This week’s question to the RDMB staff:
What’s your take on the shutdown of Stephen Strasburg?
Kingman26:
I am very proud of the Mets for taking a page from the Nats’ book and shutting down their offense for the year so it will be well-rested for 2013.
wmays600:
Silly and dumb, they have a chance to win it all and won’t have their best pitcher pitching.
Daniel Stein-Sayles:
I disagree with shutting him down because even without being shut down he could still get injured at any time. Also the Nats may look like they have a bright future and they project him to help them in playoff runs for years to come but that can’t be taken for granted. Everyone was saying after 2006 that it was just the beginning of the Mets run in the playoffs and it ended up being the end of the run. Teams must strike while the iron is hot.
TRS86:
My response? Do we really think the Nats who have never won anything would actually shut down their best player if they thought it was a debatable situation? I defer to the ones with the most at stake and the 101 doctors I am sure they have involved. Why would any of us think we know more about the situation than they do?
Mr. North Jersey:
I haven’t really followed this as far as what the Nats front office, manager, Players, coaches and Strasburg himself have said on the topic but the way I see it this move only pays off if the Nats win a World Series this year or in the next 2 or 3 years and as long as Strasburg actually avoids a serious injury due to pitching. If the Nats don’t win a W.S. in the coming years I can imagine the “what if” factor creeping in as to what if he played would that had been the difference? Also I can only imagine the outrage if they shut him down don’t win a W.S. and Strasburg still winds up with a pitching injury. I have been a fan of Rizzo’s work and his decisions for the most part have been paying off so looking at it from the outside I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that this will work out for him but it’s a risky move to say the least.
Bryan:
It’s absurd and downright stupid. They have a great chance to go to the playoffs and do something meaningful once they get there and they’re going to shutdown their best pitcher? That makes no sense. They’re in the second best division in baseball; it’s going to be tough to get back to the playoffs in future years, so you sure as hell need to go for it when you have a chance. After 2006, who among us thought the Mets would definitely be back in the playoffs in the years to come? Guess what, it didn’t happen because there are no guarantees. When you have a shot to do something, you have to put your best guys on the field and try to do it, which is exactly what the Nats are not doing by shutting him down.
Connor O’Brien
I think they made the right choice having an innings limit for Strasburg, but I think they made two big mistakes here. The first one was telling everyone. That was just stupid. It was a huge distraction for both Strasburg and his teammates. I also think they could’ve gotten creative with how they went about this. The Nationals could’ve started his season later, especially if they thought they thought the team would be in the playoff chase. Or they could’ve put him on the DL just to give his arm a break. I know people will say that this is a disruption of a pitcher’s routine, but there are ways they could’ve gotten around that.
Tell us what you think!
18 comments
Mr North Jersey
9/9/2012-12:56pm at 12:56 pm (UTC -4)
LoL, Kingman
kingman 26
9/9/2012-3:15pm at 3:15 pm (UTC -4)
Stick
9/9/2012-1:16pm at 1:16 pm (UTC -4)
I think connor made some good points.
but, early in the year, they had no real clue that they would be in this position, so starting him out in June instead was not happening.
but, why not give him September off, planning to bring him back for the playoffs? Would a month of rest then pitching again really be more risky?
I also agree that being so definitive about his shutdown was dumb. Should have just given vague “we will monitor the situation” comments.
still, there must be some seriously strong opinions from the medical side about how much use the elbow can take in the first year back. And I don’t blame the Nats at all for using him to get close to the promise land, even if it means other guys have to carry them the rest of the way.
Sylow59
9/9/2012-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
If you shut him down for September then he needs to start cold in October, which will be cooler. Plus he’d need to have some activity before the playoffs so why bother shutting him down.
If they start him in June then who is to say they’d be here in the first place. Plus I don’t think anyone on the planet expected then to be +30 at this point. You really cannot blame them.
They have balls. Imagine if the Mets had this management Team’s balls two spring trainings ago (Mejia).
They have Gio, Zimmerman, Detwiler, and Jackson for a 4 man playoff rotation. Jackson replaces Strasburg, which is a dropoff. But it’snot like subbing McHugh or Heffner for him. Also, he’s likely at the point of ineffectiveness. He’d be north of 200 by the WS makeong a potential PR fiasco of he’s the odd man out.
There are likely a lot of moving parts and we likely don’t know many of them. They made a defendable decision.
Plus this is their first year with a young team. It’s not like the Braves that make the playoffs every year and watch the WS on TV. And its not like theyre an old team that has only this year. The Nats have the element of promise.
Sylow59
9/9/2012-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
If you shut him down for September then he needs to start cold in October, which will be cooler. Plus he’d need to have some activity before the playoffs so why bother shutting him down.
If they start him in June then who is to say they’d be here in the first place. Plus I don’t think anyone on the planet expected then to be +30 at this point. You really cannot blame them.
They have balls. Imagine if the Mets had this management Team’s balls two spring trainings ago (Mejia).
They have Gio, Zimmerman, Detwiler, and Jackson for a 4 man playoff rotation. Jackson replaces Strasburg, which is a dropoff. But it’snot like subbing McHugh or Heffner for him. Also, he’s likely at the point of ineffectiveness. He’d be north of 200 by the WS making a potential PR fiasco of he’s the odd man out.
There are likely a lot of moving parts and we likely don’t know many of them. They made a defendable decision.
Plus this is their first year with a young team. It’s not like the Braves that make the playoffs every year and watch the WS on TV. And its not like theyre an old team that has only this year. The Nats have the element of promise.
Sylow59
9/9/2012-1:42pm at 1:42 pm (UTC -4)
If you shut him down for September then he needs to start cold in October, which will be cooler. Plus he’d need to have some activity before the playoffs so why bother shutting him down.
If they start him in June then who is to say they’d be here in the first place. Plus I don’t think anyone on the planet expected then to be +30 at this point.
They have guts. Imagine if the Mets had this management Team’s guts two spring trainings ago (Mejia).
They have Gio, Zimmerman, Detwiler, and Jackson for a 4 man playoff rotation. Jackson replaces Strasburg, which is a dropoff. But it’s not like subbing McHugh or Heffner for him. Also, he’s likely at the point of ineffectiveness. He’d be north of 200 by the WS making a potential Public relations fiasco if he’s the odd man out.
There are likely a lot of moving parts and we likely don’t know many of them. They made a defendable decision.
Plus this is their first year with a young team. It’s not like the Braves that make the playoffs every year and watch the WS on TV. And its not like theyre an old team that has only this year. The Nats have the element of promise.
Sylow59
9/9/2012-1:27pm at 1:27 pm (UTC -4)
It makes sense. They’re going to win the NL East and have Gio. Zimmerman, Detwiler, and Jackson. Thats not shabby. It’s. It like the DBacks when had Johnson and Schilling and a bunch of hacks. If any team can survive losing a top rotation guy it’s the Nats.
Plus look at Wainwright. He’s slowing down. Strausburg had a shitty start. He was probably on the verge of fatigue. This release them from the inevitable WS (assuming they make it) decision of what to do with him. Figure 3 more starts at 6 IP, 4 in the playoffs of 6.5IP average. That’s 48 + 160 = 208 by the time be gets to the WS. Pushing it on him if you ask me. Maybe they could have gone 4 IP the past few. But then you tax the BP which is needed in the postseason.
They made a ballsy decision which is defendable. Gotta give them credit for not caving. Think Omar, Manual, and Mejia.
Hazmet
9/9/2012-5:49pm at 5:49 pm (UTC -4)
Keep in mind Washington already blew out Stras’s arm once by rushing him throught AAA to the bigs to start. So while they’re getting it right now it’s a push vs. the Omar & Jerry Brainrust.
Sylow59
9/9/2012-6:40pm at 6:40 pm (UTC -4)
He kind of blew out his own arm the first time.
Hazmet
9/9/2012-8:45pm at 8:45 pm (UTC -4)
In 2010 the Nats gave him 55ish innings in the minors in his first full year of pro ball and brought him up to draw gate. He was then shut down in July with an inflamed shoulder and they brought him back on August 10th he made 3 starts and blew his arm out. You could make a case that they rushed him through the minors and that as great as his stuff was everyone knew his mechanics needed to be refined as they were a ticking timebomb. Yet they brought him back anyway for 3 meangingless starts and a trip to Tommy John land. They should have kept him shut him down and started working his mechanics in the offseason. Terrible job by Nats management looking after their most prized asset at that time. It was like they channeled their inner Omar back in 2010 rushing him so far so fast.
Stick
9/9/2012-6:18pm at 6:18 pm (UTC -4)
just have to say, this was a complete disaster of a sports day.
mets lose in extras. Phils walk off. Eagles pull off a comeback with 1 minute left, to dodge a loss to the browns. Yanks and Marlins win.
talk about the decathlon of suckitude.
Mr North Jersey
9/9/2012-6:22pm at 6:22 pm (UTC -4)
At least the Jets won.
Hazmet
9/9/2012-8:47pm at 8:47 pm (UTC -4)
Who?
gategem
9/9/2012-9:26pm at 9:26 pm (UTC -4)
With the exception of the Giants all teams in the NFC East are 1-0. So for at least one week the Giants are at the bottom of the division but I don’t expect them to stay there too long. The kid at Washington could be the steal of the draft (there were reports at draft time that he was a better QB than Luck). With the Giants difficult schedule this could be a tough season for them. Of course I’m worried more about the Giants defensive backfield than I am about the schedule.
Stick
9/9/2012-11:22pm at 11:22 pm (UTC -4)
I started downgrading during the game. I went from 6-10 to 4-12. Because I was really pissed at losing at home to the cowboys, and having them manhandle the team all day.
gategem
9/9/2012-9:34pm at 9:34 pm (UTC -4)
It’s actually quite simple. You don’t risk the potential ace of your staff and possibly one of the great pitchers in baseball for the next ten years for one season. The Nats have already invested a sizeable sum of money in Strasburg and they’re expecting that investment to pay off for many years.
Trs86
9/9/2012-9:48pm at 9:48 pm (UTC -4)
Well no comments on my position, lol. Seriously though, why do we think they would shut him down if they believed there was an alternative and how do we know more than the people involved?
Stickguy
9/10/2012-8:03am at 8:03 am (UTC -4)
well, the real worst nightmare is about to come true.
the Phils are making the playoffs.
as usual, they aren’t losing at all. 12-4 in the last 16, about to be 15-4 after they steamroll the marlins in the next 3 games.
they are only 6 out of the WC, so unless the Braves and Cards both keep up a serious winning pace (and not a couple games below .500) it is almost a foregone conclusion.
really only takes 1 of them to scuffle just a tiny bit. THe Pirates are not for real, and the Dodgers made a splash but have some major injuries.
so, the evil team has the inside track on sneaking into the WC.
and I know someone (if anyone reads this!) will trot out #s to “prove” it can’t happen. Then every day, the GB shrinks, and the odds get better…