Stephen Strasburg

Shame on You Mike Rizzo

Stephen Strasburg is a freak of nature, a brand of physical prowess that the game of baseball has not seen in decades, maybe never in its history. His fastball sits in the high 90’s with relative ease. His curveball falls off a cliff and leaves batters staring in awe. His changeup registers harder than many pitchers’ fastballs, yet still leaves batters in a stymied trance. In his senior season at San Diego State he finished with a 0.63 ERA in conference games, and once struck out 23 batters in a game. He came into the 2009 Major League baseball draft as the most highly touted player to ever come out of college, and maybe the most coveted prospect in an entire generation of baseball, maybe the most coveted prospect ever. The Washington Nationals selected him with the first overall pick.

Strasburg made his debut on June 8, 2010. He gave up two runs, and struck out 14 batters and walked none. How many people have accomplished that feat in their debut? Zero. Nobody has ever done that before.

He went on to make eleven more starts in 2010, finishing with a 2.91 ERA and striking out 92 batters in 68 innings. In 2011, Strasburg made five starts, recorded a 1.50 ERA, and made Major League hitters look inept at the age of 22. He left his fifth start with discomfort in his right arm, discomfort that snowballed into the infamous appointment with Dr. James Andrews for Tommy John surgery.

After missing the rest of the 2011 season, remarkably, Strasburg was ready to pitch the season opener, an opener in which he befuddled the Cubs for seven innings, allowing one run and striking out five. Strasburg has racked up fifteen wins with only six losses, accumulated 197 strikeouts in 156 innings, recorded a 3.16 ERA, and compiled a legitimate CY Young resume. He is the ace on baseball’s best pitching staff and best team. Strasburg would be scheduled to make his next start tonight against the Mets—but instead, under the orders of general manager Mike Rizzo, Stephen Strasburg has been shut down for the rest of the season.

Shame on you Mike Rizzo.

Before the season had even begun, in attempt to assure Strasburg’s future safety in light of his surgery, Rizzo had said that Strasburg would pitch this season under a strict innings limit—roughly between 160 and 180 innings. He figured: We are probably one or two ways from seriously competing for a championship, why risk Strasburg’s health this season? Mike Rizzo’s worst nightmare has developed right before his very eyes.

Not only have the Nationals proved that they were ready to compete this season--they are the best team in baseball. They are coasting to the conclusion of the regular season with baseball’s best record and a seven and a half game lead on Atlanta. All five starters have ERA’s under four, with both Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez under three, Strasburg just slightly behind. They have outscored their opponents by 130 runs. Nobody thought they would be this good, especially not Mike Rizzo.

Shame on you Mike Rizzo.

Our nation’s capital does not deserve this. Baseball has been played in Washington whether it be the Senators or Nationals for a combined total of 78 years. They have been to the playoffs three times. Three times. The last being 1933. How can he do this to them?

What makes the decision to shut down Strasburg even more infuriating, there is no scientific evidence that limiting Strasburg to precisely 160 innings will make a positive impact for him in the future. Where did he get this magic number of 160 from anyway? Injuries are unpredictable. By limiting Strasburg’s innings there might be benefits to his right arm, but who’s to say he may not develop a bulging disk in his back next year? Maybe he tries to save a ground ball up the middle with his bear hand and breaks a finger. Anything can happen.

Shame on you Mike Rizzo.

Even more agonizing, Rizzo is caught so caught up in a self-indulged arrogance that he is ignoring the simplest of facts: They may never be this good again. The Washington Nationals have an opportunity that they may not receive again for a long time. Every season is unpredictable. They are succeeding in a year of baseball steeped with parity, a year where seventeen teams are still in the playoff hunt, a year where there are no dominant teams except themselves. The Yankees are hobbling to the finish line, the Red Sox can’t get out of their own way, the Angels have disappointed, the Phillies cleaned house, this is their time. If there was ever a chance to pull off something improbable and magical as the Washington Nationals winning a world series this year, after eight straight miserable seasons as a franchise, there chance is now. They need Strasburg.

Shame on you Mike Rizzo.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this mess that is about to ensue—the impact on Strasburg himself and the players. This kid has carried a staff to prominence, carried a team from the gutter to significance, and now he has to watch his team go on to the real battle without him. It would be like the captain of the squadron taking the trip to Normandy but then staying in the boat during the invasion. This is going to kill the kid’s psyche.

Shame on you Mike Rizzo.

What about his teammates? “Sure guys, I know you have worked hard all year to become the best team in baseball, but we are shutting down our best pitcher. Although there is no evidence that this will work, we think it may help him in the future.” Is that what manager Davey Johnson (who you can tell isn’t on board with this decision) has to say to his players? Is that what the Nationals are supposed to say to the 2,078,208 fans that have attended their games this year?

Look, can the Washington Nationals win a World Series without Strasburg? Absolutely. Their pitching staff will still be very good without him. They are still a very good team without him. However, there are ways that the Nationals could have avoided this. If Mike Rizzo was so dead set on Strasburg not exceeding 160 innings, why not start him in the bullpen for the first month or two of the season? Why not skip his turn in the rotation once a month? Why not put him on the 15 day DL after the all-star break, when they finally knew just how good they were and had already jumped out to a four and a half game lead? Why not shut him down now and bring him back in the postseason? Any of those would have sufficed…anything but this.

Shame on you Mike Rizzo, shame on you.

-Chris Collins

Follow Chris on Twitter  @ChrisCollins127