ESPN: Hefty pricetag on Strasburg’s talent

Major League Baseball officials rarely agree with Scott Boras on the appropriate price for his elite draft picks, but they can’t criticize him for a lack of historical perspective.

Boras was new to the business in 1982 when he hooked up with a talented college pitcher named Tim Belcher. That was the same year a promising shortstop from the Dominican Republic made his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies. The kid would eventually become known as “the ageless Julio Franco.”

So when Boras calls San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg “the best amateur pitcher I’ve seen in my 27 years in the draft,” it’s noteworthy despite the obvious self-interest factor. You don’t need a Baseball America subscription to know that Stephen Strasburg is being advised by, well, Scott Boras.

“Brien Taylor was the best high school pitcher I’ve ever seen, and Darren Dreifort was the best college pitcher as far as stuff that I’ve ever seen,” Boras said. “But Stephen Strasburg has better stuff, a better breaking ball and better command. This guy throws 101 [mph] at times, and 98 was the optimum for those [other] guys.”

Strasburg’s talent is so striking, says Boras, that franchises with no prayer of drafting him are watching him pitch just for the experience.

“Most of the scouting directors are younger than me, but the ones who have been around are saying the same thing: ‘Oh my God, this is something special,’” said the 56-year-old Boras. “They’re sending scouts to watch him pitch when they know they can’t draft him, just so they can see him and use him as the ceiling.”