With news that young phenom Stephen Strasburg is likely done for this year and next, I finally understand the fierce determination of Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi to protect young Phil Hughes.
It's a sad turn of events for a kid that has so much promise, that energized not just the Washington Nationals' fan base, but all of baseball. Strasburg was pitching very well and at times was dominant, with a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA while striking out 92 batters in 68 innings. Now he is done for the season and likely will sit out the 2011 campaign after having Tommy John surgery. We constantly hear that pitchers come back throwing harder after the surgery, but it's still a career-threatening injury and I really hope he pulls though it.
Old-school baseball players and officials have openly mocked the desire of new-age guys like Cashman and Girardi to adhere to strict innings limits to protect their young pitchers. But the Strasburg injury really gives weight to their protectionist stance. Although they didn't handle the Joba Rules for Joba Chamberlain particularly well, their hearts were in the right place and they seem to have learned their lesson in handling Hughes.
There's going to be tremendous pressure on the New York Yankees to keep Hughes in the rotation if the division is tight. People will argue that it's unfair to protect him at the expense of his teammates, but it is in the team's best interest to protect a guy that has surprised people with an impressive season and shown the potential to be the ace of their pitching staff for years to come. If Cashman and Girardi's approach protects Hughes from suffering the fate of Strasburg, I'm all for it.
It's a sad turn of events for a kid that has so much promise, that energized not just the Washington Nationals' fan base, but all of baseball. Strasburg was pitching very well and at times was dominant, with a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA while striking out 92 batters in 68 innings. Now he is done for the season and likely will sit out the 2011 campaign after having Tommy John surgery. We constantly hear that pitchers come back throwing harder after the surgery, but it's still a career-threatening injury and I really hope he pulls though it.
Old-school baseball players and officials have openly mocked the desire of new-age guys like Cashman and Girardi to adhere to strict innings limits to protect their young pitchers. But the Strasburg injury really gives weight to their protectionist stance. Although they didn't handle the Joba Rules for Joba Chamberlain particularly well, their hearts were in the right place and they seem to have learned their lesson in handling Hughes.
There's going to be tremendous pressure on the New York Yankees to keep Hughes in the rotation if the division is tight. People will argue that it's unfair to protect him at the expense of his teammates, but it is in the team's best interest to protect a guy that has surprised people with an impressive season and shown the potential to be the ace of their pitching staff for years to come. If Cashman and Girardi's approach protects Hughes from suffering the fate of Strasburg, I'm all for it.
Thanks to dbking via Wikipedia for the photo.
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