Washington Nationals phenom, Stephen Strasburg, may be one of the best pitchers in baseball. He may also be the only one to finish the season early, and not because of injury or poor performance.
Strasburg, a former No. 1 pick out of San Diego State, is in the middle of his first full big league season. After a rapid ascension through the Nationals’ minor league system, he wowed spectators with a dominant MLB debut and impressive starts afterwards. He was all set to be the next big thing until he blew out his elbow and landed on the disabled list.
In September of 2010, Strasburg had Tommy John surgery that would reconstruct his elbow and keep him off the mound until late in the 2011 season. Once he returned, so did the dominance – in the five games he pitched last year, Strasburg went 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
Thus far in 2012, he is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. There is no question that he is at the top of his game and that his performance has contributed greatly to the Nationals’ second-place position in the NL East. At this rate, they will either make the playoffs or be contenders in September.
The problem is, the Nationals organization is planning to limit Strasburg to somewhere around 160 innings. With the pace he is going at, he will reach that limit on Sept 6 – just before the Nationals play three NL East opponents in games that could be critical to the playoff race.
The reasoning behind Strasburg’s limit is that the Nationals are thinking long-term.
They want their No. 1 pick around for a long career, not a few injury-plagued seasons. That’s a fair, logical strategy, but it’s not the right one.
The Nationals should win now while they have the chance.
The starting rotation of Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler has been lights-out and is carrying a mediocre offense on its back.
Once some key players like outfielder Jayson Werth and closer Drew Storen return from injury, they will be good enough to not only contend for an NL East title, but for an NL Championship as well.
By benching Strasburg for those crucial September games, the Nationals will be giving up a chance at the organization’s first division title since 1981. A hungry fan base deserves the best from its team all season long. Few things would sting more than a September collapse – just ask Red Sox Nation.
Yes, the extended season will increase Strasburg’s injury risk. Yes, the organization would like to keep him-and keep him healthy-for a long time. But, the Nationals would also like to win.
They are finally doing that and even though it appears they will have the chance to for many years to come, nothing is set in stone.
Placing an innings limit on Strasburg is a mistake, and the quicker the Nationals’ front office realizes that, the quicker it will be celebrating an NL East title in the locker room.
Jason Clark is a senior journalism major and the sports editor for the Daily 49er.