Unfortunately we'll never know that... at least for a while. Detwiler isn't going to say anything as long as he's with the Nats. The team isn't going to say "Oh yeah, we screwed another thing up." So we're left with Riggleman's statement which we have to take at face value and move on. Oh well.
On a side note : the first issue of the "Strasburg Awesome-Picayune" Spring edition came out this weekend. Expect many more issues to come. Please... PLEASE ignore anything that happens this spring with Strasburg. There are only three official positions for Nats fans allowed here:
- He's pitched well. I am a tiny tiny bit more optimistic. Let's see what he does in the minors.
- He pitched poorly. I am tiny tiny bit less optimistic. Let's see what he does in the minors.
- He got injured. I hate this team
Please do not call him just "Strasburg". There are only three acceptable ways to refer to our blessed 37:
ReplyDelete1. The Savior
2. Stephen "The Savior" Strasburg
3. Jesus
I'm on board with #1, and #3 in the event it should happen. If Strasburg's fastball is as good as advertised, he should be able to blow away spring training and A league guys, no problem. AA and AAA and MLB guys, that's another story. But A level/spring guys. I'm not worried.
ReplyDeleteI find #2 unlikely, as I said, but in the event it happened, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Cass - you forget his highly imaginative locker room nickname which is almost assuredly "Stras"
ReplyDeleteByran - I also don't think he'll pitch poorly in Spring, but if he does, so what? And if he pitches well, so what? Just make it through unscathed and let's see how he does pitching against 9 guys not trying to work on one thing or another
Let Stras progress in the minors for as long as possible. Unless he's just completely dominating AA to such a ridiculous level. This guy is the keystone of the future and the Nats should continue to be as over-protective as possible (and Detweiler provides a very important teaching moment.) Use this year to build up arm strength and maybe a Sept call-up to sell tix and get his debut over.
ReplyDelete"Stras" is only acceptable is you're his teammate. For fans, it's gotta be one of the three. A "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" chant during his MLB-debut would be a thing of beauty, though my one reservation would be that it'd annoy the crap out of him. But Morgan went a long way in terms of jovializing the messianic language.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to get non-boring nicknames to stick, though. Kearns may have played himself out of the majors, but he'll always be "Bluegrass" to me. And I tried the whole "Dutch" thing, but I don't think it fits any longer. Thest I've got is a long, drawn out "Zimmmmmermaaaann" that's supposed to sound like "Superman".
Speaking of nicknames, any chance you'll retitle this blog "Oleanders and Morning Glories"? I can understand keeping the URL, but the new title is so bland. I liked the old title, even if half of it was based on a false premise (though I fear the other half is apt to describe Dukes).
Ray Knight will call him Strassie. Wanna bet?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is his stats will look thusly:
ReplyDeleteA: 2-1, 1.30 ERA/1.104 WHIP
AA: 8-7, 3.38 ERA/1.152 WHIP
AAA: 3-0, 0.37 ERA/.904 WHIP
Everything in those numbers says promote him and quick, except his 19 game stint in AA, which merely say "he's ready for AAA."
Those would all be nice signs for the future, and as Harper says, a reason to be excited that he took that step. But that's all they are: signs.
The numbers I cited actually belong to Pat Combs, who went 17-17 with a 4.22 ERA in 56 MLB games.
Hoo - sounds good, sign me up.
ReplyDeletecass - I'm not superfond of "Jesus" but hell, it's an actual nickname and I'm not going to stand in it's way. Personal nicknames are always the best anyway, though my tend to be all management based: Stan "The Plan" Kasten, Ted "The Dollar General" Lerner. Of course there is always Cristian "Suckbags" Guzman.
As for the name... maybe. OMG wasn't my name to begin with, so I was only ever keeping it because of momentum. Of course I'm not attached to "Nationals Baseball" either. Eh. I swing with popular opinion. If there is any.
Anon - No. I do not.
bryan - but I'd expect Strasburg K numbers would be like 10.2, 8.5, 8.2 which means that he's likely to have a bit more success than the more control based Combs. I don't mind bringing him up in Sept, because frankly if he put those #s up for AA and AAA he's going to be in the rotation in 2011.
ReplyDeleteDo you know how odd it is to find a non-Phillie fan you knows anything about my childhood hero - Pat Combs, let alone that he was "control based?"
ReplyDeleteAgreed that Strasburg's K numbers, and thus his total numbers will likely be better.
He could make Combs' AA numbers look downright pedestrian.
I worry about Stras' arm strength, and thus would like to see him on a strict pitch count. Very strict if he come up early - say may 80 or 90 pitches in 2010. Joba rules strict.
And I'm not one of those guys who is a big pitch-count guy for older, established pitchers. But for a young guy who is the future of this team? I'm onboard.
Good article on the Nats in (of all places) the Philly Inquirer about how they are building along the Phillies model, hoping to draft well and bringing in good vets to build an atmosphere that will survive the Vets' departure. Mentions that Stras will in all likelihood be up this year and that they are 2 or 3 drafts from being any good.
Oh I don't know Pat Combs from Earle Combs. Actually that's not true. I know Earle Combs was an awesome Yankee CF legend who would have been in the HoF if he didn't run into a outfield wall. (well maybe) I just looked up Pat Combs' numbers.
ReplyDeleteI like to baby a pitcher more by age than experience myself. I feel (totally unsubstantiated as far as I know) that as long as the body is growing you're more apt to screw things up, so up until 21/22 you should really keep the pitches limited. Once you get there - it's a steady build to full time. Strasburg pitched around 110 innings last year so.. I wouldn't like to see him go over 140 or so this year.
That Inquirer seems to have it down...if everything goes right.