For those of you who are new to my blog – and I’m pleased to say that, thanks to some facebook marketing and a few gsufans.com members, there are plenty of you – welcome to one of my recurring themes.
I watch a lot of sports. Probably too many. But that’s beside the point. When you watch hour upon hour of sports coverage, you will start to notice that absolutely ridiculous stories will pop up once in a while. Sometimes it’s the athletes themselves that do things that are overwhelmingly stupid. Other times, it’s the media that turns a dumb story into an overblown circus. Either way, I find the time to call these stories out when one of them crosses the line into absolute absurdity.
The newest member of the dumbest things that I have ever heard comes courtesy of the loveable losers turned N.L. East favorite Washington Nationals.
Now, I know that it’s been a hot minute since this franchise contended for anything other than the first overall draft pick. In fact, the Nationals/Expos have only made the MLB postseason on one occasion, and even the 1981 Expos needed the benefit of a strike-induced, hastily implemented postseason structure to make it past the regular season. As if one strike related playoff mishap wasn’t enough, the baseball gods seemed to drive home the point that they really don’t like this franchise when they allowed the 1994 Expos to be – without much doubt – the best team in baseball, only to have a lockout abruptly end the season with Montreal leading the N.L. East by six games in the middle of August.
All of that said, the Nationals have been taking baseball by storm throughout the 2012 season. Entering the year, there weren’t too many talking heads that didn’t have a good opinion of the team. Years of general awfulness had supplied the franchise with high draft picks that were beginning to blossom, and some good trades and free agent pickups placed veteran talent at key positions. Most predicted the team to do well within a few years, but Christmas has come early for Washington
One of the biggest reasons for the quick rise to the top of the standings is first overall pick of the 2009 draft and all-around badass Stephen Strasburg. Even though the Nationals rushed him through the minor leagues and watched him blow out his elbow one month into his major league career, Strasburg has bounced back to become one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the game.
As of the time this post was made, Strasburg sat at a record of 12-5 with a 2.97 ERA. For the sabermetricians who don’t fall in love with those standard stats, Strasburg was also posting Bill James-approved jaw-droppers such as his 1.067 WHIP and 11.3 K/9.
Being the obviously competent franchise that they are, the Nationals have come up with a clear and concise plan of action for their superstar – LET’S SHUT HIM RIGHT THE HELL DOWN!!!
Yep… That’s right. If the Nationals are going to take part in the 2012 postseason, Strasburg will apparently only be able to observe from the bench.
Before this season began, there was talk of the Nationals limiting Strasburg to a certain number of innings. After some questioning, the Washington
Of course, anybody with half a brain would assume that the Nationals would ease up on their limit once they saw that they could actually be contenders. After all, it’s nothing new for good starting pitchers to go well over 200 innings pitched in a playoff run.
Apparently, success and logic are nothing compared to the Nationals’ stubbornness. They’re standing firm on the innings limit and it’s looking more and more likely that the Nationals will clinch a playoff spot, yet have to check their biggest weapon at the door sometime in early September.
Now, I’m no MLB front office type, but as a fan of a team that was mostly atrocious for the first 20 years of my life, I think that I have some sort of authority or credibility when I humbly ask WHAT THE HELL IS WASHINGTON THINKING!!!
Why are their pitching coaches/physicians/scouts suddenly acting like there is some magic number or exact formula that serves as the limit for a pitcher? There is a playoff spot on the line for christsake!
For decades, the outcry has been that athletes – despite the ungodly amounts of money that they make – are treated as nothing more than assets and commodities, then thrown out like last week’s trash as soon as they stop producing for their team.
With the advent of free agency a few decades ago, baseball has become a sport in which it is very hard to craft a championship team, and nearly impossible to nurture a dynasty. More and more, baseball front offices cultivate their homegrown talent, then carefully select trades or free agent signings, just hoping to create a window of a few years in which their team might win once or twice.
The overwhelming trend has been to find a team that can win, then utilize any and all means to make sure that they do win.
I guess that just isn’t the Nationals’ style.
Why is 161 innings just too much for their best pitcher to throw… especially when the team is in the hunt? Why – in an era where a franchise’s success can be so fleeting – is the Nationals’ front office so intent on suppressing one of its best chances to help win something big?
There is simply no science to back up the franchise’s thinking. Sure, the more you throw, the more chances there are to become tired or injured. But that isn’t baseball. That’s just a defeatist excuse.
I’m not looking to take baseball back into the era of four-man rotations. I just don’t agree with seeing a great pitching talent not utilized to his full potential for no other reason I can see than to protect the franchise’s investment.
The entire plan is counterintuitive. The Nationals state that they won’t overexert Strasburg this year so that they can ensure long-term success. Sure… That makes sense the first time you hear it, but think about this – You can’t have long-term success unless you first have short-term success. The easiest way to achieve short-term success is to keep playing your best player, and the Nats are about to stop doing that.
Of course more pitches will wear down a pitcher, but that’s the issue. No two pitchers are alike. Try as the training staffs might, there has never been a metric to show when a given pitcher’s shoulder or elbow is going to call it quits.
Modern medicine turned career-ending injuries into nothing more than hurdles a few decades ago. From there, more steps have been taken and procedures that used to require a year or more of rehab are now minor speed bumps that see players bouncing back in just a few months. Those who are choosing to “error on the side of caution” nowadays are doing nothing more than covering their own asses and protecting their investments.
Doctors from two centuries ago could tell you the same thing that today’s doctors can – some guys can train their asses off and never manage to avoid injury. Other guys can play video games, down a six pack, then go out and be an MVP. No amount of medical breakthroughs can determine whose body will refuse to break down or whose will give in at a moment’s notice.
For the Nationals to cite nothing more than precaution as the reason that they’re shutting down Strasburg is cowardice at best. They were a crappy team that finally had some prospects pan out. They also got some talent in place to help out those prospects as they grew into major league players. They have built the foundation perfectly, but are now trying to back off of a year or two of potential World Series winning teams just to try and preserve a name that will continue to bring in revenue long after most of the 2012 team has either deteriorated or become too expensive to keep in town.
Long story short, the Nationals’ franchise has never been very good. Right now, the Nationals are on top of their division and look like they can cruise into what would be just their second playoff appearance in their history. One of the biggest reasons for this success is a guy that will apparently be shut down – thanks to an arbitrary innings count – weeks before the Nats get to play a postseason game.
I’m no tactical genius, but that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard (this week).
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