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Grass is greenest right where Strasburg is
- Updated: May 10, 2016
Stephen Strasburg’s seven-year, $175 million contract extension with the Washington Nationals is a tribute to a smart, efficient organization. It couldn’t be simpler.
It’s about having a vision along with the guts to execute that vision. Few franchises in baseball are better at this.
• Strasburg signs 7-year, $175 million extension
This contract is also a tribute to Strasburg, who is tough and thoughtful. And he did something a lot of people wouldn’t: He assessed his life and his career in the last few months, and he decided he loved being right where he was.
Could Strasburg have gotten more money elsewhere? Probably. Could he have played in New York or Chicago or maybe in his native Southern California? Absolutely.
Instead, Strasburg looked at the organization that drafted him in 2009, protected him and put him in a winning, nurturing environment.
“I just trusted my gut and my heart,” Strasburg said Tuesday afternoon, when the deal was announced at Nationals Park. “Prayed about it. Timing felt right. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Nothing else I needed than what has been given to me [here].”
That’s the guy Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo fell in love with seven years ago. He was impressed by the talent, and that’s where everything starts. Championships are built on special players, and Strasburg is that.
In 122 starts since undergoing Tommy John surgery after his 17th Major League start, Strasburg is 53-33 with a 3.14 ERA and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
There have been bumps in the road. Strasburg has cracked the 200-inning mark only once due to nagging injuries. However, this season, at 27, he’s 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA and a fastball sitting consistently around 96 mph. Strasburg is on a 248-inning, 294-strikeout pace.
But the Nats saw something beyond the talent from the start. That is, someone who had a relentless desire to be great and to be a good teammate. They also appreciated that Strasburg …
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