The first pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, former San Diego State ace Stephen Strasburg is ready to challenge Major League hitters with his 103 mph fastball, 90 mph slider and off-speed pitches. His big-time stuff is than enough to lead the way on most large league rotations. Now Stephen Strasburg will have the chance to prove that he can make hitters look bad on the big stage. 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.
Wow, can Stephen Strasburg actually defy physics?
A humorous blog post on The Washington Post website suggests that 21-year-old Stephen Strasburg has pitches that defy physical laws. Legend goes that Stephen Strasburg’s pitches can freeze in midair or blink out of existence and suddenly appear behind the hitter’s hindquarters. The point of the humor is to poke fun at just how much hype has been placed on this young man, but the reality is that his has the pitches and the poise to be successful. In addition to a sellout crowd, a lot more than 200 members of the media will be in attendance at the game, an astronomical number that gives some indication of just what people expect from Stephen Strasburg.
The numbers tell a tale of domination
Stephen Strasburg had a Golden Spikes year at SDSU in 2009: 13-1, 1.32 ERA, 195 K and only 19 BB in 109 innings. The performance merited a Golden Spikes Award. In the minors, the train kept rolling on to the tune of 7-2, 1.30 ERA and 65 K in 55 1/3 IP spread between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, cities that will soon see the bat of new Nats draft pick Bryce Harper.
Innings could be limited, but not expectations
Jim Riggleman and Steve McCatty will limit the number of pitches Stephen Strasburg throws tonight, but that doesn’t equal diminished expectations. A sea of Strasburg T-shirts will no doubt fill the stands at Nationals Park. Perhaps some fans are already looking into no fax paydayloans with instant approval in order to finance the construction of their own Strasburg shrines. Hopefully, Stephen Strasburg has the perspective to remain above the waves. Strasburg has the stuff in his arm, but give him room to find the stuff in his head. Like Sidd Finch, Strasburg has the fastball; but the Nats right-hander is a real man who can fall prey to moments of ego.
Citations
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
