The Strasburg Situation

At last, winning baseball being played in the nation's capital. For much of the 2012 MLB season, the best overall record has been held by none other than the Washington Nationals. And while the team was expected to finish the season with a record above .500 this year for the first time since relocating from Montreal in 2005, the first place Nats who currently stand at 77-51 and own a 6 1/2 game lead in the division over the Atlanta Braves have not only reached expectations, but have surpassed them. Barring a late-season collapse, the Nationals are on pace to make their first post-season appearance since changing their name from the Expos seven seasons ago. And for those who think 2005 was forever ago, the playoff appearance would be the franchise's first since 1981, and only their second in franchise history (est. 1969).

To save you from doing the math, that's 42 years of baseball and only one trip to the post-season. Of coarse excluding the 1994 season which was cut short due to a players' strike. A season in which the then Montreal Expos boasted the best overall record (74-40) as well as a six game lead in the division before coming to a premature close. Since the lost season, the organization and their fan base has had little to cheer about other than the Presidents Race held during the middle of the fourth inning of every Nats home game. But a crop of young talent has finally gotten the ball club to where they've been waiting so patiently to be -- in the center of a pennant race. 

While the Nats offense has done its part thus far, it's been the pitching that has led the ball club to where they currently stand. And the guy that has paved the way is the 24-year old Stephen Strasburg. Having underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2010, Strasburg would miss the remainder of the season as well as be kept on the shelf for much of the 2011 season before making a comeback in early September. Hoping to make a full recovery and return to the Nats rotation in full strength, Strasburg has looked every bit as the pitcher he was before his injury, posting a 15-6 record and an ERA of 2.94 while striking-out a National League best 195 batters. But that didn't prevent the Nationals front-office from monitoring their darling pitcher with an innings limit.

Though it's been talked about since the beginning of the season, the rumor of shutting down Strasburg's 2012 campaign before the season had ended was confirmed by manager Davey Johnson who also announced that the September 12 meeting against the Mets at New York's Citi Field would be the last start of the season for the first overall pick of the 2009 MLB Draft. With 156 1/3 innings pitched this season, Strasburg is nearing the 160-180 innings Nats general manager Mike Rizzo had targeted for his young right-hander in hopes of preventing long-term damage to what was being called the most hyped prospect in Major League history. Such a move could determine Washington's fate and how their season beyond the regular season plays out. Not to mention it could jeopardize the franchise's chances at making its first World Series appearance. But to Johnson and Rizzo, the picture is much bigger than that as they feel that this is first of many seasons in which the Nationals will be contending for a title.

That's not to say the Nationals pitching rotation which also consists of studs Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez isn't capable of holding their own without Strasburg. After all, Washington was able to boast the best record in the Bigs without some of their best talent as Michael Morse, Drew Storen and Wilson Ramos have all been bitten by the injury bug. But with the postseason being unfamiliar territory to this young Nats squad, every bit of firepower will be needed if they plan to bring home the hardware. With a month of baseball remaining before the end of the regular season, the Nats have already matched their win total of 2005 with 81 wins, the most for the ball club since moving to the nation's capital. So regardless if the Nationals win it all this year, they've already exceeded our expectations and have proven that good things come to those who wait. And until Stephen Strasbugh returns to the mound without an innings limit, the Washington faithful will have to wait another year until they can celebrate as World Series Champions.


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