| 11 February 2010
I'm particpating along with a number of my fellow Bloguin bloggers in a serious of discussions hosted by Around the Horn Baseball. Today's topic is Stephen Strasburg's debut. I'm arguing in favor of getting him to the big leagues quickly, like now! Opposed is Slanch of the Slanch Report, who argues that Strasburg should not be rushed. Here's the beginning of my piece:
Opening Day is Strasburg Day
In Washington the feeling is obvious. "We need him." After suffering four and a half years of futility with Jim Bowden in the GM seat, the Nationals desperation has reached a comedic fervor. Shall we anoint our first round draft pick from last June, who made his professional debut in the Arizona Fall league our opening day starter? The answer for the Nats is shockingly, yes. The origins of that answer stretch back in time to when Strasburg was still in elementary school. It was the late 1990's, the founder of Baseball Prospectus applied established a truism to the murky black art of developing major league pitchers. You may know it by its Heinleinesque acronym - TNSTAAPP. You may prefer to spell it out: There's no such thing as a pitching prospect. But Gary Huckabay's dictum remains valid to this very day. The unpredictability of young pitchers as they age and develop, engaging in an act certain to cause injury, makes it impossible to guarantee that they will emerge from a stint on the farm still healthy and capable of blowing gas by stunned batters. If a player has the ability to get outs, those outs tend to be wasted in the minor leagues, where injury awaits.
Click here to continue reading my argument and then take a gander at Slanch's counterpoint. I'll be responding to questions in the comments over there.
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