Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Chris Stratton

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher.  To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.


Profile 17: Chris Stratton

Profile/Stats:

Christopher Lee Stratton is a Junior at Mississippi State University. He went to Tupelo High School in Tupelo, MS. He was born on August 8th, 1990. He is listed at 6'3" and 198 lbs. He throws right-handed. He was not previously drafted. Stratton has been a starter all 3 season in his NCAA career starting 14 games each the past 2 seasons. This season he started 9 and came from the pen in 4 (a practice common for high level prospects.) He pitched 89.1 innings, allowing 19 bases on balls and striking out 107. He has pitched a complete game shutout, his ERA is 2.22 and his WHIP 0.960.

Mini Scouting Report:

Stratton's fastball is his greatest weapon. It sits at 94-95 and bursts up to 96-97. He has great command and control, even though his fastball at the highest speeds occasionally flattens out. He has a hard slider that sits at 84-85 mph, which is an average pitch, and an above average 12-6 curve at high 70s, which is his out pitch. His mechanics and arm action are not consistent but will benefit by professional coaching. Here is a piece on Chris Stratton by ESPN.

Videos/Photos:



Here is a video of Stratton pitching in a High School game:







Here is a recent interview after a game:







Here is a video of a game between Georgia and Mississippi State with Stratton pitching for MSU:

Miss State Outlasts Tennessee at Home