Why You Should Be Rooting For Stephen Strasburg
by Travis G on Aug 29, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
in New York Yankees Analysis
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Print"Chicks dig the long ball." That's something we've heard for a long time now. While it sure is fun to watch the sluggers of baseball, it might be more fun to watch a fireballing pitcher that can make those sluggers look silly. If you're a fan of the game of baseball - and if you're reading this, I can't imagine you're not - you should be rooting for Stephen Strasburg to have a successful rehab and return to his 2010 form next year.
If you recall, Strasburg was the first overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft. The Nationals paid him a record $15.1 million to sign, and he showed that he was worth it the following season. He started at Double-A, made all of five (dominating) starts, and moved up to Triple-A, where he was possibly even more dominant. He made his big league debut after just 11 professional starts, and it was hyped almost as much as a World Series game. Strasburg did not disappoint, striking out 14 Pirates while walking none (7 ip, 2 er) in a 5-2 Nats win. In front of a sell-out crowd (only the second of the season, after Opening Day) and a national audience, Strasburg set a ML debut record for K's in a game. I watched (as I'm sure many of you did too) as mesmerized as if he was working magic - not just for the Nats - but for the whole sport.
He started 12 ML games that year before going down with an elbow injury that would lead to Tommy John Surgery. But before the injury, he put up the following line:
68 IP, 2.91 ERA (2.08 FIP), 92 K, 17 BB, 1.07 WHIP
Those are fantastic numbers for any pitcher, let alone a 21-year-old rookie. In fact, the only rookie starter with more K's per 9 (with at least 60 ip) was Kerry Wood (a somewhat dubious honor considering the path of Wood's career).* And the only rookie starter with a better K/BB rate was Roy Oswalt. That's how good Strasburg was.
Anyway, he made his fifth rehab start on Saturday, and apparently looked very much like his 2010 form. He reached 98 MPH with his fastball and 90 with his changeup for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. He K'ed seven in five frames (against no walks) and allowed one earned run on two hits. In five rehab starts, he's striking out more batters and walking fewer than he did in his first minor league go-round (25/3 in 14.1 ip). Usually the toughest thing to regain after TJS is control. It's a great sign for Washington and for baseball.
Why is it great for baseball, you may ask? Allow me a tangent. I went to college in Boston from 1999-2003. If you saw Wraithpk's FanShot on the subject, you know how good Pedro Martinez was during that five-year stretch. Living in Boston, I experienced first-hand the excitement that one player brought to the town. Every game he started was an event. Even though I personally didn't get excited, it was evident wherever you went or whatever kind of media format you tuned into. I've never seen anything like it anywhere else in baseball. Strasburg has Pedro-like ability. He averaged over 97 MPH on his fastball last year and you've already seen his ridiculous stats. If he stays healthy (which might be a big "if," inverted W and all), he could put up a decade of numbers similar to Pedro's five-year prime.
So imagine a "homegrown" pitcher with true electric stuff, with the weight of a whole franchise on his shoulders, pitching in a pretty large market, becoming the best pitcher in baseball, and leading a formerly inept team to the playoffs (and possibly further).
MLB doesn't do a good enough job of promoting its stars (perhaps due to the fact that English is a second language for many of them), but if Strasburg reaches his potential, he could be the Michael Jordan of baseball. Jordan, of course, was the first global NBA star, and turned basketball into a worldwide game. Strasburg could do that for baseball.** He's that extraordinary. Let's just hope he stays healthy.
If you're a fan of baseball, you have to root for him.
* How much Dusty Baker had to do with that is hard to say.
** I know baseball is big in Latin America and East Asia, but I want to see it gain ground in Europe, Africa and South America.
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awesome post and I agree with it all. Rec'd
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by seton hall and steelers on Aug 29, 2011 10:11 AM EDT reply actions
European and African expansion is a pipe dream
Baseball is so far behind soccer (which they actually call “football” in those places, lo-freaking-l) that I can’t see another sport coming in and really gaining a foothold. For one thing, most of the best athletes for at least the next generation are going to go right to soccer, then the secondary sports (cricket, track, curling, whatever) in those places. Also, the best baseball is played in the America, and the second-best probably in Asia, so Europeans and Africans aren’t going to see the best players. And I’m sure the fact that it’s an “American” sport is going to hurt.
Still, I’d like to see Strausburg come back and dominate for what it would mean to the MLB.
by long time listener on Aug 29, 2011 10:13 AM EDT reply actions
Don't forget rugby
Which is actually a pretty awesome game. But good points all around.
"In a perfect world, we'd all be Yankees." ~Rick Horowitz
by Captain_Mick on Aug 29, 2011 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
"the" MLB?
First DFA of the week.
by long time listener on Aug 29, 2011 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
"which they actually call "football" in those places, lo-freaking-l"
Oh?
