It was pretty obvious that Stephen Strasburg was taking the summer by storm up until his recent injury just a couple weeks ago. I mean, any single man who has the ability to sell-out a home game at Nationals Park has to hold some god-like attributes. Strasburg certainly is as good as advertised after Washington made him the first pick in the 2009 MLB draft out of San Diego State.

I think many fans around baseball jumped on the Strasburg bandwagon however, and forgot about dozens of other rookies that were making their debuts in the big leagues. None as astonishing as the 6’4 220 phenom, but still a bunch of names we could see making a huge impact for years to come. Here are some names you should take note of.

Jason Heyward – Atlanta Braves
The 20- year-old Ridgewood, NJ. Native has certainly showed a lot of maturity at the major league level thus far in his young career. No one ever doubted Heyward’s power from the beginning, as his first big league at bat saw the 6-4 Heyward knock a towering home run into the right field bleachers that was measured at over 470 feet. But something people had doubts of was his mounting amount of strikeouts the first month of the season. Heyward struck out 26 times in the month of April in only 75 at bats, but bounced back for a much more respectable twelve strikeouts in May. His homerun pace has come down a little bit, but the rookie is still posting an on-base % of almost .380, and has been batting second Bobby Cox and the first-place Braves. Maybe Cox should think about staying around for awhile, given the lightning this kid has in his bat.

Brennan Boesch – Detroit Tigers
Even though Boesch has batted under. 200 the last month of the season, there still is a lot of things to like about Boesch who was being considered for a spot on the American League all-star team in early July when he was batting upwards of .340. Boesch looks like a player with a lot of potential, with his lean 6-6 frame and ability to put the ball in play, while still hitting for power. Boesch is projected to hit 20 home runs and 86 RBI’s, with 33 doubles and only striking out a shade over 100 times. Those statistics are the perfect formula for a great run-producing hitter on the major league level.

Austin Jackson – Detroit Tigers
Jackson is well-known for his part in the super trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees, in return for Jackson and Phil Coke. As Granderson struggles to perform in New York, many people around baseball are wondering if Jackson can be the crown jewel in that trade, instead of Granderson. Slated into the leadoff position all season, Jackson has been over .300 ever since stepping into the batter’s box for first time. Projected at almost 100 runs, 200 hits, 25 stolen bases, and 40 doubles, Jackson looks to be one of the best true leadoff hitters in the American League. One red flag for Jackson however, may be his high strike out total, which is currently tallied at 111. A number which is incredibly high for a leadoff hitter and something Jackson has to improve on if he wants to hit leadoff, and not ninth.

Ike Davis – New York Mets
The son of former league pitching Ron Davis has really helped keep the Mets afloat in the competitive National League East, as Davis is second on the Mets in home runs, and RBI’s. The big Lefty looks to be anchoring one of the best infields in baseball at first base for many years. Like many rookies his age, strikeouts (94) have been one of the major weaknesses for Davis who sometimes can look like an absolute free swinger at the plate, and struggles to hit breaking balls down in the count. Look for Davis to shorten his swing partially to avoid being an automatic out down in the count.

Jaime Garcia – St. Louis Cardinals
It always helps when pitching for a good team as a young pitcher, and Garcia has really flourished into his role on a very experienced St. Louis staff. At age 24, Garcia has already had to overcome Tommy John surgery following the 2008 season. In 21 starts this season for the Cards, Garcia has struck out 97 batters in 121 innings, while ranking 6th in the National League in ERA (2.54). One thing Garcia has to focus on, however, is his control, as he has walked a batter every three innings on average. Something that has cost him many pitches early in the game, leading to a slightly low total of 94 pitches per game on average. Garcia has still never pitched into the eighth inning at any point this season, and often has trouble getting on the same page with his battery mate, and all-star catcher Yadier Molina.

Mike Leake – Cincinnati Reds
Leake might not have the speed on his fastball to blow batters away but, you got to like a guy who is 7-3 in 20 starts with an ERA at 3.86 for the first place battling Cincinnati Reds. Leake likes to throw a four-seam fastball to induce ground balls, and is a guy that can gut his way through high scoring games. Leake is not a guy that is going to shut you down for nine innings, but Red's manager Dusty Baker has to like Leake’s intensity on the mound, and ability to give his team a chance to win the game. His .357 batting average in 42 at bats isn’t bat either for former Arizona State superstar

Brian Matusz – Baltimore Orioles
Matusz certainly hasn’t lived up to his lofty reputation at this point as the 23-year-old Colorado native is only 4-11 with a 5.25 ERA for the season, but pitching for the Orioles has its fair share of miseries. You still have to believe that Matusz is the brightest pitching prospect in the majors behind Strasburg and Clayton Kershaw at the moment. Matusz has struck out 94 batters in 119 1/3 innings. His seven inning, two-hit, shutout at Fenway Park while striking out eight was a sign of how good Matusz can be. One of the major deciders of Matusz’s success at the big league level will be the success of his fastball, that is usually clocked at a wide range of speed from the high 80’s to mid 90’s. Those velocities simply show a lack of mechanics. Hopefully Matusz can find the right pitching coach after the nuclear winter of the projected 100- loss Baltimore is over in the off-season.