Cy Strasburg 2017 - this is the year!

[tomwvr]

Stras is too good to waste only pitching 3-4 innings a week.

I said this season - he has had too many problems - give him a YEAR with the Closer job and get his body right - his arm his back ect.

What happens if he blows out his arm in the 8th inning of a game that he is doing incredible in?

I really think he is just not set up with his form and his injury history to toss 7 innings for 25 games a year.

[bluestreak]

I said this season - he has had too many problems - give him a YEAR with the Closer job and get his body right - his arm his back ect.

What happens if he blows out his arm in the 8th inning of a game that he is doing incredible in?

I really think he is just not set up with his form and his injury history to toss 7 innings for 25 games a year.

It's not an exact fit, but there is precedent for this. The Braves did this with John Smoltz pretty soon after his Tommy John surgery. He eventually went back to the rotation. But it worked out pretty well for both parties.
That being said, they need Strasburg's innings as a starter, so I don't know if this would be smart for the Nats.

Interesting fact I didn't know. Smoltz is the only pitcher in the Hall of Fame to have Tommy John surgery

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I said this season - he has had too many problems - give him a YEAR with the Closer job and get his body right - his arm his back ect.

What happens if he blows out his arm in the 8th inning of a game that he is doing incredible in?

I really think he is just not set up with his form and his injury history to toss 7 innings for 25 games a year.

The Smoltz project is the precedent for this. I don't think this team is set up to allow for Stras to do anything other than start.  As much as we cringe at the "who will close" question, the rotation is much thinner.  You have "Three Finger" Scherzer, Roark the Reliable, High Beta Gio, and Walking Undead in Ross and Stras.  You can't tap into Fedde or Cole as one of your top 5 at this point.  At least in the bullpen, you are stocked with guys who have stuff and have performed well even if they haven't closed much. 

[imref]

Zuck reports that the Nats have aligned their rotation for the rest of spring training to have Strasburg pitch opening day, followed by Roark and Scherzer.

[Slateman]

Ummmm .. Grant and Danny are saying that he's going to pitch out of the stretch all season??

[DPMOmaha]

Ummmm .. Grant and Danny are saying that he's going to pitch out of the stretch all season??

You're only just now hearing this?

[Slateman]

You're only just now hearing this?

Yeah. I know he did it in ST, but I thought he was just working on things

[dracnal]

Yeah. I know he did it in ST, but I thought he was just working on things

His goal is to simplify his mechanics and cut down on the strain on his forearm.

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Stras is paid WAYYY too much to become a closer.  That would be a last-ditch move to look into if he has a few more years of injuries and they just give up on him staying healthy as a starter. 

[Slateman]

His goal is to simplify his mechanics and cut down on the strain on his forearm.

I mean, it is simpler, but I don't see how this effects his forearm.

[dracnal]

I mean, it is simpler, but I don't see how this effects his forearm.

Beats me- just repeating what I gleaned from an interview he did early in ST.

[Optics]

Looked damn good today, although I do miss it when he Ks 10+, but I'll take 7 IP 2 ER everytime.

[bluestreak]

He did get hit pretty hard today. But I'll take that start too.

[slhubic]

He did get pretty hard today. But I'll take that start too.

...are you missing a word there, or...?  did he really "get pretty hard today"?

* smile *

[bluestreak]

Really LOL. Changed.

[imref]

Strasburg might be on to something:

http://www.vocativ.com/329576/why-does-any-pitcher-use-a-windup/

[NatsAllThe Way]

Our bullpen is always pitching from the stretch too, so no difference for them.

[imref]

Zuck notes:  "Combine all of Strasburg's starts over the last two years and you get 34 in total, the typical average for a full, healthy season. In those 34 starts, he is 21-5 with a 3.39 ERA, having struck out 257 batters in 215 innings. The Nationals' record in those games is 27-7."

[HalfSmokes]

Zuck notes:  "Combine all of Strasburg's starts over the last two years and you get 34 in total, the typical average for a full, healthy season..."

That's the important part. I don't care what he's doing now if he's not pitching in the post season

[imref]

6-1. 2.94 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, opponents hitting .213 off him this year.  74Ks in 67.1 IP, just 18BBs.

[Baseball is Life]

He's been a joy to watch. How do you like the decision to sign him over Jordan Zimmermann now?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2710937-jordan-zimmermann-on-unstoppable-path-to-becoming-a-110m-disaster

[Slateman]

That's the important part. I don't care what he's doing now if he's not pitching in the post season

This

[Mattionals]

He's been a joy to watch. How do you like the decision to sign him over Jordan Zimmermann now?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2710937-jordan-zimmermann-on-unstoppable-path-to-becoming-a-110m-disaster

That chart makes me want to punch a puppy. How about they show WAR per year on avg or at least what MLB season the pitcher STARTEd the contract with. Just because Scherzer signed in January of 2015  and JZ in November of 2015 doesn't mean they pitched under their respective signed FA deals that year.

[Mathguy]

The Nats were not in a position to have to pick one over the other.  JZ wanted a different area to live & work.

He's been a joy to watch. How do you like the decision to sign him over Jordan Zimmermann now?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2710937-jordan-zimmermann-on-unstoppable-path-to-becoming-a-110m-disaster

[nats2playoffs]