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
by MattF15 on Aug 29, 2011 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
To be honest, it's more complicated than that
I’m sure a lot of people already know this, but “football” for the British was Association (which is soccer) and Rugby/Rugger (which is still rugby). So it’s not even that simple.
That said, football being called football makes a lot more sense. You know what the NFL is called in my part of the world? American football.
The idiot formerly known as pkyankeefan! Now in Technicolour!
by Hasan Paliwala on Aug 29, 2011 4:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh is right
"Kick ass. pop champagne. And get some ho's"-Hideki Matsui
by Livestrong77nyy on Aug 29, 2011 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh so seconded!
The idiot formerly known as pkyankeefan! Now in Technicolour!
by Hasan Paliwala on Aug 29, 2011 4:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Football is the perfect name for "soccer"
seeing how it is a sport where you touch the ball with your feet 99% of the time.
"Kick ass. pop champagne. And get some ho's"-Hideki Matsui
by Livestrong77nyy on Aug 29, 2011 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
So its still cool to name drop Strasburg
word app.
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
I never root for anybody's career to be ended by injury, even if they play for Boston.
Players like Strasburg are simply good for the sport. Unfortunately, the repairs typically aren’t permanent. But I wish him the best.
by designatedquitter on Aug 29, 2011 10:59 AM EDT reply actions
Definitely want him to get healthy
I hope he can be as good as they say.
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 29, 2011 11:00 AM EDT reply actions
Yes, rooting for Strasburg
and it is amazing to see what they can do with surgery now. Of course Tommy John surgery has been around since the ’70’s, but many veteran players don’t bounce back as well as, well, Tommy John. Tommy John was actually commenting that teams drafting college pitchers with lots of innings under their belt, may want to consider the procedure as a proactive measure because they can actually make the arm better and the recovery period, especially for a young guy, is not that bad anymore. Obviously nobody is actually going to do that, but if procedures like this and the cell treatment thing that Colon had done become more routine, we will see a wave of elective procedures, just like laser eye treatment.
Great post
Working in DC, I got to see the excitement around Strasburg firsthand. He absolutely electrified the city, in ways baseball hasn’t really been able to do since the Nats first came to town. This is a Redskins town first, and Alex Ovechkin is approaching godhood for many folks around here, but Washington DC is also a major baseball town waiting to happen. If Strasburg turns into a legit ace, and in so doing makes the Nats more competitive, you’ll get the crowds to consistently fill that big beautiful stadium of theirs.
"In a perfect world, we'd all be Yankees." ~Rick Horowitz
I went to his last start before he had TJ surgery
I remember everyone saying after the game that he didn’t look good, didn’t have his best stuff…and he was still hitting 101 on the gun. K’ed something like 6 batters too.
Nick’s Sausage > Ben’s Chili Bowl. Discuss.
Live every week like it's shark week.
No argument from me
I know it’s a landmark and all that, but I’ve always been kinda “meh” about Ben’s
"In a perfect world, we'd all be Yankees." ~Rick Horowitz
by Captain_Mick on Aug 29, 2011 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
In fact I'd rather have Hard Times than either of those
"In a perfect world, we'd all be Yankees." ~Rick Horowitz
by Captain_Mick on Aug 29, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Strasburg is unbelievable. I was pretty upset for MLB and for the Nationals when I heard he needed TJS. It was and terrible for baseball, and hopefully he can hold up.
Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
I believe in the Church of Baseball.
- Annie Savoy
You go through The Sporting News for the last 100 years, and you will find two things are always true. You never have enough pitching, and nobody ever made money.
- Donald Fehr
by Frank Campagnola on Aug 29, 2011 11:43 AM EDT reply actions
Just call it an M lol
And it actually looks like he fixed this before he came back this year. His Arm is much more perpendicular to his body now.
by cookiedabookie on Aug 29, 2011 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Strasburg
is amazing. That is all.
"Kick ass. pop champagne. And get some ho's"-Hideki Matsui
by Livestrong77nyy on Aug 29, 2011 1:32 PM EDT reply actions
I was at the debut game, and saw him pitch two other times last year
His stuff is absurd. It’s not the power four seam fastball that sets him apart – there are a lot of guys who throw hard. His curve ball, two seam fastball and changeup (a 90mph “changeup”? Are you kidding me?) and his control that sets him apart. When he’s on he has “video game stuff,” and even when he’s scuffling he’s tough to hit. The game where he injured the elbow was against the Phillies, and he was just dominating a very good lineup. Here’s hoping that he does make it all the way back. He thinks he’s better, because he’s ITBSOHL (you can tell it’s essentially Spring Training for him lol).
The debut game was one of the most electric games I’ve ever attended in person, right up there (but not past) Game 1 and Game 2 of the 1998 ALCS.
ESL
I agree when you say “MLB doesn’t do a good enough job of promoting its stars (perhaps due to the fact that English is a second language for many of them)”. However, that shouldn’t stop MLB. For instance, the best soccer player right now is Lionel Messi from Argentina. He only speaks Spanish, but he’s a worldwide idol for many and FIFA has helped with that. Same thing happened when Ronaldo, from Brazil, was in his prime. He only speaks Portuguese, yet he was an idol everywhere (Africa, Europe, South America).
