Washington Nationals: Evaluating who gets into Cooperstown
By Brian Foley
Has a chance: Stephen Strasburg
Strasburg will turn 30 years old in July, and already has three All-Star games and two top-ten Cy Young finishes under his belt.
We’ve seen how dominant Strasburg can be in stretches, from his scorching start in 2010, to his light-out finish to 2017 (just five earned runs in his final 10 starts, including the playoffs).
The “rate stats” are all there for the big right-hander – Strasburg is top-15 all-time in WHIP, K/9, and K/BB. He also owns a career 3.07 ERA. Now, Strasburg needs to rack up some quantity. If he can string together a few seasons of relative health and elite pitching, he’ll have a chance.
Strasburg is sort of the anti-Harper. Despite garnering plenty of attention as a prospect after being drafted first overall, he has flown under the radar for much of his career. Statistically, he has been one of the 10 best pitchers in the majors since 2012, but injuries have held him in the shadow of other NL aces like Scherzer, Kershaw, and Madison Bumgarner.
It would help if Strasburg could add an exclamation point to the resume. A Cy Young award or a deep playoff run would go a long way to boosting his name into the Hall of Fame conversation.