Sunday, June 13, 2010

Stephen Strasburg takes the hill for the Nats

With an explosive fastball, crackling slider and baffling changeup, previous San Diego State ace and number one pick within the 2009 MLB Draft Stephen Strasburg is ready for the large time. A team could comfortably build a pitching staff around someone like him. Now it is time for the building to begin, as Stephen Strasburg makes his debut within the Major Leagues. His first start could be at 7:05 p.m. Eastern tonight against a Pittsburgh Pirates that is no pushover. MLB.com indicates that this pre-announced start for Strasburg has been sold out for well over a month.

Article Source: Stephen Strasburg debut tonight has baseball world buzzing By Personal Money Store

Wow, can Stephen Strasburg really defy physics?

A humorous blog post on The Washington Post website suggests that 21-year-old Stephen Strasburg has pitches that defy physical laws. For instance, Strasburg allegedly has a pitch that stops in midair, also as a quantum bender that blinks from the middle of the strike zone to behind a hitter’s back. However, the blogger’s point is that people have gone too far in lavishing praise on a pitcher who has yet to see Major League action. Yet all 200 of the press crew at tonight’s Stephen Strasburg start are equally to blame for how far this has gone.

The numbers tell a tale of domination

At San Diego State University last year, Stephen Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 starts that incorporated 195 strikeouts and only 19 walks over 109 innings pitched. That level of domination made a Golden Spikes Award inevitable. After college, Stephen Strasburg was snatched up by the Nationals and kept on rolling at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, places that 2010 MLB Draft pick Bryce Harper will see soon.

Innings could be kept low, but expectations stay high

While Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman and pitching coach Steve McCatty expect to limit the number of pitches Stephen Strasburg throws in his first Major League start, media and fan expectations are sky-high. A sea of Strasburg T-shirts will no doubt fill the stands at Nationals Park. It may be that short term personal loan with instant approval could be on the minds of fans who want to construct their own elaborate Stephen Strasburg shrines. It is the hope of this baseball fan that Stephen Strasburg has what it takes not to be swept away within the mania. The young man certain has skill, but he needs room in this, the Strasburg debut. He should be given time to develop before being christened the guy who made individuals forget about Sidd Finch.

Read more on this topic here

voices.washingtonpost.com/achenblog/2010/06/stephen_strasburg_debuts_for_n.html

mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100607&content_id=10913962&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb



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