The Washington Nationals have had a rough couple of seasons recently, being consistently one of the worst teams in the NL East as well as the entire league. But as the Nats struggle to compete with higher payrolls and teams with fan bases that have had a chance to build over time, they do have a potential ace in the hole, so to speak. Recently drafted pitcher Stephen Strasburg has shown all the signs that he is the pitcher with the type of talent to save a flailing franchise, which is what the Nats were hoping when they signed him to a record contract after drafting him first overall just a short time ago.
As he continues to dazzle in the final weeks of Spring Training and intrasquad games, Strasburg brings with every fastball the possibility that the Nats have something to build around for the future. When he does make his first regular season start for the Nats, <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’, ‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’]);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/washington-nationals-tickets/”>Washington Nationals tickets</a> will doubtlessly be the most sought-after in the short history of the franchise.
Strasburg has been widely touted as the best pitching prospect to come out of the amateur draft in years, perhaps ever. This is nothing new, of course, as similar prognoses have surrounded pitchers like Mark Prior and Felix Hernandez recently as well. Strasburg has handled the hype so far with striking poise, however, making a splash in Spring Training matchups and creating a buzz around the Nationals that hadn’t previously existed. With a fastball that tops out at over 100 MPH, maybe it’s easier to handle what comes your way.
It isn’t just a blazing fastball that separates Strasburg from the rest of the pack, though, as he also has a bevy of other devastating pitches to choose from â something that any pitcher needs to have no matter how enamored scouts get with the radar gun. According to Nationals’ pitching coaches, Strasburg also has a two-seam fastball that has enough movement to make it appear like a slider from a left-handed pitcher. His changeup is also a great compliment to his fastball and some have even suggested that his slider is even more formidable than any of his other pitches. While many pitchers get drafted high solely because of their freakish ability to throw the ball hard, it seems that Strasburg has other tools that could keep him among baseball’s very best pitchers for a long time.
Even with the incredible hype surrounding Strasburg, however, the Nats will keep him in on their Double-A team for the immediate future, with hopes of limiting the pressure that will eventually surround him when he does come up to the big club. This comes despite whispers that Strasburg is already the best pitcher in the Nationals system, which actually shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering their overall talent level. But don’t expect Strasburg to stay down in Double-A Harrisburg for very long as it’s unlikely that batters on the minor league level will be able to handle his explosive stuff.
Regardless of how long Strasburg stays in the minors, though, his arrival with the big club later this year will be among the most anticipated events on the Major League schedule, which is saying something for a team that finished with the worst record in the entire league a season ago. The Nats certainly still have many other needs before they could be considered a viable contender, yet Strasburg’s starts will command national media attention even while they take place at the minor league level. Considering the obscurity with which the Nationals have entered the last few seasons, such attention will certainly be welcomed by the franchise. Strasburg may only be step one for the Nationals, but it certainly seems that he is a giant step in the right direction.
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