He has a record of 13-5 in 133 innings pitched, an ERA of 2.90, 166 strikeouts, he is 24 years old, and his team has the best record in Major League Baseball. The Washington Nationals will, without a doubt, need every bit of their ace starter in order to complete the dream season that 2012 has been so far. Not just for 180 innings which is the number that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo promises not to let Strasburg exceed.
"We feel that we do know this is going to work," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told Jeff Passan of YahooSports.com. "We've done research. We feel like there's evidence. We're not saying we're smarter than anyone else. But we're going to do it the way I want to because I'm in charge. That's the answer I have to all the critics and all the ex-players. They're welcome to it. They're very astute. But the majority didn't make their bones in player development."
Is Rizzo really taking the “my way or the highway” stance on a decision that could permanently affect his prized commodity, and his team’s overall future? This guy needs to step back and take a serious look at the current state of professional sports. A current state where nothing is guaranteed, not in baseball or in badminton. An era of sports where a 7-9 Seattle Seahawks team can beat the defending Superbowl champions in an NFL opening round playoff game, and some hockey team here in Los Angeles won a Stanley Cup. An era of sports where
Anything can happen, including blowing a chance to win a World Series because a general manager doesn’t want to admit that his way might not be the best path to baseball glory, glory that a lot of players have never felt, and probably never will. How will Strasburg feel sitting in that bullpen during the first round of the postseason, knowing he will not get a chance to help his team? How will that affect a player who has just entered the prime of his career? Professional sports are filled with very emotional, and sensitive, individuals. The media may paint Strasburg in a pretty picture, but we really have no idea what goes on inside the mind of a young millionaire with a 100
I understand that Tommy John surgery is no joke, and most players have a 50/50 chance of making a full recovery. Strasburg had the procedure done in August 2010. Two years later, we are more than halfway through the 2012 season, and Strasburg is one of the best in the business. I hope he has a nice bleacher pad.
Even when the Nationals decide to sit their savior, there is no assurance that the team will ever have the amount of success that they are having this season. The Marlins won two championships in the late 90’s and haven’t had the same success since. Their franchise has seen many good players come and go over the past decade and a half. Reality is, the time is now for the Nationals, so let him pitch!
