Washington Nationals: Has Stephen Strasburg been a disappointment?
Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was reactivated on his 30th birthday on Friday, with the hope he could push Washington to a playoff berth. But is he the pitcher the Nationals hoped he would become?
Friday was a big day for Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Not only did he come off of the disabled list with the Nationals hoping that he could help fuel their playoff chances. While he pitched relatively well before falling apart in the fifth, allowing six runs in 4.2 innings of work, with six strikeouts and two walks, Strasburg also showed why he may well be one of the more maddening pitchers in the game.
That performance was a solid example of his career. Since bursting onto the scene as a highly touted phenom in 2012, the former first overall pick has tantalized with his potential, but has left the fanbase wanting more.
Heading into Friday, Strasburg had produced a respectable 90-51 record, averaging out to a 16-9 season over 34 starts per year. However, the three time All Star has had problems staying on the diamond, reaching the 30 start plateau twice in his career. He has taken the ball every turn over a full season only once, and led the NL with 242 strikeouts that season.
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If Strasburg is on the diamond, it is easy to see his talent. In his 1180.1 innings, he has posted a 3.10 ERA and a 1.082 WHiP, striking out 1383 batters with just 302 walks. He is fourth amongst active pitchers with a 130 ERA+ and in WHiP. Over the course of every pitcher in major league history with at least 1000 innings, Strasburg ranks third all time with a 10.545 K/9 rate, 15th in WHiP, and fourth in K/BB rate. He is a generational talent.
And yet, Strasburg is never in the conversation for the best pitcher in the game today. Despite statistically being right there with pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, and even his teammate Max Scherzer, he just does not have that same reputation.
The biggest difference between Strasburg and that trio, and other pitchers considered amongst the best in the game, is health. While Kershaw has struggled with injuries in the past couple of years, Strasburg has earned a reputation for being injury prone. That inability to stay on the mound, and make 30 starts a year, has made him appear to be a disappointment.
In a way, that thought process is understandable. Part of being able to be a true ace, one of the rarest players in baseball today, is that ability to make over 30 starts and pitch close to 200 innings a year. Strasburg has, as mentioned earlier, reached the 30 start mark twice. He only has one season with over 200 innings. And that just is not enough.
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Stephen Strasburg is phenomenal, for the most part, when he is on the mound. The problem is, the Washington Nationals starter is just not there often enough.