Stephen Strasburg debut tonight has baseball world buzzing

The first pick within the 2009 MLB Draft, previous San Diego State ace Stephen Strasburg is ready to challenge Major League hitters with his 103 mph fastball, 90 mph slider and off-speed pitches. He’s the kind of pitcher a team can conceivably build around, according to scouts. Now it is time for the building to begin, as Stephen Strasburg makes his debut within the Major Leagues. His first start could be at 7:05 p.m. Eastern tonight against a Pittsburgh Pirates that is no pushover. According to MLB.com, the game has been sold out ever given that the Nationals announced Strasburg’s debut date a month ago.

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Stephen Strasburg: Really good, but not reality-altering

A humorous blog post on The Washington Post site suggests that 21-year-old Stephen Strasburg has pitches that defy physical laws. Legend goes that Stephen Strasburg’s pitches can freeze in midair or blink out of existence and instantly appear behind the hitter’s hindquarters. The point of the hilarity is that when Strasburg is good, the hype has gotten out of control. Of the 200 members of the press who will be covering the Stephen Strasburg start this evening, it is conceivable that when many will recognize that Stephen Strasburg is good, the whole menagerie may also gladly add fire to a legend that has barely begun.

The numbers tell a tale of domination

At San Diego State University last year, Stephen Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 starts that involved 195 strikeouts and only 19 walks over 109 innings pitched. The performance merited a Golden Spikes Award. After college, Stephen Strasburg was snatched up by the Nationals and kept on rolling at Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, places that 2010 MLB Draft pick Bryce Harper will see soon.

Innings can be kept low, but expectations stay high

Jim Riggleman and Steve McCatty will limit the number of pitches Stephen Strasburg throws tonight, but that does not equal diminished expectations. A sea of Strasburg merchandise will be out in force at Nationals Park. Fans may go as far as to apply for no fax pay day loans with instant approval in order to finance all of this idol worship. Let’s hope Stephen Strasburg won’t drown in this river of infinite expectation. Strasburg has the stuff in his arm, but give him room to find the stuff in his head. Like Sidd Finch, Strasburg has the fastball; but the Nats right-hander is a real man who can fall prey to moments of ego.

Citations

voices.washingtonpost.com/achenblog/2010/06/stephen_strasburg_debuts_for_n.html

mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100607&content_id=10913962&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb