2012 MLB Regular Season Running Thread

Keep the lines of conversation open with him.

And keep him pitching 5-6 inning stints unless he says he's tired.

 

And that's what's happening. But he isn't going 5-6 innings because the team wants him to. They want him to to 7-8. But he's a strikeout pitcher. His counts get real high, real quick. Plus, he's been shitty lately.

 

This is a really interesting question -- and I sincerely wasn't suggesting that the Nats should ignore the potential impact on Strasburg's future.

We have a recent HS grad from my area who's lefty and has hit 94 on the gun with an absolutely unhittable 12-6. Has been committed to UVA since summer before his junior year, but was widely forecast to go in the first 5 rounds until he took his name out of the draft a couple weeks prior.

Now, I know Brian O'Connor is a former pitching coach and he's a top-shelf guy, but if I have a prospect like that, there's no way he's gonna throw even one inning without getting paid for it. Too risky putting the kid in the hands of a coach whose livelihood depends on winning games.

 

Speaking of ACC baseball ... interesting selection for interim baseball coach at Maryland: Eric Milton.

 

If you look at all the pitchers I linked, they were all throwing tons of innings as soon as they could. Shit, look at Seaver who threw 18 complete games when he was 22 for the Mets. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/seaveto01.shtml

If a pitcher's arm (at the ML level, I am not talking about a pre-teen) can handle the load, it can handle the load no matter how much you throw it or coddle it. I am not for walking a guy out there every three days and throw 150 pitches, but shutting down a grown man is insane. Especially in the position they are in right now.

If a pitcher's arm cannot take the work, it will be breaking down constantly no matter what you do with them on pitch counts.

 

That's my take on it. If this guy is truly in need of protection at this point, two years after the surgery, then he's going to break down again at some point anyway.

 

Yet there are medical people that the Nats are using who have a hell of a lot more data than you who completely disagree with this.

 

Well, they can mover Harper to first base as well. You don't want him blowing out his throwing arm in the outfield.

 

Which has what to do wioth the issue we are talking about? Another one of your ridiculous comparisons.

 

I see where you were going with that, Devil.

 

Two things make it different:

1) Harper has not had Tommy John surgery. If he had, then they might do that. I bet teams have. After all, the Nats moved him from catcher, right?

2) The wear and tear on a pitcher's arm is a lot more taxing than the wear and tear on an outfielder's arm. There is a likelihood of injury for a pitcher that dwarfs the likelihood of a debilitating arm injury for an outfielder.

 

but there is no comparison Shotty,when you are talking about a pitcher and his arm and an outfielder. Harper has already been moved from catcher so he will have a longer career.

If people disagree with what the Nationals are doing fine, but I doubt any of us on this board have the same access to medical people and data that they do. I have no idea if what they are doing is right but I think deferring to the people with the the most information is probably the safest way to go.

The Nationals themselves have the most to lose by shutting him down yet they are still willing to do so. I think that says a hell of a lot