Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, What 'They're' Saying...

• ESPN.com's Jayson Stark was on the Mike and Mike Show with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic this morning on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York to talk about his trip to Viera, Florida's Space Coast Stadium to see the debut of DC right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals' '09 no.1 overall pick who made his first Spring Training start in the Nationals' spring home yesterday against the Detroit Tigers. Mr. Stark tells the two Mikes he entered the ballpark a skeptic, "When you hear all the talk, about a guy like Stephen Strasburg, you hear people call him the greatest pitching prospect ever, what's your first instinct? To think, 'We're definitely over-selling this guy, he can't possibly be as good as people think he is, right?' That's how I walked into the park, it's not how I walked out of the park after watching that..." The "that" Mr. Stark refers to was Strasburg's two-inning, 27-pitch performance against Detroit, which saw the 21-year-old right-hander give up 2 hits and record 2 K's:

Jayson Stark: "After watching a 96-98 fastball, throwing a fastball right by Miguel Cabrera when he's looking fastball. After watching a change up at 90-91. After watching him throw a 3-2 breaking ball for an outing-ending strikeout. After watching the delivery. After watching how he conducted himself, and after talking to people about him. Running that outing past the scouts who were there, they used words like 'special', 'real deal'. You know, he pitched against Rick Porcello, right? Another one of the best young pitchers in baseball. I had a scout tell me he made Rick Porcello look like he was playing catch with his sister. And then I talked the hitters, and Miguel Cabrera said, 'When he throws the ball it's like an explosion.' How bout that line? And then we asked Miguel Cabrera, 'Do you think his future can possibly be as bright as people say it is,?' and here's what he said, 'Oh...my...God.' So, what do you want me to tell you, it was great." 

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• More from Mr. Stark.

• More On Strasburg.

• 0-8 In Games That Don't Count.

BACKPAGE: 

• More from Mr. Stark.

Asked by one of the Mikes (just kidding it was Mike Greenberg, I think)..if either Strasburg, the best pitching prospect, or Atlanta Braves' outfielder Jason Heyward, the best fielding prospect, will be on their respective team's Opening Day rosters, Mr. Stark responds that Heyward will make the Braves', but the difference between the two, as he sees it, is that, "The Nationals don't want Stephen Strasburg to make their team,":

"Jayson Stark: He's never thrown a pitch in the minor leagues, and they're also faced with this worry, you don't want a guy to be the face of your franchise who's never actually pitched for your franchise. And they're trying to tone it down, the problem is, this spring, do you know what the batting average is against all the pitchers on their team not named Stephen Strasburg? How bout .396? And then this guy goes out there and blows through the middle of the Tigers' real batting order. If he keeps throwing up zeroes, what are they gonna do? What are they gonna say? I mean Jim Riggleman said, 'We're not going to announce that he's going to the minor leagues cause he might make us eat those words.'"

• More On Strasburg:

Minor League Ball.com's John Sickels takes a look at Stephen Strasburg and another pitcher who was also almost part of the Nationals' future rotation in an article entitled, "Chapman and Strasburg: What is to be Done?", wherein Mr Sickels says that he sees no reason to rush Strasburg to the majors:

"The Nationals aren't going to win this year even if Strasburg makes 32 starts and throws 200 innings. I'd start him off at Double-A Harrisburg, with the same 10-starts-before-promotion philosophy I have with Chapman. Even Tom Seaver and Roger Clemens spent time in the minors, and it can't possibly hurt Strasburg to do the same. It can only help him." 

MLB.com's Bill Ladson spoke to DC GM Mike Rizzo this afternoon for an article entitled, "Rizzo not changing plans for Strasburg", in which Mr. Ladson noted Mr. Rizzo's well-established pattern of, "...not rushing players to the big leagues," and quoted the DC GM stating, "'Regardless of what he did [Tuesday] and what he does in the future during Spring Training, it's not going to change my plans." What Mr. Rizzo's plans are, exactly, he neglected to say...

• ? For the DC Faithful...How many innings will Strasburg pitch in 2010? He threw 109.0 at San Diego State last season...I was told the rule of thumb would be to add 50.0 or so to that total in his first year in the pros? Just asking because I was discussing a possible ten-start trip through the system, as has been rumored for months, and even if he's held to 5-6 IP per start, or 100 pitches, whatever, by June he'll already have thrown 50+ innings, which would leave just 150.0 IP or less for the Nationals to use before he'd be shut down for the season? 

• 0-8 In Games That Don't Count.

Willie Harris was 2 for 4 in a start at second, with a double, a triple and a run batted in. Justin Maxwell hit an eighth- inning HR, his first of the Spring, off the Cards' Mitchell Boggs. Adam Dunn was 2 for 3 with two trademark singles, and the Nationals as a team combined for 9 hits and 4 runs scored. The Nationals' pitchers, however, at least the first three of them, allowed 2 runs each. Starter Garrett Mock gave up 2 ER on 1 HR and 5 hits overall in 3.0 IP, while J.D. Martin surrendered 2 ER on 3 hits in 2.0 innings and Matt Capps gave up 2 runs and 2 hits in 1.0 IP, leaving Capps with 6 hits and 5 ER allowed in 3.0 IP this Spring. 

Final score: 6-4 Cardinals over Nationals.

Next Game: Thursday 1:05 pm EST. Nationals vs Astros with Nats' lefty John Lannan on the mound against the 'Stros' Roy Oswalt.