Will Strasberg And Chapman Live Up To The Hype?

Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman, an uber-prospect who has had fastballs clocked at better than 100 miles per hour, simply walked out of his hotel room in the Netherlands recently, defecting in the hopes of pitching in the major leagues. Chapman clearly has incredible skill, as does Washington’s number one pick Stephen Strasburg. Both have superb repetoires and tremendous up-sides, but before we concentrate on that, let me tell a story. There was a segment from the Dan Patrick Show years ago where I remember former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon sharing his thoughts on “can’t miss” prospects. McMahon reminisced about a rookie offensive lineman who’d been drafted by the Bears, a young behemoth with all the physical gifts in the world — strength, size, athleticism. The “can’t miss”...