The prospect hype machine has been in overdrive this off-season, but the negative conotation of the word typically lends to the belief that the player in question isn't nearly as good as the buildup would indicate. So far, nothing could be further form the truth for the two most highly hyped prospects of the winter, Stephen Strasburg and Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman has thrown a number of bullpens to his Reds' teammates this spring, and each session elicits the same combination of amazement and frustration from the hitters who have faced him, including in his most recent session, as noted by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. This being Chapman's second live BP session, the hitters were at least attempting to swing, albiet largely unsuccessful.
In Nationals' camp, Srasburg was throwing his first BP session of the spring, which meant his teammates weren't swinging against him, but were instead just tracking pitches. That didn't leave them any left impressed, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com, noting his control and and movement as much as his velocity.
