Author Topic: Stephen Strasburg Watch  (Read 98653 times)

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Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #175: February 27, 2009, 03:36:40 PM »
This is going to sound odd, but it may be better in terms of length of pitching if Strasburg struck out fewer people. Of course, he should try his hardest, so there is nothing he can do, but...
Hah, I totally know what you mean.  You economize pitch count if you get a lot of quick ground ball outs.  I know from trying to get no-hitters in MVP Baseball.

Offline JMUalumni

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #176: February 27, 2009, 04:23:03 PM »
This is going to sound odd, but it may be better in terms of length of pitching if Strasburg struck out fewer people. Of course, he should try his hardest, so there is nothing he can do, but...

Sure, sounds good.  Only, I don't think it will make much of a difference, over half the strikeouts he had were off of 0-2 counts.  He throws balls like everyone else, but the majority of his balls are pitches that are right on the edge of the strikezone. Unless he is inducing first or second pitch grounders every time, he might as well just stick to what is game is... pounding away the strike zone.  He was only averaging something like 12 or 13 pitches an inning and I have a feeling he might have a few CG or SO by the end of the season.

I get what you are saying is hypothetical and it definitely makes sense in terms of long term for his future.  But, his game isn't groundballs.  It is going after the batter, knowing that his stuff is better than anything they have seen, and getting them to either a.) strikeout b.) foul the ball (possibly an out) c.) pop up/fly out.  The second two outcomes usually result from a problem the batter has with timing the pitches (usually off speed, breaking type stuff, but with also on fastball's with his velocity).  However, his slider (as most are) appeared to be successful in keeping the ball on the ground.

Offline BBQ

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #177: February 27, 2009, 08:46:33 PM »
Interesting the most excitment Nats fans show regarding the farm system is to a player who isnt a national..haha

Offline amanuel

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #178: February 28, 2009, 03:32:41 PM »
Strasburg has 16 K's, reaches 102 mph in win

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/27/1s27azbase01256-strasburg-has-16-ks-reaches-102-mp/?zIndex=59368

Quote
Stephen Strasburg once was asked if he has thrown faster than he's driven or driven faster than he's thrown.

“Thrown faster than I've driven,” he said.

That's prudent, especially when you have a fastball that touches triple digits. Besides, no good can come of it when you're spotted on the road by someone holding a radar gun. It's a different story when they're sitting in the stands. Strasburg can light up the gun with regularity and without repercussion. Only exclamation.

Strasburg was clocked at a new high last night against Nevada – 102 mph. Seven times!

His velocity, coupled with the location of his pitches, helped Strasburg to 16 strikeouts in the Aztecs' 5-2 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Said SDSU coach Tony Gwynn: “He was throwing good, in rhythm. The ball was down. He's pitching. You can't ask for any more than that.”

Strasburg (2-0) struck out every player in Nevada's starting lineup at least once except first baseman Shaun Kort, who may have viewed it as a moral victory to go flyout, single, flyout in his three at-bats against the Aztecs'All-American.

Strasburg struck out the side in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, fueling hopes in the crowd of 1,027 that he might approach the record 23 strikeouts he had here against Utah last season. It wasn't to be. Not on this night, anyway.

The Aztecs (3-2) broke through for three runs in the third inning – all with two outs – scoring on a wild pitch and a two-run single by freshman Brandon Meredith. SDSU added two more runs in the fifth to make it 5-0.

“With the runs on the board, I was just trying to fill up the strike zone and let them get themselves out,” said Strasburg, who allowed five hits and walked one in 6 2/3 innings. “Most of the night, it worked out that way.”

Strasburg departed with two outs in the seventh after allowing two runs to Nevada (2-3) on a two-out walk, a double and a single.

SDSU relievers Kegan Sharp and Addison Reed added four strikeouts to Nevada's total, giving the Wolf Pack batters 20 for the game.

Offline Blueliner

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #179: March 02, 2009, 02:14:16 AM »
I understand that but it would be pretty cool to see him in Omaha in June.  I'm not gonna lie, I'd do everything I could to get in Rosenblatt to see that.  I'd like to see how he handles that stage too.  Not gonna hold my breath but stranger things have happened.  Does SDSU play Fresno St. at all this year?

SDSU won't make Omaha this year.  They play in a second rate conference and that means getting past tough schools in the regionals and super regionals.  Yes, Fresno did it last year but like GMU going to the Final Four, it was a fluke.


