three, and four) and what the future may hold for those players.

Overall, I’d give the Astros a B for their picks in day two of the MLB Draft.

These rankings are based on a 300-point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (1 point for each team) is the most points any team can get in a given category. For instance if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category. The 5 offensive categories used:

HR’s, RBI’s, Runs, Average, and SB’s . The 5 pitching categories used: Wins, Saves, WHIP, ERA, and K’s.

The Texas Rangers are clearly dedicated to building from within after they traded away their franchise first baseman, Mark Teixeira, for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and four other big-league prospects.

It was definitely a big week for the league’s corner infielders. The names of Youkilis, Glaus, Konerko, Rolen, Kouzmanoff, and Cabrera were on the tops of all the statistics. The guardians of the baseline spoke with their bats and ruled the diamond.