All Aboard for Beijing

The 2008 United States Olympic Baseball Team is, not surprisingly, loaded with prospects. The team, which also has its fair share of talented Triple-A veterans, will be one of the favorites to win gold when the Olympic Games get underway in August although the squad did not even qualify for the Athens Olympics in 2004.

The winners of the 2004 Games were Cuba (Gold), Australia (Silver) and Japan (Bronze). The Cuban team featured Chicago White Sox infielder Alexei Ramirez. The Australian team included Seattle's Ryan Rowland-Smith. The Japanese team had a number of familiar names, including Kosuke Fukudome, Kenji Johjima, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Masa Kobayashi.

Let's take a look at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Squad:

The Pitchers:

Brett Anderson, LHP | Oakland Athletics (Double-A)Jake Arrieta, RHP | Baltimore Orioles (High-A)Trevor Cahill, RHP | Oakland Athletics (Double-A)Brian Duensing, LHP | Minnesota Twins (Triple-A)Kevin Jepsen, RHP | Los Angeles Angels (Triple-A)Brandon Knight, RHP | New York Mets (Triple-A)Mike Koplove, RHP | Los Angeles Dodgers (Triple-A)Blaine Neal, RHP | Detroit Tigers (Triple-A)Jeremy Cummings, RHP | Tampa Bay Rays (Triple-A)Jeff Stevens, RHP | Cleveland Indians (Triple-A)Stephen Strasburg, RHP | San Diego State University (entering junior year)Casey Weathers, RHP | Colorado Rockies (Double-A)

The Breakdown:The first three names on the list are the ones to really watch out for in terms of future big league potential. Brett Anderson, a former Arizona second round draft pick, was picked up by Oakland this past winter in the Dan Haren trade and has risen to Double-A in just his second season after being drafted out of high school. He doesn't have overpowering stuff but he knows how to pitch like a veteran. The 20-year-old currently has allowed 18 hits in 25 Double-A innings with eight walks and 29 strikeouts.

Jake Arrieta, 22, has been dealing in his first pro season after sitting out the second half of last season due to contract negotiations after being drafted out of Texas Christian in fifth round. He currently has allowed 77 hits in 106 innings with 48 walks and 112 strikeouts.

Oakland does not dip into the prep ranks as often as some other teams, but when it does the organization seems to make those picks count, with Trevor Cahill being a perfect example. The 20-year-old has been pitching at Double-A and has allowed 24 hits in 37 innings with 19 walks and 33 strikeouts. He also has a 3-1 ratio of ground ball outs to fly ball outs.

Other interesting players on the pitching staff include Colorado's 2007 No. 1 draft pick Casey Weathers, who will help solidify the bullpen and soon-to-be college junior Stephen Strasburg, the only non-professional player on the squad, who is in the mix to go No.