Tag: Stephen Strasburg (Page 4 of 6)

      Stephen Strasburg bound for Cooperstown

      June 9, 2010 /

      I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I just wanted to hear the guy’s head explode that always reminds everyone, “It was only one game! It was only one game!” when a young player does well in his first career appearance.

      And actually, Strasburg did more than “well.”

      In his major league debut last night against the Pirates, Stephen Strasburg struck out a franchise record 14 batters over seven innings to pick up his first career victory. His only blemish came in the fourth inning when Delwyn Young took him deep with a two-run dinger to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead. Thanks to Adam Dunn’s two-run dinger in the sixth, the Nationals were able to retake the lead at 3-2, before adding two more runs in the eighth to give them a 5-2 victory.

      Getting back to Strasburg, perhaps the most impressive stat from his debut (besides the 14 Ks, of course) is the fact that he didn’t walk anybody. That’s impressive considering he’s a 21-year-old kid pitching in a packed house for a franchise that has lofty expectations of him. The amount of control he exhibited was also impressive, as he mowed down the Pirates for seven innings.

      Granted, this wasn’t a very dominant lineup he was facing, but so what? He was brilliant and he gave fans a lot to cheer about in his first time out. Who knows where he goes from here, but one thing is for sure: he’s off to a fantastic start.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      It’s a big day in D.C. sports history

      June 8, 2010 /

      The Nationals have been based in Washington since 2005. Since then, they’ve managed to finish dead last in the NL East every year outside of 2007, when they shocked the masses by finishing fourth.

      Outside of Ryan Zimmerman, the only other player the Nationals’ fan base could call a “star” was Dmitri Young, which is like saying Paul Walker is the star in his movies – any movie.

      But tonight at 7:05PM ET at Nationals Park, the fans will have a new star – a legit star, to root for in young phenom Stephen Strasburg. The 2009 No. 1 overall pick will make his major league debut tonight against the Pirates in what will undoubtedly be a packed house in Washington D.C.

      The media in Washington has been trying to get the fans to temper their expectations of tonight for the last couple of months. But that’s impossible for a fan base that has sat through horrid season after horrid season since 2005. They deserve to think the world of Strasburg, even though expectations should be kept at bay. He’s an incredible prospect, but he’s just that: a prospect. He has even admitted that he hasn’t proven anything yet.

      In just over 55 innings and 11 starts in the minor leagues this year, Strasburg struck out 65 batters while walking only 13 and posting a 1.30 ERA. He has been so dominant that even if the Nats wanted to prolong his stay in the minors, they would have no reason to. Calling him up after June 4 allowed the club to delay the start of his arbitration clock, meaning the only reason to keep him in the minors would be so he could work on his game. And his game looks fine as is.

      So June 8, 2010 it is. When Strasburg takes the bump tonight, all eyes will be firmly planted on No. 37. Whether he’s ready for the big moment is not really important. What is important is that his day is finally here.

      D.C. sports fans’ day is finally here.

      External Sports, MLB

      Nationals take phenom Bryce Harper in draft

      June 8, 2010 /

      Suddenly, the future for Washington D.C. baseball looks awfully promising.

      A year after taking pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick, the Nationals took catcher Bryce Harper with the top selection during Monday’s MLB draft.

      Harper doesn’t even turn 18 until October, but he hit .417 with 21 dingers in 51 games at a junior college last season. While his natural position is catcher, the club actually announced him as an outfielder when they selected him. Catchers usually take longer to get to the big leagues because they have to learn how to handle a major league pitching staff. But if Harper can play the outfield, he’ll likely spend less time in the minors.

      While it’s important not to expect too much too soon out of them, if both Strasburg and Harper live up to their potential, the Nationals have two pieces in which they can build their franchise around for years to come. If nothing else, this will be an exciting team to watch over the next couple of seasons with the amount of young talent they’ll have coming up through the minors.

      Here are some YouTube highlights of Harper:

      External Sports, MLB

      Strasburg likely coming to bigs in mid June

      May 27, 2010 /

      The Nationals don’t know the specific date, but the club has tentatively planned for phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg to make his first major league start sometime between June 8 and June 10 against the Pirates.

      From the Washington Post:

      “We can know that right up until the moment that we name him to pitch, but we’re not going to announce that,” Riggleman said. “There’s procedural things. There’s other players affected by it. There’s just too many reasons not to announce it. So we’re not going to announce anything.

      “It affects a lot of people. I liken it to, whatever, April 3 and opening day is April 5. Who made the club? Who didn’t make the club? And a week later, nobody remembers, because the roster has already changed. When this is all said and done, the fact that we nailed down the date he’s going to pitch and announced it will be a non-entity. It’s going to be all about when he does pitch and people will be excited about it. Leading up to it,. we may or may not announce it. That will be an organizational decision. We have a pretty good idea of when he’s going to pitch.”

      One of the reasons Riggleman gave for not announcing the specific date that Strasburg will come up is so that the pitcher he’s replacing isn’t affected. That makes sense given that whoever it is still has one or two more outings under his belt before Strasburg comes up.

      Either way, he’s coming up and that’s exciting. The 21-year-old has posted an amazing 0.39 ERA over his first four starts at Triple-A Syracuse and looks every bit ready to start in the big leagues. That said, expectations should still be tempered. The majors have a way of humbling young players (especially pitchers) and even though Strasburg looks special, there’s quite a difference between Triple-A hitters and the ones he’ll face in mid June.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Strasburg headed to Triple-A

      May 2, 2010 /

      According to a report by MLB.com, Stephen Strasbrug will likely be promoted to Triple-A following his game today for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators.

      The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 Draft went 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA on the month. He’s collected 23 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings, and he hasn’t given up an earned run since his first professional start. Over his last two outings, he’s allowed one hit and one walk over 10 innings. Considering these numbers, a move from the Double-A Eastern League was only a matter of how soon.

      Strasburg will reportedly throw 85 pitches or five innings on Sunday and may make a start late next week against the International League’s Gwinnett Braves.

      This news should please Nationals fans. It only took a month for Strasburg to impress in Double-A, so hopefully he doesn’t hit any bumps in the road at the next stage.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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