Stephen Strasburg is 15% stronger now than before he injured his multi-million dollar right arm. That’s the word from Super Agent Scott Boras, who signed Strasburg to a $15.1 million contract with the Washington Nationals in 2009.
Scott Boras, Keynote Speaker at SABR Convention
I met Scott Boras at the Society for American Baseball Research convention in Long Beach, where he was the keynote speaker for more than 400 baseball enthusiasts who love crunching the numbers as a measure of performance.
And Strasburg’s numbers are very impressive. In his Major League debut in 2010, he struck out 14 Pirates – including the last 7 he faced. Blessed with a blazing 2-seam fastball, Strasburg threw 34 pitches that were clocked at at least 98 miles per hour, including two that reached 100 mph. In his 94 pitch performance, Strasburg became the first player ever to record at least 11 strikeouts with no walks in a Major League debut.
In his next start, Strasburg struck out 8 batters – and then fanned 10 more in his 3rd start. In so doing, he established a Major League record of 32 strikeouts in his first 3 starts. Before injuring his arm, Strasburg was 5-3 with a 2.97 ERA with 92 strikeouts and only 17 walks. His WHIP is a microscopic 1.12.
Strasburg required surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament – and has been forced to forgo the entire 2011 season. So what’s the latest on Stephen Strasburg? In a one-on-one interview, Scott Boras told me, “Stephen’s doing really well. Actually he’s throwing off the mound now. He threw to hitters just as recently as last week.”
Strasburg will turn 23 on July 20th and Boras describes him as “a very driven athlete.” Boras added, “the unfortunate thing was he hurt his arm. He had to have Tommy John surgery. The fortunate thing was he got a chance to spend nine months working on his strength, conditioning his body and he’s at a point now where he’s 15% stronger than he was before he was hurt.”
Strasburg is one of the game’s most exciting players and one day – perhaps even next year – he could be on the same field with MLB’s #1 prospect Bryce Harper, who was just promoted to AA in the Nationals’ farm system. But the time off has been an opportunity for Strasburg to heal and get stronger.
“He’s really used that time well to help build a foundation to be durable as his career goes forward, ” Boras told me.
Next Up: An interview with Wes Parker, a Gold Glover with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Parker helped the Dodgers win a championship in 1965 and was one of the most popular speakers at SABR, entertaining the fans with war stories from the diamond. I’m transcribing his interview now and will post it later this week.
