Knudson: Strasburg Returns

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
August 8, 2011
 
Back in the 1970s, the opening to the popular TV show, The Six Million Dollar Man, debuted the famous phrase, “We can rebuild him; we can make him better than he was before.”
 
The Washington Nationals $15 million man, Stephen Strasburg, might just prove that phrase prophetic. Just 11 months after ligament surgery on his right elbow, Strasburg, who says he’s in better shape and has emerged from rehab with a better pitching delivery, made his return to the mound in a minor league rehab start. By all accounts, he was sharp.  Afterwards, he made no bones about coming back better than he was before.
 
Before his injury, he was the rookie phenom who debuted by striking out 14 and winning five games with a 2.91 ERA. Former All-Star pitcher, Curt Schilling, called the former San Diego State Aztec the best pitcher in baseball after just a couple big league starts. Even though he pitched just 12 games his rookie season, he was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team after the season.    
 
And now he’s going to be better?
 
Nationals Manager, Davey Johnson, wasn’t in charge last summer when Strasburg mania swept the National League. But he did coach a younger Strasburg when they were both part of the 2008 United States Olympic baseball team, so he knows what the organization has in its possession.
 
“In his first (Olympic) start, he had a no-hitter through six innings,” Johnson recalled during a conversation at Coors Field this past weekend. He had watched Strasburg strike out five of the first six Netherlands hitters he faced. “I was sitting there hoping that somebody on the other side would get a hit so I wouldn’t have to pull him with a no-hitter going. Fortunately, he gave up a base hit and I was able to get him out of there after seven. Just watching him in the Olympics, you knew he was going to be something very, very special.”
 
Having something – or someone – this valuable should be cause for some level of trepidation. Any chance they were rushing him back too soon?
 
Three days before the much-anticipated rehab start, Johnson said “no,” that the organization was certain that Strasburg was ready. “These things take anywhere from 10-12 months now, so he’s right were he should be, if not a little ahead” he said.
 
“Knowing what kind of person Stephen is, and seeing how hard he’s worked, we have no doubt he’s going to be fine,” said Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty. “If we didn’t think he was ready, he wouldn’t be going out there.”
 
Strasburg made the organization’s decision look very good in his first rehab start. He threw 31 pitches in just under two innings of work – he was on a pitch limit of 35 his first time out – and threw 25 strikes, hitting 97 on the radar gun while throwing only fastballs. He struck out four – or half of the batters he faced. Most importantly, after the game he pronounced himself fit and ready for his next outing, with and eye on a return to the big leagues in less than a month.

The plan remains for Strasburg to step right into the rotation in September.

"Obviously, my goal is to pitch in the big leagues in September," Strasburg told MLB.com after the game. "If it doesn't, that's not my call. It's a lot longer process than many people think. Come Spring Training next year, I should be back to normal."

Or better.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.