By: Tyler Ward
We have long anticipated Stephen Strasburg to get to the Major League level. Now, he's five starts in and he is pitching like a 10-year veteran. On June 9, 2009, the Washington Nationals selected Strasburg with the #1 overall pick. Strasburg was dominant in 2009, his junior year, while attending San Diego State. He put up exceptional numbers that year: 13-1, with a 1.32 ERA. He also threw his first no-hitter on May 8, 2009, his final home start vs. Air Force. This just made him more popular and soon, GM's were scouring to somehow obtain Strasburg. Fortunately, for Washington, Strasburg landed in their hands. On August 17, 2009, the Nationals officially signed Strasburg to a record-breaking 4 years, 15.1 million contract. Many scouts thought that he would come to the big leagues at some point, but a selected few envisioned it would be this early.
Strasburg has all the skills in the world to become the greatest pitcher of this decade. I think he can own many records and become Hall of Fame worthy when his career is over. But, will he stay in Washington for his whole career? I doubt it because I need to be realistic. It's the Nationals, a team that hasn't finished above .500 since the move to Washington. I believe that after his contract is up, he will sign with a high-profiled team with a bunch of money. Who? Well, there's always the Yankees (Payroll - $206,333,389). They always have the most money in MLB, year after year, along with the 27 championships. The Red Sox can also be in contention since they have the second highest payroll ($162,447,333) and a contending team recently with World Series wins in '04 and '07. The Cubs, Phillies, and Mets round out the Top 5, respectively. I'm sure that Strasburg wants to be on a contending team because getting a World Series ring is the most important thing in Major League Baseball. If Strasburg keeps up the pace, he can warrant a huge salary when his rookie contract is up and go to a team with a good amount of money to spend. He is having one of best rookie seasons imaginable, even though he is on a team that will more than likely fall short of .500 this year.Does Strasburg deserve to be in the All-Star game this year? For publicity, yes. For his stats, I'm not 100% sure since he hasn't played the entire season. I don't believe he is one of the best players in the league so far, but he is the best prospect MLB has had in a long time. So, why not vote him in? Games sell out easily, simply because everyone wants to see the phenom in action. Although I wasn't alive at this point, he is being considered to be a Roger Clemens type (a clean one). Not onlyis he compared to Clemens for the hype, but also because Strasburg and the young version of Clemens can dominate any facet of the game. Strasburg's stats have been impeccable through the first five starts, as he posted 48 strikeouts in those games (2nd all time, only behind Herb Score in 1950). If Strasburg had a team that could supply runs for him, I think he could possibly be undefeated right now. But, he's only won 2 of his first 5 starts.
Here's a breakdown of Strasburg's first five starts:
June 8, 2010 (vs. Pirates): 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 14 strikeouts, 0 BB (W, 5-2)
June 13, 2010 (@ Indians): 5.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 8 strikeouts, 5 BB (W, 9-4)
June 18, 2010 (vs. White Sox): 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 10 strikeouts, 0 BB (ND - CWS 2, WSH 1)
June 23, 2010 (vs. Royals): 6 IP, 9 hits, 1 ER, 9 strikeouts, 0 BB (L, 1-0)
June 28, 2010 (@ Braves): 6.1 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 7 strikeouts, 2 BB (L, 5-0)
Overall: 2-2, 2.17 ERA, 31.2 IP, 25 hits, 8 ER, 48 strikeouts, 7 BB
Those are promising statistics and he should have more wins if it weren't for the lack of run support. But, I think Strasburg should be in the All-Star game because he actually deserves to be there. As of right now, I believe Ubaldo Jimenez, Tim Lincecum, and David Price are the best young pitchers in baseball right now and Strasburg will soon follow suit. Strasburg is on track to truly become a great player. Even Bobby Cox, one of the greatest managers ever, has gone on to say, Stephen Strasburg is a "Hall of Famer in the making". That's nice to hear coming from a person like Cox. He continues to be hyped and praised for his fastball that makes hitters look almost every single time. One scout even went as far to say in early March '09, "Right now, he's better than A.J. Burnett". Burnett has not done so well with the Yankees thus far. He was definitely not worth the 5 year/$82.5 million contract he signed last year. And Strasburg hadn't even been drafted yet, but he was, and is better than Burnett for far less money. If he does get selected in, it will definitely not be the last of his All-Star appearances. He can be a perennial All-Star and someday lead a team to a championship in my opinion. I also believe Strasburg is the most hyped, highly-touted prospect in MLB history.
That's why..
At the end of the day, Strasburg needs to be voted in. He's only made five starts, but his appearances have energized crowds and spectators. I believe that Strasburg can be come an awesome player (if he leaves Washington) and definitely become a Hall-of-Famer. His statistics are good so far, but he has to keep it up year after year to live up the hype bearing down on his shoulders.
Is Strasburg the next great one? I believe he is. He is baseball's Sidney Crosby. He has shocked everybody with how well he has been able to adjust to the pace of the big leagues. There have been no players except the aforementioned Clemens and Dwight Gooden. I feel that Strasburg is a poor man's Dwight Gooden. They both have been overhyped, but they can bring it to the plate every single night to give the crowd a burst. Although, I doubt Strasburg would have the same problems as Gooden had, but Gooden was a good all-around player. Strasburg will succeed in baseball and perhaps, become a better pitcher than Clemens and Gooden. He has all the potential and confidence to become the next "great one". This is only the start of the Stephen Strasburg Era and there is still a long way to go.
NOTE: Strasburg's 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor baseball card sold for over $16,000 on eBay earlier this year. That's enough to buy a good car!
