U.S. hurlers talented, experienced

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U.S. hurlers talented, experienced
07/05/2007 8:00 AM ET
By Mark Shugar / MLB.com

They are what hitters' nightmares are made of.
The U.S. pitching corps for this year's XM Satellite Radio Futures Game showcases a variety of hitter-unfriendly types, everything from highly touted draft picks to storied journeymen to some who've already tasted the bigs. No matter how different the paths that brought them to San Francisco, they all share the same goal: making a lasting impact in the Major Leagues.
Eight of the 10 hurlers hail from American League organizations. And whether they rely on a 95 mph fastball or a 12-to-6 curve, you can be pretty sure all of them have what it takes to make their mark on baseball's greatest stage.
Before you watch them try to prove it on Sunday, let's take a closer look at this bunch.
Collin Balester, Harrisburg Senators (Double-A, Nationals)
A surfer turned pitcher from Huntington Beach, Calif., Balester has breezed through the Nationals' system. The fourth-round Expos pick in the 2004 Draft has been a workhorse for Double-A Harrisburg this season, having pitched 86 2/3 innings in 15 starts.
Balester finished 2006 with a career-high 97 strikeouts between starts with Class A Advanced Potomac and the Senators, and he is on pace to shatter that mark having fanned 71 already this year.
On the season he is 2-6 with a 3.79 ERA. When the right-hander is on, his fastball routinely clocks between 91 and 94 mph. That pitch, combined with his out-pitch, a power 76-78 mph curveball that cuts downward, is an formula that keeps hitters guessing. His changeup needs developing, however, but once he commands that, he could be capable of dominating left-handed hitters.
The 21-year-old also needs to develop a bit more consistency in his pitch location, as scouts observing his professional seasons have labeled him too hittable. Balester is 11th among Double-A pitchers with 101 hits allowed.
Clay Buchholz, Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A, Red Sox)
Buchholz, Boston's supplemental pick in the first round of the 2005 Draft, made his Double-A debut with Portland this season and wasted no time establishing himself as one of the Minor Leagues' most dominant pitchers.
The right-hander leads the Double-A level with a 1.69 ERA, 12.13 strikeouts per nine innings and 115 strikeouts and is holding opposing batters to a .177 average. His four-pitch repertoire -- fastball, curveball, slider and changeup -- keeps batters off balance. The star of the quartet is a 12-to-6 curve hailed by scouts as the best in Boston's system.
Buchholz earned the promotion to Double-A after dominating in the South Atlantic and Carolina Leagues in 2006. He was 9-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 21 starts with Class A Greenville before being promoted to Class A Advanced Wilmington, where he finished the season 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three appearances.
The 22-year-old notched 117 strikeouts with the Drive and another 23 with the Blue Rocks and was named the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Week for the week ending Aug. 27, 2006 -- a feat he's just duplicated in the Eastern League for the week ending July 1, 2007.
Joba Chamberlain, Trenton Thunder (Double-A, Yankees)
Chamberlain's story is one of night and day. He didn't start pitching until his senior year of high school, and his 3-6 record and 5.23 ERA kept him off most scouts' radar.
After a freshman campaign with Division II Nebraska-Kearney, the right-hander transferred to Nebraska, had knee surgery and lost 25 pounds. In two years at Nebraska he compiled a 16-7 record and 232 strikeouts -- and this time he had the scouts' attention.
When the Yankees selected Chamberlain as a first-round supplemental pick in the 2006 Draft (No. 41 overall), he became the highest-drafted Native American ever. Chamberlain spent 2006 in the Hawaii Winter Baseball League and was named the top prospect at the conclusion of the season.
The 21-year-old began 2007 with Class A Advanced Tampa but moved up quickly to Double-A Trenton. His combined record in 11 starts this season stands at 6-1, with a 2.48 ERA and 87 strikeouts. Chamberlain's go-to pitch is his fastball, which has been clocked between 94 and 97 mph.
With three dangerous secondary pitches -- slider, curve and change -- Chamberlain is becoming increasingly difficult for hitters to solve.
Matt Garza, Minnesota Twins (MLB, Twins)
Garza snubbed the Rockies when they selected him in the 40th round of 2002, in favor of focusing on his family -- his first son, Matt Jr., was born on draft day that year -- and his future.
The right-hander -- who won't make it to San Francisco due to his recent promotion to the bigs -- chose to attend Fresno State, where he exploded during the 2005 season with 120 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings. When the Twins came knocking in 2005, Garza was ready to give baseball the right amount of attention, and he signed as the 25th pick overall.
The 2006 season would prove to be a roller coaster ride for Garza, beginning at Class A Advanced Fort Myers and concluding with 10 appearances for the Twins. The 23-year-old would finish his first stint in the Major Leagues at 3-6 with a 5.76 ERA, a distinct drop off from the Minor League numbers that rocketed him to Minnesota -- 18-8 with a 2.56 ERA combined in 2005-06.
So, the Twins started him off at Triple-A Rochester in 2007, where he posted a 4-6 record with a 3.62 ERA and 95 strikeouts. Garza rejoined the Twins on July 2 and pitched two innings in relief against the Yankees, allowing two hits but no runs.
Luke Hochevar, Wichita Wranglers (Double-A, Royals)
Just how much did the Royals want this guy in their system? After selecting Hochevar as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 Draft, the Royals gave the right-hander the first Major League contract handed out to a draft pick since they did so for Bo Jackson in 1986.
Despite the gaudy $5.25 million guaranteed and $3.5 million bonus, Hochevar signed late, and for 2006 was limited to a stint in the Arizona Fall League that was shortened by shoulder soreness.
