Stephen Strasburg

[POJO_Risin]

This kid is the real deal...if they don't burn him out. They have him on a 90-pitch count...and his stuff is flippin' wicked.

It's early...but he mowed down the Pirates. 14 K's in seven innings...and only 94 pitches...

Of course...it's the Pirates. And then the Indians. Hell, the Nationals even brought him up against bad teams...another good move...

If you haven't watched him pitch...watch Sunday when he pitches again...

upper 90's fastball
12-to-6 curveball
slurve
change

all plus pitches...

good stuff...

[Romeo Delight]

I don't watch much baseball anymore, but I caught that last night. Pretty impressive.

[chefcraig]

Washington was smart to start him against the Pirates, whom are not exactly a hitting powerhouse. The thing is, the "Natinals" really seem to banking their future on the kid, which is both good and bad. Good, because attendance is up something like 1000%. Bad, because attendance is up something like 1000%, and the temptation to over-use the guy and burn him out is strong. Remember, this is the same manager that overworked the Cubs' Kerry Wood, a pitcher that never fully recovered from the experience.

[Catfish]

My Strasberg boner is only a semi right now. One of those things, I think, where we'll have to wait and see what happens when video builds up on the guy and teams get a second look at him.

[Bob_R]

Here is Strasburg's numbers from his MLB debut last night:

IP 7
Hits 4
Runs 2
ER 2
K 14
BB 0
Pitches 94
Strikes 65
Top speed 100 mph
Attendance 40,315

[Jagermeister]

The kid is being touted as a phenom.

We will just have to wait and see.

[POJO_Risin]

How many pitchers have ever had 14 K's in a game, let alone their first start?

That alone makes him a phenom...

As for overuse...94 pitches. If they keep him to the 90-pitch count per game...he won't get overused...

Wood threw over 100 pitches in 22 of 26 starts...so we'll see...

[POJO_Risin]

I do agree though...you have to wait and see what happens in a month...after there has been extensive video on the kid. But...

there hasn't been this kind of buzz in baseball in awhile...

[Guitar Shark]

It makes me sick to think that the Mariners could have had him, if they hadn't swept the As in the last series of a meaningless 2008 season. All they had to do was lose one of those three games, and he'd be a Mariner.

[Jagermeister]

I do agree though...you have to wait and see what happens in a month...after there has been extensive video on the kid. But...

there hasn't been this kind of buzz in baseball in awhile...

Yeah he's something else. I missed the game last night so I will have to check him Sunday. And yeah 90 pitches ain't shit to a big league player.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Yeah yeah yeah, it was against the fucking Pirates, what a fucking embarassment....

Give Strasburg full props, the kid's got some amazingly filthy stuff....

But the Pirates' hitters were swinging at some pretty bad pitches as well....

Let's see what he does against at team that can, you know, hit....

[POJO_Risin]

While we all know that the Pirates haven't been a major league town in nearly 20 years...it's stil pretty good striking out a quad-A team, right?

[chefcraig]

Oh, hell yes POJ, but it was equally astounding that he didn't offer up a single walk. Terrific performance.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Yeah, but like I said, let's see what he does against a team that has better plate discipline....

But I give the guy props, when you have a fucking 90MPH CHANGE-UP, then knock it down to a 70MPH nasty curve, then ramp it up to a 100MPH fastball, that's really keeping the hitters off balance....

[Jagermeister]

They play the Rangers the 22nd.

[lesfunk]

For the sake of argument, Let's say he's as good as everyone says. Do you think the Nats will be willful enough to shut him down in Sept. if they are 2,3,4 games out and have a chance of making the post season??

[Bob_R]

How many pitchers have ever had 14 K's in a game, let alone their first start?

J.R. Richard fanned 15 for the Houston Astros in 1971.

[POJO_Risin]

Rhetorical...I saw that too...

JR Richard was awesome, done in by a stroke in the prime of his career. Definitely one of the most overlooked pitchers ever...

[Jagermeister]

Not a great performance against the Indians. Small problem with mound. Welcome to the big's!

[Bob_R]

Strasburg suffered his first loss tonight but struck out nine to raise his K total to 41 thru 4 starts.

[Jagermeister]

Strasburg suffered his first loss tonight but struck out nine to raise his K total to 41 thru 4 starts.

So. Is he great?

I like the guy I think he is great.

[POJO_Risin]

He had 9 K's in six innings...but again...No K's. He's struck out 41 batters in 25.1 innings pitched, which is crazy good. He's throwing 75% strikes overall...has a 1.78 ERA...

He did give up 9 hits yesterday, which does suggest teams are doing their homework...and we are talking about Kansas City as well...

But still...kid seems for real.

He does give up a lot of fly ball outs at times, and I do wonder what a patient team will do against him. His pitches have so much movement, that he gets a lot of swinging strikes that are likely balls. A good ump, that calls it through the strike zone, and not in the glove...may give him a bad day.

Still...great pitcher....

We'll see what happens come August...

[High Life Man]

Catfish brought up a good point - let's talk about him after teams get a chance to face him more than once.

No doubt though, he's got talent. The All-Star talk needs to stop immediately, however.

[Bob_R]

He'll be on national TV (Fox) on Saturday pitching vs. the Mets for anyone that's interested.

[POJO_Risin]

Tommy John time...

Schilling had a great piece on him today...comparing him to Josh Johnson...both high heat guys that are 6'5".

Johnson has a sound delivery all the way through, and Strasburg, who's delivery isn't horrid...but is off at points...may have allowed stress with the kind of velocity he's throwing...

So now, the question is whether or not this kid will come back trying to figure out how to throw and be injury prone throughout his career (say, like Kerry Wood), or will he come back with a stronger arm (most do after TJ surgery), a new delivery...and more wicked stuff...

Bad luck for Washington, who will lose two years of his services...if the latter is true...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Can't say I'm surprised with it, unfortunately....

[POJO_Risin]

You know...

if it is the mechanics...then you hammer Washington for it...even if it started prior to the majors...

Another reason why you don't rush a guy up, even though I likely would have too. As good as he is, he needed a couple of years of work on his mechanics...at least a year...

Now...he could turn into Mark Prior...who had dramatic (much more than Stasburg) mechanics issues...but was never able to work it out in the minors until his velocity was damaged...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

When you throw a 90MPH change-up, where the goal is to keep your arm speed as close to that of your fastball as possible, that's a lot of torque on the arm...

[POJO_Risin]

Yeah...that helps...

But the real culprit is the "length" of his delivery...in particular...with the curve, which he throws at a crazy 82-85 MPH...

He's bringing his arm behind his torso...and coming around below vertical...

There's the "extra" torque on top of what you are talking about...on all his pitches...especially the curve...

but...also his fastball and "changeup..."

Which is why his arm blew up this year...and not a couple of years from now...like Prior...

[POJO_Risin]

This guy throws only about 58% fastballs...and on top of that...a four-seam and a two seam...

His curve slightly over 25% of the time...that's a ton of curves for a power pitcher...

and 16% changeups...equally a high number for a power pitcher...

They need to adjust his taking the ball back...and force that fastball number up to 85-90%...the movement an over the top two and four seamer...

then utilize the changeup more effectively...

Of course...his heat may be MORE after this surgery...so who knows...