I will come out and say it right now, I despise the way the Nationals are treating Strasburg. It seems like they are intending to treat him with kiddie gloves again this year as they pulled him after 7 strong innings and only 80 pitches. By treating him the way high school pitchers should be treated, the Nationals are robbing their fans of what could be one of the most dominant careers by a power pitcher in the last 20 years and the other 24 men on their roster of a chance to win a World Championship.
Argument 1:
Rick Porcello is five months younger than Stephen Strasburg. Rick Porcello was only treated with kid gloves his first year in the majors when he threw 170 innings and started the infamous game 163 against the Twins in the Metrodome. He was allowed to pitch all the way through the season and they limited his per game pitch count. He also was only 20 years old. The result, a sub-4 ERA and health throughout the year. If I recall correctly, Porcello never been on the DL in his four year career. He has thrown between 170 and 185 innings in all of his full seasons in Detroit with the only exception being 2010 when he missed out on 4 starts as he was reassigned to Toledo to work out some mechanical issues.
It should also be noted that Porcello hasn't had a major arm injury, however, Strasburg at the end of 2012 was almost 2 years removed from the injury which means he was fully recovered. At 24 years old, its time for him to be a workhorse and a true ace. The Washington Nationals are claiming him to be their ace, but aren't treating him like it. Porcello has handled a larger work load at a much younger age for multiple years and had no issues. Strasburg needs to be looked at in the same way and even moreso as the team's #1. Time to treat him like a #1 Nats.
Argument 2:
Maybe a better comparison to match Strasburg to is Justin Verlander. Like Strasburg, Verlander came out of college and into the pros with a ton of hype. He also is a power pitcher, just like Strasburg featuring the triple digit fastball and nasty hook.
Verlander's first season in the majors, 2006, he was 23 years old. He logged 186 innings. The Tigers monitored him closely during individual starts, but let him make his 30 starts and let him be the star he was becoming. Strasburg was 23 last year, his first year coming off Tommy John so it makes sense that he was on a innings limit of sorts, but to shut him down at the end of the year when his arm was fully recovered makes more sense.
Looking to the future for Strasburg, the Nationals should follow the Justin Verlander model. Since his rookie season, JV has thrown 200 innings plus every season since. He has never had an arm injury, or even been on the disabled list in his 8 year career. With Strasburg's arm being healthy and Justin Verlander being the best comparison to him as far as style of pitching, I suggest the Nationals adopt the Tigers' path they've taken with Verlander
Conclusion:
If this year's season opener for Stephen Strasburg is an indicator for what we can expect to make, it is a huge mistake by the Nationals for a two main reasons:
Reason number one is that Stephen Strasburg is going to grow tired of the kiddie treatment the team gives him. Last season he expressed his displeasure about being shut down about every opportunity he got. Continued treatment almost ensures that as soon as Strasburg is eligible for free agency, he's gone. Every pitcher wants to be allowed to control their game and throw 120 pitches a la Verlander. Pitchers always go out with the intention of giving the bullpen a day off and Strasburg is no different. He also has the talent and ability to do this frequently. Not giving him the opportunity to do that would most definitely force him to consider free agency. This would be a huge blow for a franchise that would do well to keep him and Bryce Harper for the remainder of their careers.
The second reason is that by not allowing Strasburg to be a perennial 220 IP/season pitcher severely diminishes their chances of bringing a World Series to the nation's captiol. Pitching deep into games saves bullpens down the stretch in September when fighting for a playoff spot and also while in the playoffs when being able to stetch the pen is a huge advantage for managers. Secondly, by having an ace, like Strasburg, that can be in full form late into October can quickly make a best of five series or a best of seven series a whole lot shorter. Pitching is what wins in October, and the Nats need Strasburg in order to maintain the competitive advantage they would have almost anyone in the game should they face them in the playoffs.
Nationals, it's time to take the kid gloves off when dealing with Stephen Strasburg. It's time for him to sink or swim. At 25 years of age, he should be able to handle a large workload and high pitch counts. Let him go for it and reap the rewards.
Argument 2:
Maybe a better comparison to match Strasburg to is Justin Verlander. Like Strasburg, Verlander came out of college and into the pros with a ton of hype. He also is a power pitcher, just like Strasburg featuring the triple digit fastball and nasty hook.
Verlander's first season in the majors, 2006, he was 23 years old. He logged 186 innings. The Tigers monitored him closely during individual starts, but let him make his 30 starts and let him be the star he was becoming. Strasburg was 23 last year, his first year coming off Tommy John so it makes sense that he was on a innings limit of sorts, but to shut him down at the end of the year when his arm was fully recovered makes more sense.
Looking to the future for Strasburg, the Nationals should follow the Justin Verlander model. Since his rookie season, JV has thrown 200 innings plus every season since. He has never had an arm injury, or even been on the disabled list in his 8 year career. With Strasburg's arm being healthy and Justin Verlander being the best comparison to him as far as style of pitching, I suggest the Nationals adopt the Tigers' path they've taken with Verlander
Conclusion:
If this year's season opener for Stephen Strasburg is an indicator for what we can expect to make, it is a huge mistake by the Nationals for a two main reasons:
Reason number one is that Stephen Strasburg is going to grow tired of the kiddie treatment the team gives him. Last season he expressed his displeasure about being shut down about every opportunity he got. Continued treatment almost ensures that as soon as Strasburg is eligible for free agency, he's gone. Every pitcher wants to be allowed to control their game and throw 120 pitches a la Verlander. Pitchers always go out with the intention of giving the bullpen a day off and Strasburg is no different. He also has the talent and ability to do this frequently. Not giving him the opportunity to do that would most definitely force him to consider free agency. This would be a huge blow for a franchise that would do well to keep him and Bryce Harper for the remainder of their careers.
The second reason is that by not allowing Strasburg to be a perennial 220 IP/season pitcher severely diminishes their chances of bringing a World Series to the nation's captiol. Pitching deep into games saves bullpens down the stretch in September when fighting for a playoff spot and also while in the playoffs when being able to stetch the pen is a huge advantage for managers. Secondly, by having an ace, like Strasburg, that can be in full form late into October can quickly make a best of five series or a best of seven series a whole lot shorter. Pitching is what wins in October, and the Nats need Strasburg in order to maintain the competitive advantage they would have almost anyone in the game should they face them in the playoffs.
Nationals, it's time to take the kid gloves off when dealing with Stephen Strasburg. It's time for him to sink or swim. At 25 years of age, he should be able to handle a large workload and high pitch counts. Let him go for it and reap the rewards.
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