This kid is good!

7 IP, 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BB, 14 Ks.

That's a pretty impressive stat line for any pitcher, nevermind a 21 year old kid making his major league debut.  Then again, this is Stephen Strasburg we're talking about, only the most hyped and anticipated rookie pitcher... ever?

It would be difficult for anyone to live up to the hype that surrounded Strasburg as he breezed through the minor leagues while fans anticipated his arrival in the big leagues.  It's possible that Strasburg may have even surpassed anyone's wildest predictions with his dominant performance on Tuesday night in Washington. 

Ok, nobody seriously thought he'd throw a perfect game, right?  But he was pretty close.  The one blemish on the day came on a 2 run Home Run by Delwyn Young on a 90 MPH changeup that he took a golf swing at.  Not a bad pitch, just good hitting.  He went on to retire the next 10 batters he faced, striking out 7 of them.

Strasburg's 14 Ks set a record for the Nationals franchise.  It is the second most strikeouts by a pitcher making his major league debut and no pitcher has recorded that many strikeouts in their debut without walking a batter.  It's also important to keep in mind that the only two pitchers to have recorded more strikeouts in their debut did so in eras that paid much less attention to pitch counts.  J.R. Richard and Karl Spooner each recorded 15 Ks in their debuts, but did it in 9 innings.  Strasburg was taken out after 7 innings due to the fact that he was approaching the 100 pitch mark for his outing.  Kid gloves for the prized savior of their franchise.  If Dusty Baker managed this kid he'd have a shot at 20 Ks.  Then again, his career might only last as long as Mark Prior's if that were the case.  So the Nationals were wise to limit him.

Watching Strasburg pitch, it's easy to see how hitters have so much trouble connecting with his pitches.  He's capable of reaching 100 MPH on the radar gun and was fairly consistently hitting 98 MPH and above with his fastball all night.  He has good movement on his changeup, which at 90 MPH is faster than some pitcher's fastball, but when compared to Strasburg's heater it is deceptively slow, which keeps hitters off balance.  He also has knee buckling curve ball that at times seems unhittable. 

Before we hand over the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, MVP or any other awards we may want to throw at the young phenom, it should be noted that his first start came against a Pittsburgh Pirates lineup that is barely a step above a AAA team.  He wasn't exactly facing murderer's row.  A look at the schedule ahead though shows that his transition to the major leagues is aided by a string of starts against teams in the bottom third in the majors in runs scored, including Cleveland, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore, Atlanta and San Francisco.  There may be more starts like this ahead, which will help him build confidence as he continues to mature into the ace of the pitching staff.

Every year around this time teams begin to call up their top prospects that they deem to be ready for the major leagues.  Often they are overly hyped and fail to meet the lofty expectations unfairly cast upon them.  There is a learning curve in the majors that players need to adjust to.  Very few are able to jump right in and be dominant players from the start.  Strasburg may be the type of player that can.  Believe the hype.