the beat goes on

This time a year ago, Chris Stratton was a junior at Mississippi State, dominating hitters in the Southeastern Conference en route to earning the league’s pitcher of the year honor and the state’s Ferriss Trophy award. Much has changed. Well, maybe not that much. A first-round MLB draft pick (read: healthy bank account) last June, Stratton is now in the Class A South Atlantic League, pitching for the Augusta GreenJackets, a San Francisco Giants affiliate. He’s still dominating hitters. Through four starts, Stratton is 2-1 with a 2.38 ERA. He has 28 strikeouts and just eight walks in 22 2/3 innings. The strapping right-hander, the 20th pick overall, put up a 2.76 ERA in a rookie season that was curtailed in mid-August when he was conked in the head by a batted ball. No worries. He was fine, and he entered this season already rated the No. 3 prospect in the Giants system by Baseball America. He hasn’t disappointed. It may seem like a long way from low-A ball to The Show, but for Stratton, it’s probably not.