The Nationals will indeed get one more look at top draft pick Stephen Strasburg. His Phoenix Desert Dogs clinched their division title last night in the Arizona Fall League so Strasburg will pitch in the championship game this Saturday. Game will be broadcast live on MLB Network at 2:30 p.m.
Strasburg so far? He is 4-1 with a 4.26 ERA. But one very, very bad outing – seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings – skewed his ERA. In the other four stars Strasburg has been excellent. He’s been clocked as high as 101 miles-per-hour. Remember, the AFL is considered a hitter’s league since the pitchers generally take longer to get back into game shape. Most of these kids last played a real game in early September – though most also participated in their organization’s instructional league before heading to Florida. But Strasburg hadn’t pitched a real game since the NCAA Tournament in May with San Diego State.
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In Strasburg’s four good starts he pitched 16 1/3 innings, allowed eight hits, six walks and 19 strikeouts. The numbers don’t matter, of course. It’s a small sample size. But at the very least Strasburg proved he could perform against lineups dotted with elite prospects. It doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to start the season in Washington – just that he’s on track to fight for a job in spring training. God knows there’s plenty of rotation slots available at this point. But I still suspect the team will want to get him some innings in the minors and at least postpone the over-the-top hype that will greet his first game. Strasburg’s performance in Viera, though, will ultimately dictate that. And his AFL season has done nothing to limit the excitement – for fans and media, but front office and coaching personnel, too.
