Not exactly breaking news, but worth a mention. The Giants signed their first-round draft pick, Chris Stratton, for the recommended slot amount of $1.85 million. Baseball America offered a little scouting report after the news:
Stratton broke out as a prospect with a 17-strikeout game against Louisiana State in mid-March and kept rising up draft boards all spring. He pitches at 91-93 mph and touches 95 with his lively fastball, and he also has a plus slider and flashes an above-average curveball.
If you want to watch the 17-strikeout game, you can find it in the ESPN3.com archives, unless you have the same stupid Internet provider as me. There are other highlights on the Mississippi State page, though:
Now comes the fun part: overreacting to Northwest League stats. And I'm sincere about that, too. I remember what it was like when Tim Lincecum abused NWL hitters right away, and it was beyond exciting. Same with Kurt Ainsworth. It's fun when the polished college guys mow through the league. Not that I'm guaranteeing Stratton will do that ... just working on a hunch.