As the ALCS approaches a game seven showdown between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers Monday night, the Philadelphia Phillies could have already punched their ticket to the World Series.
Tonight's action will be very telling in who steps up when the lights are the brightest. The red-hot Phillies will look to hold off the Arizona Diamondbacks in Philadelphia tonight.
NLCS Game Six: Arizona @ Philadelphia - 5:07 pm ET on TBS
ALCS Game Seven: Texas @ Houston - 8:03 pm ET on Fox
Our Lindsay Crosby revisted the 2020 MLB Draft class and still thinks highly of the group of selections. Here's a small part of his breakdown.
In the first round, the Braves dove feet-first into their infatuation with Wake Forest pitching and took LHP Jared Shuster out of the Winston-Salem, NC private university.
(After taking Wake RHP Connor Johnstone in 2017's 21st Round, Atlanta took consecutive first rounders from Wake in Shuster and 2021's Ryan Cusick. Only Shuster is still with the organization.)
After narrowly losing out on the 5th starter's job in spring training, Shuster finally debuted in April of this year, going 4-3 with a 5.81 ERA in 11 starts. His record and ERA weren't much better in AAA Gwinnett, going 5-6 with a 5.01 in sixteen minor league starts.
Verdict: If you could do this one over, I think you'd still take Shuster. While there are other, more productive major leaguers still on the board at 25 (Bobby Miller went to the Los Angeles Dodgers just four picks later), Shuster still projects as a average MLB starter, coming in at #9 on our prospect rankings (out later this week).
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