Did you catch a glimpse of the Nationals’ future on Monday afternoon? Okay, so most people don’t stay home from work to watch Instructional League baseball games. It’s not exactly the NCAA Tournament. But ESPN thought enough of Stephen Strasburg‘s pro debut to cut in when he was pitching against Tigers’ minor-leaguers in Viera, Fla. Analyst Steve Phillips even “broke down” Strasburg’s outing — a 25-pitch effort. He gave up three hits and a run in two innings with 19 of those pitches for strikes.
Instructional League is nice. But the Nats will get legitimate insight into how ready Strasburg is for pro ball later this month. That’s when the No. 1 overall pick in last June’s draft will pitch in the Arizona Fall League against older, established prospects. Most of those batters will be Double-A or Triple-A players or elite lower-level prospects — and all of them will be gunning for Strasburg.
