Several young players in the Washington Nationals rebuilding process haven’t had the chance to rub shoulders with Stephen Strasburg, but they already liken him to a legend.
Strasburg hasn’t quite recovered from surgery he underwent in July 2021, shortly after signing his lucrative $245 million contract with the team. Since then, the star pitcher and recipient of the 2019 World Series MVP honour, has seen his career so faltering that it is likely to be over.
Despite his absence from the team’s entourage, the few players present at the Nationals camp who had the chance to share the locker room with him are unanimous: Strasburg still has a strong influence on this formation and he has become a source of inspiration for the young people growing within this organization.
After 13 years of career, including the last three without great results, Stephen Strasburg could have thrown his last ball and the leaders of the club are well aware of it. However, to maintain the myth, his place in the locker room is still reserved and his equipment is carefully arranged there as if the number 37 was going to show up there from one day to the next.
Yes, the 34-year-old athlete is perceived as a very high quality pitcher by people who gravitate around the Nationals, but he is first and foremost recognized as an exceptional human being. In negotiating his latest contract, Strasburg made sure to improve conditions for his teammates and their families while taking care of them personally.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez says Strasburg isn’t the most visible off the field, but his mere presence speaks for itself. He is not the one who will be the first to talk about his performance in front of the cameras, but others will take care of it so much he retains the interest of people who observe him.
The Nationals organization has not thrown in the towel regarding their starting pitcher, but they are realistic and will continue their work of reconstruction thanks to the arrival of a MacKenzie Gore, for example.
The team should still occupy the lower depths of their division this division and the influence of Strasburg, even absent, will facilitate this difficult but necessary movement of youth which will allow the Nationals to see the possibility of shining again in a few years. .
The team’s general manager, Mike Rizzo, feels bad about the situation affecting Strasburg because he is aware that this team has forged an identity based on that of the pitcher from San Diego. He is sad at the thought that the latter may not be able to take advantage of the next wave of success.
For the moment, everyone is living in hope, telling themselves that it is always possible to see their ace climb back on the mound, but they prefer to look candidly at the situation by concentrating on the present.