Hochevar entered the 2007 season with just 23 innings pitched at the professional level and has been grinding through his first full professional season with Double-A Wichita, where he's 3-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 16 appearances. With his fastball clocking between 92 and 95 mph, he has almost as many strikeouts (88) as innings pitched (90).
Hochevar relied on his slider in college, but the Royals want to see him increase his pitch options and have pushed him to develop his plus-plus, late-breaking curveball. If he can develop some consistency with that repertoire, Hochevar could be in the Royals rotation by Opening Day 2008, with a preview coming this September.
Clayton Kershaw, Great Lakes Loons (Class A, Dodgers)
The Dodgers first-round pick in the 2006 Draft, and No. 7 overall, was tabbed as one of the top prospects in the Gulf Coast League before his debut, and the left-hander hardly disappointed.
He finished his first professional season 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA, posting 54 strikeouts versus just five walks in 10 appearances. He garnered the Topps GCL Player of the Year award for his efforts, as well as a promotion to Class A and the Dodgers new Great Lakes affiliate for 2007.
In 14 starts for the Loons, the 19-year-old Kershaw is 7-3 with a 2.24 ERA over 72 1/3 innings and his 98 strikeouts lead the Midwest League. Kershaw can paint the corners with a fastball that's been clocked between 93 and 94 mph.
Able to combine that with a 1-to-7 curveball and an improving circle change, he has the basic tools to turn himself into a dominant pitcher at the next level of the Minor Leagues, and eventually the Majors. Like most young pitchers, he just needs to establish consistent command to continue his move up the ladder.
Chuck Lofgren, Akron Aeros (Double-A, Indians)
Pitching for Class A Advanced Kinston, Lofgren finished 2006 tied for the Minor League lead in wins (17) and ranked second in the Carolina League in both strikeouts (125) and ERA (2.32).
The native of Redwood City, Calif., was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year, as well as a Topps Class A All-Star. It's interesting to note that a lot of teams were planning to select Lofgren for his hitting abilities in the 2004 Draft, before the Indians got a hold of him in the fourth round and turned him into a full-time pitcher.
Lofgren began 2007 with Triple-A Buffalo but a rough start landed him in the Eastern League with Double-A Akron. Since the move, Lofgren is 7-6 with a 4.74 ERA in 16 starts. He has fanned 91 batters while walking 39 over 87 1/3 innings.
The 21-year-old is one of the rare left-handers showcasing velocity, and his fastball has been clocked between 89 and 93 mph. He relies on his changeup as his out-pitch, however, and keeps batters on their toes by mixing in a slider he only added to his repertoire during the middle of the 2006 season.
Michael Madsen, Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A, Athletics)
Madsen was selected by Oakland out of Ohio State University in the 21st round of 2005, No. 641 overall. The Canfield, Ohio, native wasted no time making his mark in pro ball, going 6-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 15 appearances, 12 of them starts, for Class A Vancouver.
He was twice named Northwest League Pitcher of the Week for his efforts and finished the year with a Baseball America Short-Season All-Star nod. The right-hander spent most of 2006 with Class A Advanced Stockton before a brief promotion to Double-A Midland at the end of the season.
Madsen returned to the Ports to begin 2007 and went 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA in four starts. Within a month he was back with the RockHounds, though, providing them with solid innings en route to a 5-2 record and 2.76 ERA in 11 starts.
The 24-year-old found himself on the move again, though, joining Triple-A Sacramento on June 30, where he's 1-0 after allowing 4 hits over 7 2/3-innings in his lone start.
Across the three levels, Madsen has fanned 95 batters in 97 innings. And watch out when he takes the mound at home -- wherever that may be -- as he's a perfect 4-0.
Jeff Niemann, Durham Bulls (Triple-A, Devil Rays)
Niemann might have been the No. 1 overall pick in 2004 had he had not been waylaid by arthroscopic elbow surgery and a groin strain.
The Devil Rays had no qualms about snatching up the right-hander with their first-round pick, though (No. 4 overall), and signed him to a $5.2 million contract.
Niemann's progress as a pro was slowed by more injuries, but in 2006 he produced a 5-5 season and a 2.68 ERA in 14 starts for Double-A Montgomery. He fanned 84 batters in 77 innings and earned Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending Aug. 27.
Niemann made his Triple-A debut with Durham this year and is 9-4 with a 3.52 ERA in 17 starts for the Bulls. He has thrown a career-best 92 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings and shows no signs of slowing down.
At 6-foot-9, Niemann is intimidating on the mound before he even winds up, and that size helps him put a little extra on a fastball that's been clocked between 92 and 96 mph. He mixes in a slider, curveball and change to keep opposing hitters guessing.
If he can stay healthy, he should find himself in an improving Devil Rays rotation before very long.
Garrett Olson, Norfolk Tides (Triple-A, Orioles)
The Orioles took Olson as a first-round supplemental pick in the 2005 Draft, and he has evolved into one of the best all-around pitchers in the organization.
Olson established himself early on, crafting a 7-0 season that featured a 0.88 ERA in the Alaskan Summer League in 2004. The left-hander has since moved quickly up the ladder, venturing from Class A Aberdeen to Class A Advanced Frederick to Double-A Bowie by the end of 2006.
He combined for a 12-10 record and 2.82 ERA over his first 37 starts, which was enough to earn him another promotion. In 17 starts with Triple-A Norfolk this season, the 23-year-old is 7-6 with a 3.46 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 104 innings, including two 10-strikeout efforts, against Durham on May 4 and Buffalo on May 14.
Olson has been praised for his willingness to learn but has been criticized for too much deliberation on the mound at times. Olson relies on his fastball and breaking ball, and they will only get stronger as he gains more command and confidence.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.