The Washington Nationals are destroying their chances at a World Series.
Mark my words right here, right now.
The best team in the National League is hindering themselves and making them weaker with the postseason coming up. It makes no sense whatsoever and it does not matter what numbers you give me, it is foolish to not put your 100% team into the postseason. Shutting down Strasburg is a mix of cockiness, foolishness, and pure ignorance. I have heard of teams resting their players prior to the postseason, but to keep your best pitcher at bay throughout it? Nonsense.
17% of the National wins this season happened because of Strasburg. With nearly 200 strikeouts and an ERA squeaking past 3, he is a major contributor to the surprise-surprise success of the Washington ballclub. Remove him from the equation and you are going to lose potentially 2 quality starts in a best-of-five, and 3 quality starts in a best-of-seven. What would have happened if the Cardinals had shut down Chris Carpenter to preserve his arm for the future back in 2011? He would not have pitched in Game 162, would not have pitched his Game 5 gem against the Phillies, and would not have won Game 7 in the World Series. Stephen Strasburg has the stuff to be that necessary clutch. Now with him shut down, we may never know.
And for anyone that doesn’t see a big deal, check this: in the last 15 seasons, there have been 10 different National League champions. And notice some of the recent winners: Mets, Astros, Phillies, Marlins, Padres, Diamondbacks. Do you see any of these teams being consistent winners? The window of opportunity to go all the way in MLB has always been small, and on a consistent basis even smaller. What makes the Nationals any different? What makes them so sure they can duplicate this current success? The Phillies last year won over 100 games. Just saying.
Worst of all, you are paying a player good money to play 75% of a season, and then you are destroying his chance to compete in the playoffs, which is something most players past and present would give anything to have. He earned his opportunity to compete in October----and yet other players are going to take his place. I for one do not fear the Nationals, despite their outstanding record. Removing Strasburg from the equation makes them weaker than other playoff-bound teams like the Reds, the Braves, the Cardinals, and especially the Giants. It removes a layer of effort in terms of competing. Limit his starts, limit his innings, have a 6-7-man rotation, but don’t just take out the player altogether.
This will turn around and bite them badly. Mark my words.
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