Offline Blueliner

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #180: March 02, 2009, 02:17:04 AM »
I'm not really all that concerned with the level of competition right now. From what I have seen, the kid brings a fabulous arsenal to the bump. He has size, an array of pitches, better than decent command, mound presence and his stuff is "puro". That's a lot of tools.  :clap:

You should be concerned about the level of competition.  He won't be little leaguers in the minors.  The conference SDSU plays in is very weak.  Their non conference schedule is very weak.  One game "series" vs Long Beach and Fullerton, and USC aren't going to cut it.  And besides Stras won't pitch in those mid week games against the tougher teams.


Offline PANatsFan

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #181: March 02, 2009, 09:59:34 AM »
over half the strikeouts he had were off of 0-2 counts. 

Plain and simple, holy crap.

The conference SDSU plays in is very weak. 


It has to be better than the competition ZImmermann faced at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Talent is talent.

Online HalfSmokes

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #182: March 02, 2009, 10:07:04 AM »
You should be concerned about the level of competition.  He won't be little leaguers in the minors.  The conference SDSU plays in is very weak.  Their non conference schedule is very weak.  One game "series" vs Long Beach and Fullerton, and USC aren't going to cut it.  And besides Stras won't pitch in those mid week games against the tougher teams.

If were going to get him I want him pitching to weaker competition. Right now, he has a manager who knows he's gone next year and has every incentive in the world to get what he can out of that arm this year. Weaker teams are less taxing.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #183: March 02, 2009, 10:21:18 AM »
SDSU won't make Omaha this year.  They play in a second rate conference and that means getting past tough schools in the regionals and super regionals.  Yes, Fresno did it last year but like GMU going to the Final Four, it was a fluke.
No, probably not, but if you've got a starter like Strasburg that can carry a team a long way.  If they've got another starter, they could find themselves there. 

And, what Fresno did last year, was not a fluke.  They had good young pitching that matured through the season to go along with a competent offense and they played great defense, the last two had been pretty solid all year.  It was unlikely, for sure, but it wasn't a fluke. 

Offline JMUalumni

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #184: March 02, 2009, 10:22:20 AM »
You should be concerned about the level of competition.  He won't be little leaguers in the minors.  The conference SDSU plays in is very weak.  Their non conference schedule is very weak.  One game "series" vs Long Beach and Fullerton, and USC aren't going to cut it.  And besides Stras won't pitch in those mid week games against the tougher teams.



I don't know where this is coming from, but SDSU was ranked as having the 30th toughest schedule and 6th toughest non-conference schedule in the NATION.  That was preseason, they have since moved up 4 ranks to the 26th toughest schedule in the nation.  This is according to Boyd's world, a nationally respected college baseball ranking system. 

Further, while it would be nice to see him against elite competition, the difference between facing San Diego's lineup and Miami's lineup is nominal when compared to facing say the Potomac Nationals.  It is obvious Strasburg can pitch and the question as to whether he can pitch against minor leaguers will not be answered even if he faces a team of the same caliber as Miami or Rice.  That answer will come later this year.

Offline blue911

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #185: March 02, 2009, 10:32:43 AM »
Didn't Jordan Zimmermann pitch for a D-III college?

Offline JMUalumni

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #186: March 02, 2009, 10:36:41 AM »
Didn't Jordan Zimmermann pitch for a D-III college?

Yeah, Wisconsin-Stevens.  Also, last year, D-II champion Mount Olive had 6 picks in the MLB draft.  Top teams like Missouri (6), Irvine (6), and South Carolina (7) had a similar amount of players drafted, given they did have a much higher draft average.

No, probably not, but if you've got a starter like Strasburg that can carry a team a long way.  If they've got another starter, they could find themselves there. 

And, what Fresno did last year, was not a fluke.  They had good young pitching that matured through the season to go along with a competent offense and they played great defense, the last two had been pretty solid all year.  It was unlikely, for sure, but it wasn't a fluke. 

Fresno didn't even have their ace (Scheppers) for the CWS either.

Offline blue911

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #187: March 02, 2009, 10:39:11 AM »
Yeah, Wisconsin-Stevens.  Also, last year, D-II champion Mount Olive had 6 picks in the MLB draft.

Every year high school pitchers are drafted and I can't imagine that the level of competition is better than any college schedule. Pitching is more about being able to repeat your pitches than who you are facing.

