The Professor Went Down. Will a Student Take His Place?

Things are not all sunshine and rainbows in the Windy City. As many of us know, pitching can be finicky; the Cubs have a problem now.

Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has been shifted to the 10 day Injured List with right shoulder inflammation. This comes after a 4.1 inning, 5 run start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 14th. Hendricks, a key piece to the Cubs' rotation, was having one of his better seasons. Although not comparable to the 2016 campaign in which he led the MLB in ERA, he still boasts a 3.36 ERA and 134 ERA+. Hendricks, this year, was posting a career best 1.6 BB/9 and a 4.69 K/BB ratio. The Cubs had an off day Monday, and the plan was to start Cole Hamels on Tuesday and Jon Lester on Wednesday facing the Chicago White Sox.

After that, the plan is a bit murky. The Cubs will be facing the Mets on Thursday, and the rotation has not been set. Hendricks was slotted to start Thursday, and the Cubs could, but most likely will not, skip Hendricks’ rotation spot and continue with You Darvish and Jose Quintana, therefore bringing Hamels out on short rest Saturday. The Cubs could also give Tyler Chatwood a start. Chatwood is still battling control issues, with 21 walks thus far in 35 innings; that is somehow better than his dreadful 2018 season of 95 walks in just over 100 innings.

They could also turn to young prospect Albert Alzolay. Aldozay is posting a 3.09 ERA in AAA ball and is striking out 12.94 per 9 against only 1.69 BB/9, a ratio of 7.67 K/BB. He is also posting a WHIP of 0.94, and a FIP of (coincidentally and awesomely) 3.09. Aldozay seems like a good candidate to start, as facing the White Sox is an easier debut for a rookie as compared to the Twins lineup, for example. What will the Cubs do?

May your pennants fly forever.

-Prentiss

Is Stephen Strasburg a Disappointment for the Nationals?

Being drafted first overall in the MLB draft certainly brings high expectations for someone. They are expected to live up to their draft status as number one. Some exceed expectations and become a Hall of Fame caliber talents, like Chipper Jones, Harold Baines, Joe Mauer, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. Others, while not reaching that peak, still have a more than respectable career, a la Darin Erstad, Adrian Gonzalez, Rick Monday and BJ Surhoff. And others, such as Brein Taylor and Matt Bush, don’t live up to the status to say the least.

Stephen Strasburg was almost certainly aware of the high expectations regarding his future. Already having a bronze medal in the closet from the 2008 Summer Olympics, Strasburg was ready to make his mark on the MLB and he certainly did. On June 8, 2010, affectionately called Strasmas by ESPN, he made his debut. Strasburg went 7 innings and struck out 14 Pirates with Ivan Rodriguez behind the dish. The hype machine was on. Strasburg was going to win every Cy Young for the next decade and break every record known to man.

Well, at least until his elbow blew out. Strasburg had an inflamed right shoulder in July, not even a month after his debut, and spent some time on the disabled list. August came, and he eventually needed Tommy John surgery. He was shelved, and the Strasburg machine was placed on pause until he came back at the end of 2011. The next year Strasburg was available for the whole year, so we could all see him perform magical feats of pitching throughout a pennant race.

We dropped the asteriks. Until September. Strasburg was shut down at the end of the season as not to get hurt as he came back from surgery. He was replaced by the unforgettable John Lannan, 2 time opening day starter and the best #31 in Nationals history (until Max Scherzer). Strasburg sat on the Physically Unable to Perform list, watching the Nationals lose in the NLDS.

The next few years resulted in a rise of typical Strasburg seasons; above average and some miscellaneous injuries every season. He led the league in strikeouts in 2014, and FIP and HR/9 in 2017. Strasburg signed an extension at the start of the 2016 season, with the 2017 season resulting in his best season, coming in third for the National League Cy Young award voting behind Clayton Kershaw and winning teammate Max Scherzer.

Strasburg, by most metrics, has had an amazing career. A 3 time All Star, Silver Slugger, and a couple top finishes for the Cy Young. But, according to some, he has not. He didn’t live up to his original hype, and never delivered in the playoffs. Although he has a 0.80 ERA in the 2014 and 2017 NLDSes, the Nationals could not manage to win either series. A super hyped prospect failed to deliver in the playoffs for the Nationals. Sound familiar?

In the end, however, we must disregard his draft status and look at his career objectively. Strasburg has had an amazing career, making the Nationals relevant for so many years, and more recently pairing with Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation for years. Strasburg has been, in all regards, an amazing pitcher and should be recognized as such rather than a disappointment due to not striking out 15 batters a game.





May your pennants fly forever.





-Prentiss