It won’t be long now. Nationals prospect Stephen Strasburg tossed another gem at Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday night, allowing zero hits in six innings. He has made seven minor league starts and is just weeks away from his major league debut. Strasburg is a combined 5-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP at Syracuse and Double-A Harrisburg. He has allowed four runs on 14 hits with eight walks and 40 strikeouts in 34 innings. It’s worth asking: How does the 21-year-old compare with similar phenoms?
Mark Prior » His path almost exactly resembles the one Strasburg is taking. Hopefully the story has a different ending. Before breaking down with injuries, Prior was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2001 draft by the Chicago Cubs. The next season, at age 21, he pitched 51 minor league innings with six starts at Double-A and three more at Triple-A. Prior gave up 13 runs with 18 walks and 79 strikeouts. His ERA was 2.29 with his WHIP was 1.12. Prior’s first start in the big leagues was on May 22.
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Justin Verlander » The No. 2 pick of the 2004 draft pitched a full season in the minors in 2005. A year older than Strasburg at 22, Verlander went 11-2 combined at Single-A and Double-A before jumping to the Tigers for two major league starts in July. He posted a 1.29 ERA in 118 2/3 minor league innings with a 0.90 WHIP. Verlander walked 26 batters, struck out 136 and gave up just 17 earned runs.
Ben McDonald » Only Prior and McDonald saw the pre-debut hype that Strasburg is receiving. The No. 1 pick in 1989 by the Orioles, McDonald actually made his big league debut that September after only two minor league starts. But he only pitched out of the bullpen for Baltimore and began the next year in the minors. In 55 innings in 1990 at Double-A Hagerstown and Triple-A Rochester, he was 3-4 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. McDonald walked 24 batters, allowed 44 hits and 22 earned runs. He was called up for good on July 3.
