Cutting to Strasburg in Three, Two, One…

From ground zero of the worst team in recent history came the harbinger of hope.  With vintage footage of Walter Johnson playing on the jumbotron, the Nationals changed the frame and…  Cut to the Stephen Strasburg press conference at Nationals Park Friday afternoon where the new GM Mike Rizzo and Strasburg are introduced to the media together, where it is all about new day dawning.

Mike Rizzo told Tom Boswell that he hated public speaking.  Addressing the few hundred fans gathered at Nationals Park for the Strasburg Press Conference, you could tell he was somewhat uncomfortable.  But his ovation dwarfed that for Stan Kasten as the grateful crowd knew all too well who was responsible for pulling the Strasburg signing off.

But the crowd was there for a first look at the young man from San Diego and it was an encouraging Q and A.  First, Ryan Zimmerman came on stage and handed Strasburg his new Nationals jersey, number 37.  When asked what advice he had for the newest National, Zimmerman offered down to earth soundness, “be yourself and have fun, this is baseball after all.”

Mike Rizzo was asked what the plan is for Strasburg’s development and he was ready with the answer.  Strasburg is headed to Florida for the instructional league where he will “start off slow.”  The Nationals staff there will assess where Strasburg is after his layoff this summer and then begin to “ramp him up to a competitive basis.”  Rizzo said the goal is to get him stretched out so that he can endure a full professional season in 2010.  After limited action in the Florida Instructional League he will move to the Arizona Fall League.

Asked about his personal goals, about how soon he wanted to be in the majors, Strasburg was mostly about humility, but “I think of myself as a wining personality, but I have to just keep doing what I have been doing.”  Strasburg was asked about the pressure of becoming the face of the franchise just a few minutes after Zimmerman had been introduced as the face of the franchise.  It reminded those in attendance how tough it will be for the press to adjust to having two marquee players in DC.

Strasburg seemed more concerned about what he needed to pack for the trip to Florida than the publicity and pressure.  When asked about mapping out his future, that was about as long range as he could think–did he have everything he was going to need in Florida.

Scott Boras was on hand with his prodigy and he was asked what he thought of Strasburg’s makeup.  It was a great question and the one that no Nationals personnel can answer as definitively yet. 

“He understands what it means to work for what he gets,” said Boras talking about how Strasburg rose from relative baseball obscurity in an un-drafted talent in high school, as a slightly pudgy teen who–through conditioning and hard work–became the number one draft pick in three years.  “That same foundation will allow him to achieve great success at the major league level,” assured Boras.

Makeup is what Rizzo was banking on according to Tom Boswell.  It was the hole card in the negotiations, the desire of Strasburg to play, to get back on the field as soon as possible and compete to be the very best rather than play games with Boras as field general. 

When one watches Ryan Zimmerman cut off the balls hit into the hole that Cristian Guzman can no longer convert, one is reminded what “makeup” is all about.  The desire to win, to do all that one can from the time that he steps on the field to walk off a winner.  Strasburg flashed a little of it, the pride of the competitor.

“I pitched in the Olympics with a lot of guys who are already up in the big league,” said Strasburg acknowledging what many people believe about his major league ready status.  But he quickly restated his mantra of patience and hard work, “it is about just going out and doing my job.” 

Mike Rizzo finished up the session stressing that Strasburg’s next few months will be about acclimation and adjustments to the pro game.  The Nationals will be working to stretch out Strasburg’s arm for the longer season. 

The anticipation on the faces of the fans filing out after the press conference, the excited fans chatting amongst themselves on Metro about the young man who is the newest “face of the franchise,” they have some stretching out to do as well.  Expectations are running high.  There is a lot of hard work to do before the Nationals begin to turn the corner.  It won’t happen until all the Strasburgs, Detwilers, Zimmerman(n)s and Dunns begin to gel into a team without any one face defining the fracnchise, just a team of guys having fun.  This is baseball after all.

Thanks to All-Star Nationals fan, George R. Clark for the photos.