Righty is in the minors working his way back Little has changed in 11 months for Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
A sellout crowd gave him a warm ovation as he walked in from the bullpen on Aug. 12, anticipation building with every step. As always, The White Stripes anthem “Seven Nation Army” blared during his warm-up pitches. The crowd roared with joy after every strikeout.
But 11 months after Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Strasburg wasn’t back on the mound at Nationals Park. This was graceless Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va., home to Washington’s high Single-A affiliate in the Carolina League, the Potomac Nationals. For some minor leaguers, the distance between the two stadiums is an unbridgeable chasm. For Strasburg, the 30 miles from Woodbridge to Nationals Park is about right. He is just a few rehabilitation starts away from completing that journey.
“I know I’m going to be the pitcher that I was,” Strasburg said after a flawless three-inning start at Potomac on Aug. 12. “I strongly feel the work that I’ve put in is going to make me even better. It’s only a matter of time.”
That confidence is not a false front. Even after Strasburg struggled Wednesday in his third rehab start at low Single-A Hagerstown, he remained unfazed. Two hard hit doubles and a single allowed? The batters responsible for that were sitting on his fastball. Five earned runs in just 12Ú3 innings with two walks and a wild pitch? The curveball command is a work-in-progress. Strasburg must pitch a certain way to prepare for big league hitters and what they do. The approach most minor league batters take — swing hard and pray the breaking ball isn’t called a strike — doesn’t mesh with those plans. Some pitchers coming off surgery might be rattled after a rough night. For Strasburg, it’s just part of the process.
“It’s good to go out there and struggle because there’s going to be some tough innings down the road,” Strasburg said. “Not every outing is going to be a piece of cake.”
As they walked off the mound after his start at Potomac — no runs allowed, two infield singles, no balls hit to the outfield, five strikeouts — catcher Sandy Leon put his arm around Strasburg, the cheers of an overflow crowd of 8,619 fans washing over them, and, after a beat, laughed. Just in awe of a dominant performance? Not really. Strasburg had gently chided his catcher for asking for a curveball immediately after a change-up. Against big league hitters that won’t fly.
“He’s got more experience now,” Leon said. “He controls every pitch, change-up, breaking ball, fastball. That’s what’s different.”
More and more, it looks like Strasburg has regained his health. And he insists he’ll be better in spring training than he is now. But some industry officials still wonder if Strasburg needs to adjust his mechanics to avoid another blowout. In an article in Sports Illustrated just last week, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Trevor Bauer expressed alarm to writer Tom Verducci that Strasburg allows his pitching elbow to rise above his back shoulder on his way to home plate. That movement is sometimes associated with elbow and shoulder injuries. Bauer, the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft, has developed a unique approach that emphasizes sound mechanics and lots of extra throwing to build arm strength. It is the opposite of how many modern pitchers are reared. When Bauer sees video of pitchers with Strasburg’s mechanics, he cringes.
“I was like, ‘No!’ because I love watching those guys,” Bauer told Sports Illustrated. “And I feel so sorry for them because it’s not their fault. They were taught this way. I was just lucky enough to be taught a different model.”
One man’s opinion, of course, and not one the Nats necessarily subscribe to. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo has said several times he sees no reason to overhaul Strasburg’s mechanics. For himself, Strasburg says the reason for his breakdown last Aug.?21 in Philadelphia has more to do with fatigue.
“I’ve thrown this way my whole life, and I’m not going to try and reinvent the wheel,” Strasburg said. “I think the biggest reason why I broke down was just because I got tired. I wasn’t necessarily prepared for a full season, 162 games.”
So Strasburg focused on strengthening his core muscles in his back and abdomen and worked on his legs. His reasoning? Those body parts are the foundation of the pitching motion. Strasburg concedes he used to “lead with the elbow when I come out, when I separate”. That wasn’t something done on purpose. But weakness in those core muscle areas caused him to revert to that habit and now, he says, it’s been addressed, allowing him to get on top of the ball better and drive pitches down into the strike zone more efficiently. It won’t be long — maybe the first week of September — before Strasburg can test himself again on the mound at Nationals Park.
“Patience. That’s something I’ve struggled with my whole life,” Strasburg said. “I just want things just to happen. I’ve waited this long. I’ve waited 11 months. I feel like there’s not much more to go.”
