Strass to Harrisburg

[CALSGR8]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032001392.html?hpid=moreheadlines

 

[saltydad]

I think this is a good move, as much as I want to see him ASAP. Let's not ruin a great new pitcher.

[CALSGR8]

Oh I AGREE whole heartedly with him spending some time in the minors.  I was hoping he'd start for the P-NATS!  Oh well.  We'll have to see him when he hits Bowie.

[The Chief]

I agree with this move.  Strassburger really needs to brush up on his spaceball in hagersburg.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Oh I AGREE whole heartedly with him spending some time in the minors.  I was hoping he'd start for the P-NATS!  Oh well.  We'll have to see him when he hits Bowie.

That'll be 4/13.

[JMW4th]

surprise surprise, Keith Law doesn't agree with sending Stras down.

one of you Espn insiders post his article on it please?

[imref]

Here's Law - it's very different from what Sheinan wrote.

Hey guys - could we consolidating these threads into a single "Stephan Strasburg" thread?

After three spring training starts, the Washington Nationals sent prized pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg to Double-A Harrisburg on Saturday. In his three starts, Strasburg went 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, allowing eight hits while walking one and striking out 12 in nine innings.

In sending him down, the Nationals cited the risks of making the jump directly from amateur baseball to the majors, as well as the need to slow down his delivery from the stretch. In recent years, top prospects such as Evan Longoria and Matt Wieters have started the year in the minors primarily to delay their eligibility for salary arbitration.

Strasburg's current contract runs through 2012, with a guaranteed salary in that final year of $3 million. If he's not eligible for arbitration for 2013, the Nationals can't renew him below $2.4 million (a 20 percent cut) under the current collective bargaining agreement, so holding him in the minors until mid-June to stave off super-two status is worth less to them than it would be if he was a typical rookie who wouldn't likely earn a million-dollar salary until his first year of arbitration.

If Strasburg is eligible in 2013, he'd be looking at $3-4 million even if he's mediocre or misses some time with a minor injury, but even Tim Lincecum, who went to arbitration with an unprecedented two Cy Young Awards in his pockets, was looking at a midpoint of $10.5 million in his arbitration case.

A realistic estimate of the Nationals' savings in 2013 from keeping Strasburg from reaching super-two status that year is $4-5 million, which, discounted back three years, is probably not that much more than the revenue they'd gain from having him make an extra few home starts this year.

Getting him to the majors sooner would accelerate his development for future years, since he has very little to work on in the minors -- "slowing his delivery from the stretch" is a new one for me -- and what he does need to improve is only going to improve in the big leagues

[PANatsFan]

He's entirely overlooking the free agent clock and making it about money, ignoring the JZ situation last year where he was called up after the FA time was up but early enough to be a super 2.

[Kevrock]

He's also ignoring injury potential. I know money is a factor, but I'm tired of these outlets reporting Strasburg stories as if money is the only reason the Nats do anything.

There are tons of reasons to start Stras off in the minors, plenty of them for his own good!

[blue911]

If Keith Law is against something then I'd say go ahead and do it. Is Keith Law not aware that Mr. Wang is also due to be sent to the minors? Does Keith Law not realize that Mr. Wang can only spend 30 days in the minors? Does Keith Law realize that Mr. Detwiler, considered a front runner for a rotation spot, will begin the season on a minor league rehab assignment?

With Wang & Detwiler, Strasburg becomes the 3^rd option to take a rotation spot.There are other reasons that Mr. Strasburg will spend time in the minors,most have nothing to due with his service time.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Honestly, as a fan, I don't give a crap about Super 2s, 3s, 4s, arbitrations, or any of that bullcrap that everyone now believes we suddenly have to care about. The kid can pitch and pitch better than any journeyman/hack we have on staff right now. He had a killer Spring Training against big league hitters and the scrubs he'd be facing anyways in the Minors.

He deserved to go North.

[The Chief]

I don't care what he thinks and neither should anyone else.  I don't know why you guys always give him free press here.

[HalfSmokes]

Harrisburg surprises me, I though they would go with warmer weather in Potomac

[PANatsFan]

Harrisburg surprises me, I though they would go with warmer weather in Potomac

Comparable temperatures right now.

[GMUNat]

Instead of worrying about the weather, tell him to not be a wussy and pitch in 50 degree weather. We don't need to coddle him because he needs this experience when pitches in cold November games.

[Kevrock]

It's not coddling to put our investment in the best possible scenario while he is making a dramatic workload adjustment.

Also, Strasburg would not even want to go to Potomac, so it wouldn't have anything to do with him being a wussy.

[houston-nat]

Honestly, as a fan, I don't give a crap about Super 2s, 3s, 4s, arbitrations, or any of that bullcrap that everyone now believes we suddenly have to care about. The kid can pitch and pitch better than any journeyman/hack we have on staff right now. He had a killer Spring Training against big league hitters and the scrubs he'd be facing anyways in the Minors.

Honestly, as a fan, I would rather have one extra year of him later than three extra weeks of him now.

[The Chief]

Honestly, as a fan, I would rather have one extra year of him later than three extra weeks of him now.

Agreed.

[Lintyfresh85]

Thirded.

[tomterp]

Honestly, as a fan, I don't give a crap about Super 2s, 3s, 4s, arbitrations, or any of that bullcrap that everyone now believes we suddenly have to care about. The kid can pitch and pitch better than any journeyman/hack we have on staff right now. He had a killer Spring Training against big league hitters and the scrubs he'd be facing anyways in the Minors.

He deserved to go North.

Well, as a fan, I'd rather have a full season of Strast in 2016 than three weeks in 2010.  That's the gamble.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Well, as a fan, I'd rather have a full season of Strast in 2016 than three weeks in 2010.  That's the gamble.

This franchise should be folded if they can't sign him to an extension.

[Potomac Cannons]

This franchise should be folded if they can't sign him to an extension.

Why?  We have no idea how important he'll be at that point.  If he's the best pitcher in the game, but we have a very good staff without him and other important contracts coming due, why not Halladay/Lee him?  It's better than if we Sheets/Sabathia him and lose him to that team that must not be named.  An extension would be great at that point but let's save our nagging for things don't need more than half a decade to be relevant.

[tomterp]

This franchise should be folded if they can't sign him to an extension.

Do you see a lot of Boras clients signing extensions in lieu of testing the free agent waters?

[PANatsFan]

Do you see a lot of Boras clients signing extensions in lieu of testing the free agent waters?

Boras breaks his own rules sometimes. A big offer is a big offer.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

An extension would be great at that point but let's save our nagging for things don't need more than half a decade to be relevant.

Agreed.  On that note, let's save our worrying about his arbitration clock until that's relevant, rather than assuming we have no choice but to lose him to the Yankees/Red Sox.

The point is that Strasburg is supposed to turn this organization from a Royals/Pirates franchise into one of the bigger players (Phillies/Angels/Braves of the 90's/etc.).

If this team is still behaving like the Pirates by that time, they're hopeless.