Offline JMUalumni

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #188: March 02, 2009, 10:49:53 AM »
I believe there was a discussion about this earlier in the week:

Quote
Strasburg's hot stuff creates some interesting dilemmas

By Tim Sullivan (Contact) Union-Tribune Columnist
2:00 a.m. February 28, 2009

Stephen Strasburg said he was trying to pitch “to contact,” to lean on his defense, to limit his pitch count.

At this, Strasburg was awful. It's a good thing, then, that he is so great.

San Diego State's overpowering right-hander strives for baseball efficiency from beneath a burden of electric stuff. He throws a 100 mph fastball and a curve so sharp it could slice pineapples. He might try to keep his fielders involved, but this fellow pitches to contact as if he were flinging pebbles while the hitters were swinging spaghetti strands.

“He's a freak,” Aztecs coach Tony Gwynn said, in summary. “He's trying to keep the ball down and let them put it in play. But when you've got overpowering stuff like that and it's down in the zone, he's a tough guy to square up.”

This was a few minutes after Strasburg struck out 16 hitters across 6 2/3 innings in Thursday night's 5-2 victory against Nevada, just after Gwynn stopped giggling about the notion of his ace pitching “to contact.” Not only had Strasburg recorded 16 out of 20 possible outs by strikeout, but he retired more hitters on swinging strikes (11) than he permitted balls to be put in play (9).

As Tim McCarver said of Steve Carlton, the batter barely exists for Stephen Strasburg. He's playing, as McCarver called it, “an elevated game of catch.”

“I really go out there with the mentality that guys shouldn't hit me,” Strasburg said. “I know it's a part of the game and I really look forward to when guys square me up and they put me in that crucial situation.

“I just want to see if I can get out of it, you know, make a quality pitch to get a ground-ball double play or punch a guy out in a big spot. That's what I look forward to.”

Otherwise, where's the challenge? Two starts into his junior year, Strasburg's college record reflects sustained dominance: 207 strikeouts in 146 2/3 innings against only 87 hits allowed. The lone collegian to crack the U.S. Olympic baseball team last summer, Strasburg has emerged as the clear favorite for Washington's first overall selection in baseball's amateur draft in June.

He is not pitching to contact so much as he is pitching to contract, toward a deal that figures to be worth $8 million or more. Much as big-league ballclubs appreciate the ability to induce ground balls, they rarely lavish that kind of loot on an amateur pitcher unless he shows the ability to miss bats.

This is where Stephen Strasburg excels, and why roughly 20 major-league scouts huddled behind home plate with their notebooks and radar guns Thursday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium. What they witnessed was a pitcher who is more advanced than the guy who finished second nationally in strikeouts last season, a guy who was clocked as high as 102 mph without corresponding wildness.

Granted, Nevada was overmatched. Still, Strasburg was stunning. En route to a sixth-inning strikeout, Nevada shortstop Kevin Rodland flailed at a first-pitch Strasburg fastball and might have missed it by a foot. Thus chastened, Rodland showed bunt on the next pitch.

“It happens a lot,” Gwynn said. “You get a guy who's overpowering like (Strasburg) and guys go up there with the intent of hitting the first fastball they see. Then, a lot of times, it's got so much giddy-up on it, he gets it by 'em, and they immediately have to try to change their game plan a little bit.

“He's not just throwing it down the middle and saying, 'Hey, I'm going to overpower you.' He's trying to pitch.”

Aztecs catcher Erik Castro, who was also behind the plate for Strasburg's 23-strikeout game last year, says the pitcher has expanded his repertoire with a sinking fastball. Gwynn says Strasburg's breaking ball shows a tighter spin and more “tilt” than it had in 2008.

The scouts are salivating. One major league scouting director confirmed yesterday that no pitcher on his draft board throws as hard as Strasburg.

Gwynn's challenge, then, is two-fold: to tap Strasburg's full potential without compromising his career. There will be games in which Gwynn will be forced to choose between protecting a lead and protecting his pitcher. Thursday, he stopped Strasburg after 112 pitches, with the Aztecs in need of seven more outs.

“We're trying to win the game,” Gwynn said. “That's first and foremost. Second, he's not going to leave his arm here (at San Diego State). We kind of had the same dilemma last week in Compton when he was at 5 1/3 (innings), coming up on 100 pitches. Hey, somebody else has got to pick him up.”

