04/26/24
June 19, 2010
Strasburg: KKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKK KK: Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has struck out 32 through his first three starts, breaking a record for rookies set by J.R. Richard in 1971.
Something about this auspicious climb through the minors and debut in the majors recalls the star burning twice as bright, half as long, etc etc.
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!
Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892 - 1950
posted by Howard_T at 02:25 PM on June 19, 2010
My favorite bisexual from Maine. Edna, not Strasburg. I don't know where he's from.
posted by yerfatma at 03:11 PM on June 19, 2010
Something about this auspicious climb through the minors and debut in the majors recalls the star burning twice as bright, half as long, etc etc.
Or, this is a true legend in the making.
Until we find out for sure, let's just sit back and marvel at what this guy is doing.
posted by NerfballPro at 03:18 PM on June 19, 2010
He's just so smooth. It takes seemingly no effort to throw 97. I cant' wait to see how his career develops.
posted by justgary at 07:33 PM on June 19, 2010
Take a look at Dwight Gooden's numbers some day - his first two seasons - 41-13 with a 2 ERA and over 550 strikeouts. And read some ot the things they were writing about him in 1985. There have been other Strasburgs. Fernando Valunzuela comes to mind as well (8 complete games in 8 starts to begin his career?)
Strasburg's as polished a rookie pitcher as I can remember, but this hype will not serve him well.
And am I the only guy who thinks that the strikeouts are great, but there are about 4 pitchers in the NL doing more amazing things right now?
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:37 PM on June 19, 2010
C'mon Weedy. Lighten up. The point of the article is that there haven't been other Strasburgs (hence the record).
posted by DudeDykstra at 10:12 PM on June 19, 2010
I'd argue that there have been pitchers with better debuts than Strasburg's. I am not a stat guru, but I'd be surprised if there haven't been players who did a better job shutting down the other teams than Strasburg. The strikeouts are impressive don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day it is hits, walks, and runs allowed that counts.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:30 PM on June 19, 2010
Fernando Valunzuela comes to mind as well (8 complete games in 8 starts to begin his career?)
Fernando Valenzuela didn't start his career with 8 complete games.
In fact, "Fernandomania" (1981) wasn't the start of his career.
He pitched 17.2 IP of relief in 10 games at the end of the 1980 season.
The strikeouts are impressive don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day it is hits, walks, and runs allowed that counts.
Well, he's only had 3 games in his sample size. Of course if pitchers have had more games to pitch, they'll have a chance at having a start that is "better" than Strasburg.
But, for the sake of argument, here is the list of starters that began their careers with a streak of games where ER <= 2 (runs allowed) and Game Score >= 60 (hits, walks, strikeouts, runs and innings pitched are part of the calculation).
None of the pitchers with longer streaks struck out at least 8 batters in each of the first three games.
posted by grum@work at 12:07 AM on June 20, 2010
And let's all pray to the baseball gods atop Mt Abner that he's not using any performance enhancers to do it.
posted by irunfromclones at 03:03 AM on June 20, 2010
Strasburg's as polished a rookie pitcher as I can remember, but this hype will not serve him well.
That's usually the safe bet, but every once in a while an athlete comes along who surpasses the hype. I was hearing about Tim Tebow in St. Augustine from the time he was 15. In the interviews I've heard, Strasburg seems to be handling the mental side of it pretty well. He seems pretty grounded and is married at 21, so he might be more mature than some phenoms.
posted by rcade at 08:04 AM on June 20, 2010
Prediction: he has no arm left after 3 seasons in the majors.
Nats have pretty much put him on a pitch count, limiting him to around 100. They have also mentioned shutting him down more often, after or near the all-star break. So this is exactly what they are trying to prevent.
posted by sgtcookzane at 10:39 AM on June 20, 2010
Strasburg will have to handle fame and success better than Gooden; no doubt about it. That and injury are bigger threats than opposing hitters.
Valunzuela, no matter how successful he was at first, didn't have Strasburg's stuff.
The strikeouts are impressive don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day it is hits, walks, and runs allowed that counts.
Eh, I think you're undervaluing strike outs. Strikeouts are the best way to stop 'hits, walks, and runs'. They're far more than just impressive.
posted by justgary at 04:01 PM on June 22, 2010
Prediction: he has no arm left after 3 seasons in the majors.
Something about this auspicious climb through the minors and debut in the majors recalls the star burning twice as bright, half as long, etc etc.