I think the reason we haven’t had players like this who elevate the entire sport recently is that people are afraid to put so much hope and excitement into one guy after the steroid era. We all watched in awe as McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds shattered the home run records, but we later found out it was all a sham. Pujols and Arod have been the premier players of the past decade, but Arod was already exposed as a former PED user, and although Pujols has never been linked to them it is still hard to keep the doubts from creeping into your consciousness. I’m really rooting for both Strasburg and Bryce Harper because the sport needs a couple transcendent stars to recover the luster of the game.
So now the guys in the subway are saying Jesus is coming on October 21, 2011, but that would mean he wouldn't be on the playoff roster, let alone be eligible for it. I really don't know where these guys are getting their information from...
by Wraithpk on Aug 29, 2011 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I'd rather those transcendent stars be Nova and Montero
Or Banuelos and Montero
Or Betances and Montero
…you get the point.
"Unpleasant Internet Dude"
formerly known as "Rude Internet Guy"
What's wrong with "all of the above?"
Not that I’m greedy or anything …
I like Strasburg and wish him well, but...
the “Michael Jordan” of baseball? Michael Jordan isnt even the “Babe Ruth” of basketball so I’m not quite sure what that means.
I'll explain it to you
Jordan may not have actually been the best basketball player of all time, but he transcended the game in a way no player before him did. Not Russell, Chamberlain, Bird or Magic. I never said he was the best player, just the first global basketball star. Babe Ruth did that for baseball, but that was 80 years ago. It would behoove the game to have another.
Still doesn't work. You picked Jordan because he transcended the game
like no player before him. so for Strasburg to transcend the game of baseball like no one before him he’d have to…what?
Fact is that today’s media is too fragmented to ever have a player transcend like Jordan, Ruth or Ali ever again.
I disagree
Jordan did what he did just 15 years ago. And if anything, the media is more “global friendly” today than it was then. It’s easier to disseminate info than it ever has been.
Not saying he won't be famous just that to transcend the sport, he'll
need to win titles and then branch outside of the sport. I don’t see the Nats winning anything over the next decade, let alone a dynasty, and I really don’t see Stasburg being made into a Saturday morning cartoon any time soon.
The fact is that media may be bigger, but it is more fragmented. Sports, by and large, is relegated to Sports stations. Back in Jordan’s time, it was still on national TV.
I guess if he can figure out a way to get his team into the WS for 6 seasons and then pitch 4 times in each series and win, maybe he’ll make it to that level, but I won’t hold my breath.
The hype surrounding this kid is worse than Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. Good luck to him, but really, the michael jordan of baseball. Please, can I have some of what you’re smokin’?
I refuse to tiptoe through life, only to arrive safely at death.
I'm definitely rooting for Strasburg
He seems like a good kid. Of course his stuff is flat out amazing too. And the pressure on him is just enormous. It’s very much similar to the hype around Lebron James when he was in high school. Both of these guys were drafted onto bottom tier teams but expected to turn them into contenders. We know the story on how James handled nearly impossible expectations; he became an MVP player and even though he didn’t win a title with Cleveland, he certainly transcended that team. Strasburg started off terrific and the injury was a supreme blow to him and the Nats and all baseball fans. I like that he knows what he is capable of and I haven’t noticed him to be as cocky as say… Bryce Harper. I would love to see a guy like him return to his form and maintain it with the Nats for a long time. I think the Nats have been handling him well and I never blamed his injury on them pushing to hard.
That said… as if expectations weren’t absurdly sky high for him already, forget about any comparisons to Michael Jordan. Strasburg will never be Jordan. Baseball just isn’t set up to be a one-man show like the NBA can be. Besides, baseball’s history is so filled with legendary stars there is no need to name drop another sports star.
I dug the insight aside from that final comparison, even as it was just a hypothetical.
"Madison Square Garden is the ultimate basketball stage. That's where I belong. That's where I live. That's the home of the New York Knicks." - Amar'e Stoudemire
by Chris Child's Fist on Aug 29, 2011 3:31 PM EDT reply actions
It doesn't have to be a "one man show"
sport for an individual to gain super stardom. It’s happened before in baseball.
Surgery, especially TJ and other shoulder surgeries, is getting more and more advanced and successful. Heck, I bet that in the future most kids drafted will get some sort of surgery done not to fix, but prevent, certain injuries. Granted, I pulled that out of my a** (lol like TJ surgery) but I think it’s totally plausible. Someday we won’t have to worry about young highly paid aces having their careers cut short… Maybe even throwing till they’re 50.
That aside, very nice article, and I’m absolutely hoping that Strasburg (and Bryce Harper) will live up to the hype and turn the Natties around.
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