Though relievers Kegan Sharp and Addison Reed were able to close out Nevada Thursday night, Strasburg's goal is to depend more on his defense and less on his bullpen, to go deeper in games by getting more outs on batted balls.

His problem is that it's hard to pitch to contact when the other team can't touch you.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/28/1s28sullivan22466-strasburgs-hot-stuff-creates-som/

Offline PANatsFan

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #189: March 02, 2009, 11:19:28 AM »
Didn't Jordan Zimmermann pitch for a D-III college?


It has to be better than the competition ZImmermann faced at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Talent is talent.

Got me on ignore again, huh? :lol: His league was other Wisconsin branch campuses.

Offline blue911

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #190: March 02, 2009, 11:52:27 AM »
Got me on ignore again, huh? :lol: His league was other Wisconsin branch campuses.

Again?

Offline d_mc_nabb

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #191: March 02, 2009, 12:29:09 PM »
I believe there was a discussion about this earlier in the week:

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/28/1s28sullivan22466-strasburgs-hot-stuff-creates-som/


Oh goody! Keeping the pitch count low is good. When he hits the big leagues, though, I hope he keeps this up, because he'll probably be hit more often, but he'll still get Ks, and [lenty of them.

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #192: March 02, 2009, 02:23:16 PM »
You should be concerned about the level of competition.  He won't be little leaguers in the minors.  The conference SDSU plays in is very weak.  Their non conference schedule is very weak.  One game "series" vs Long Beach and Fullerton, and USC aren't going to cut it.  And besides Stras won't pitch in those mid week games against the tougher teams.


:rofl:

What is this guy's agenda?

I guess he is going to dog 11th Ranked University of San Diego too this week when Strasburg faces them. :?

Offline spidernat

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #193: March 02, 2009, 02:36:49 PM »
He may just be keeping a level head about the whole thing. In contrast, we have people acting like Strasburg has already been drafted, inked and we're just waiting for a date in June when he'll show up at Nationals Park to single handedly escort the Nats into the playoffs. We have a ton of threads dedicated to Strasburg (one is even a countdown therad  :?) and he hasn't even been drafted yet.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #194: March 02, 2009, 02:54:30 PM »
He may just be keeping a level head about the whole thing. In contrast, we have people acting like Strasburg has already been drafted, inked and we're just waiting for a date in June when he'll show up at Nationals Park to single handedly escort the Nats into the playoffs. We have a ton of threads dedicated to Strasburg (one is even a countdown therad  :?) and he hasn't even been drafted yet.
:rofl: Be careful.  You might actually shatter some people's illusion that Strasburg is our big free agent pitcher signing for '09.  They might have to come to grips with the fact that our REAL free agent pitching blockbuster was...

...Daniel Cabrera. :shock:

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #195: March 02, 2009, 02:57:53 PM »
I don't get how ripping Strasburg for pitching well against Nevada and Bethune-Cookman is keeping a level-head.

Like I said I don't know what this guy's agenda is but he's misinformed.


Offline blue911

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #196: March 02, 2009, 03:05:34 PM »
Peter Gammons said that Strasburg was the pick of the draft and that the Nationals were going to take him. He also was wondering about the size of the the bonus.

Offline spidernat

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #197: March 02, 2009, 04:13:35 PM »
I don't get how ripping Strasburg for pitching well against Nevada and Bethune-Cookman is keeping a level-head.

Like I said I don't know what this guy's agenda is but he's misinformed.



I don't think he's ripping him (you're already being ultra sensitive about a player who isn't even on the roster yet  :?). He's just saying that the competition level he is facing isn't great. I don't see that as ripping Strasburg nor do I see it as a lie or misinformed.

:rofl: Be careful.  You might actually shatter some people's illusion that Strasburg is our big free agent pitcher signing for '09. 

Thinking this is stupid. Strasburg will not be even close to a major contributor this season.

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #198: March 02, 2009, 04:17:08 PM »
JMUAlumni already debunked all of that with cold hard facts.



He faces the 11th ranked team in the Nation this week.

Offline spidernat

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Re: Stephen Strasburg Watch
« Reply #199: March 02, 2009, 04:22:49 PM »
JMUAlumni already debunked all of that with cold hard facts.



He faces the 11th ranked team in the Nation this week.

You could say he was facing the top ranked team in the Fairfax County Little League but that doesn't mean it's good competition. I don't think college rankings mean a whole lot. I don't believe the talent in college even approaches that of minor league ball.