Why, Oh Why Would You Shut Strasburg Down?

Stephen Strausburg must pitch in the playoffs.

What do you think of when you hear the "Washington Nationals?" There are a couple thought processes that you could have. You could think, laughing stock. The Ronnie Belliards, the Elijah Dukes', the Expos stint in Puerto Rico, the Expos period, Olympic Stadium, all those failed experiments. But you could also think, phenom draft picks like Stephen Strasburg and that other guy who I'd rather not name (Bryce Harper). But one thing is for sure, the Nationals have never made the playoffs, never came even close, didn't even know that there was an exit out of the National League cellar. Well, that was the case, until this year.

The Nationals are good. No, no, the Nationals are phenomenal. First team to 70 wins, loaded with young talent, least runs allowed in the league, best record in baseball, 27 games over .500, are just some titles they assume here in mid-August. It's pretty much mind-blowing to see this cellar dweller not only escape from the basement but explode all the way up to the very pinnacle of baseball. This Nationals team is a force to be reckoned with, a team with serious potential to do real-life, actual damage in the playoffs. They have more big arms in their rotation than the USSR. They have young talented bats. They field well. They're just flat-out good.

And then there is Stephenn Strasburg, the phenom college pitcher, who is still a phenom and is soaked in Cy Young worthiness. And then there is this innings limit. This absolutely fictitious, annoying, premature, conservative, weak innings limit. And then there's the disappointing fact that it has been associated with such a stud as Strasburg.

I mean I do...and...I don't get it.

Yes, he is coming off Tommy John surgery, which is a serious surgery. But he's also coming off Tommy John surgery which has had a history of making pitchers arms more formidable, stronger, and more powerful. Guys like John Smoltz, Chris Carpenter, and David Wells have all had the procedure and all returned to form soon after. The surgery is so common place and so effective that I'm just not sure I see a major increase in risk from pre-Tommy John to post-Tommy John. But I get it, he's your rotation's biggest draw. He's probably your best pitcher (which is impressive in itself). He's all this good stuff, so you don't want his career to end because you ran him like a greyhound dog. But then there's the other side of the coin.

You're the Washington Nationals, who used to be the Montreal Expos. Your history book is about as filled up as Kwame Brown's trophy case. This is the first season that you're even relevant, let alone the best team in baseball. There is a very, very good chance you could waltz into the World Series, running over a relatively unexciting NL. Your pitching staff is legitimately four arms deep and your bullpen is equally solid. All the pieces are there for a magical World Series run and your going to shut down your finest part? It's like having a ferrari, but putting it on eco mode by disabling a cylinder or two. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't fit.

Here's another scenario if the Nationals are so gung-ho on keeping his innings limit at 180. End his season now. Shut him down now with like five or six starts left. The playoffs are practically a lock barring some Mets/Red Sox-like collapse, which doesn't look like the case thanks to the overwhelmingly good starting five they have. While you have him resting, you let him throw side sessions. Something like 75 or 80 pitches, like a simulated short start every five days. Then when the playoffs come you put him in. Stephen Strasburg needs to be in the MLB playoffs, that's not a suggestion it's a demand. His stuff is so electric that it just reeks of October greatness. You don't even have to squeeze him into a three-man rotation because you have the likes of Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman, both quality pitchers as well. There's just something about Strasburg that could ignite this squad in the playoffs, and it's probably caused by his ACL-shredding curveball.

Travesty will be the accurate word when the Nationals do indeed shut this guy down, probably signaling that management is accepting of a first round exit. This team smells like a championship team because of their rotation and it would be a damn shame if they cut off one of its arms. I hate the Nats, they've been a thorn in the Mets sides for years when the Mets were actually good, but damn do I like Strasburg and you're damn right I want to see him toe the rubber in October.