Washington Nationals: Can Stephen Strasburg Make the Leap?
By Joe Perri
The ‘perfect storm’ of events could be coming together for Stephen Strasburg to have a big year for the Washington Nationals.
Stephen Strasburg is off to a blazing start for the Washington Nationals in 2016. He’s 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA to go along with 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. When Strasburg lit up the Yankees in Spring Training for 9 k’s, and no runs in just five innings, it was an encouraging sign. As encouraging as it was, no one was overly impressed- but maybe they should have been?
While everyone else in Spring Training was trying to “figure things out”, Strasburg was in mid-season form. Spring Training is only Spring Training, and not much should be made of it, but when a pitcher has a groove going in March, and carries that momentum into the regular season, then there’s something to be said about Spring Training.
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The story on Stephen Strasburg is simple: he’s left a lot to be desired in his young career because he has all the potential in the world, but he hasn’t lived up to it. Could this be the year he finally takes the next step and elevates his game to an elite level? Here’s three reasons why I think he can:
Mike Maddux: If Stephen Strasburg has his breakout year this season, it will be no coincidence that Mike Maddux is behind it. When he took over as the Texas Rangers’ pitching coach in ’09, that staff had the worst ERA over the last 8 seasons at 5.14. From 2010-2013, the Texas Rangers were third in the American League with a 3.83 ERA. Five pitchers became All Stars under his watch. Maddux gets the most out of what he is given. This year, he was given Stephen Strasburg.
“Maddux gets the most out of what he is given. This year, he was given Stephen Strasburg.”
The Slider: According to Brooks Baseball, the most Strasburg ever threw his slider was in 2014 where it accounted for 1.4% of his pitches. In his first three starts this year, the slider is occupying 13% of his total pitches. While this is too small of a sample size to make a judgment, it is another pitch that the hitter has to think about. Mike Maddux acknowledges the new addition to Strasburg’s arsenal, “It puts another thought in the hitters mind, that ‘Holy cow, he’s got that too… It really neutralizes guys sitting on one side of the plate on him.”
Contract Year: If there’s one thing that can give a professional athlete extra motivation, it’s contract year. We’ve seen it time and time again where players go above and beyond in their walk years. According to spotrac.com, Strasburg has made around $29.8 million in total earnings for his career. That’s less than 1/3 of what his buddy Jordan Zimmerman just made on one deal with the Detroit Tigers.
Next: Jordan Zimmermann off to hot start
Whether Mike Maddux can pull the elite out of him, the slider was the key all along, or he simply wants to get paid, this year could be the ‘perfect storm’ of events for Stephen Strasburg to have a big season.