The Most Anticipated Arrival
This week one year ago, Stephen Strasburg was drafted #1 by the Washington Nationals out of San Diego State. He set a new precedent of media hype that reached a whole different level than anyone before him. Now, Strasburg was clearly the best player in the First-Year Player Draft of 2009, but I had serious reservations as to just how much everyone was gushing about him. I wrote that nobody--not even the most hyped prospect in baseball history--was worth the millions that the draft pick payment scale mandates. Strasburg signed for $15.1 million right before the deadline in August, and was officially a National. I became even more critical after the franchise committed so much to invest in a 21 year old prospect with no guarantee of panning out. I was annoyed that for the next 8 months until his debut we'd have to hear all about how legendary Strasburg will be, see the same San Diego State bullpen videos on loop, and receive instant updates on all his minor league starts against 30 year old baseball lifers.
Well, in a sport where living up to the hype is so statistically rare, Strasburg met and exceeded it in his first start for Washington on June 8. His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 14 K, 0 BB. Read that again....14 strikeouts!!!!!!!!!!!!! In his first major league start!!!!!!! This guy looks so good that he needs zero adjustment time to major league hitting. Granted, he pitched against the Pirates, but he was completely overpowering with his triple-digit fastball, 90 MPH changeup, and filthy slider.
Not only did he have the repertoire to be dominate, but he seems to know how to use it. This is just as important as raw talent, and is what makes a baseball player so dang hard project. You can have all the speed in the world like Rafael Furcal, but if you're injury prone or can't get on base, speed is worthless. You can be blessed with great size and arm strength like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, but without the right mentality and toughness, you'll flame out. You can be the most gifted with the glove and the bat like B.J. Upton and J.D. Drew, but without a competitiveness and drive to get better, you will underachieve.
Strasburg has the physical brilliance like the above names and countless other MLB hopefuls. What separates him from the crowd, however, is a maturity level, an intelligence, and a toughness that seem to characterize a rare brilliant few. In any game, but in baseball especially, the intangibles and mental skills are every bit as vital to success as the tangibles and physical skills.
Needless to say, I'm sold on Strasburg. I'm not usually one to make snap judgments about things, and would typically need to see a little bigger sample size to make an evaluation on a player. Strasburg is different. He is transcendent and utterly dominant at 21 years old. Ladies and gentlemen, Stephen Strasburg has arrived, and he is ready to own the CY Young race for the next 10 years.
