By Blaidd Drwg
Note: I wrote this post earlier in the week and then forgot to post it. It looks like I made the correct call at the end.
How magnanimous of him – Stephen Strasburg “understands” why he was left off the All-Star team. Did Strasburg deserve to be considered an All-Star with the whole of 6 MLB starts under his belt? The only way I could justify it would be if he was bordering on unhittable in all 6 of those starts. Let’s look and see how they broke down:
| IP | ER | H | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | Avg Game Score | |
| Starts 1-4 | 25.333 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 41 | 1.78 | 0.94 | 68 |
| Starts 5-6 | 11.333 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 3.97 | 1.32 | 52.5 |
If you are not familiar with Game Score, it is a measure of how well a starter does, with 50 being a good start and 60+ being great. I know it is not realistic to believe that he could maintain his stats in the first 4 starts over the course of the season, but why the difference? It is simple; the level of competition changed and the league has had a chance to scout him.
Here are his opponents with their current MLB ranking in Runs Scored:
| Opponent | Lg Rank RS | Result | |
| Start 1 | Pirates | 30 | W 5-2 |
| Start 2 | @ Indians | 23 | W 9-4 |
| Start 3 | White Sox | 20 | W 2-1 |
| Start 4 | Royals | 18 | L 1-0 |
| Start 5 | @ Braves | 11 | L 5-0 |
| Start 6 | Mets | 9 | W 6-5 |
Notice a trend here? Not surprisingly, his numbers have declined as the competition improves. His next start is against another offensively challenged team – the Giants, who are 21st in scoring. I do expect a good start out of Strasburg. As far as I am concerned however, based on his performances against the Mets and Braves, he is not quite an All-Star yet. I think his true value lies somewhere in between his splits.
For those who have already sized him up for his plaque in Cooperstown, just remember, no #1 overall draft pick has ever won 200 games in the majors. A lot can happen on the road to Cooperstown over the next 20 years.
FlatbreadGarden 