As Strasburg Signs, Nationals Move Forward

I'll be honest here. I got a little nervous. It was 12:15, and I had heard nothing. I figured we wouldn't hear until after midnight and I 100% expected Stephen Strasburg to be a Washington National, but, at 12:15, I was getting antsy. My web browser on a Nationals forum I belong to was incredibly slow due to the number of visitors. I don't have a twitter account and I didn't feel like searching the multiple baseball websites and blogs for info.

So I went to get ready for bed, and, after hours of watching TV and reading every possible story about the negotiations, the deal is reported as I'm away from the TV. It isn't some magnificent announcement, full of videos, graphics, and images. It's just two Sportscenter anchors reporting it before they sign off to NFL Live. I struggle to find confirmation online, but, after some frantic moments of refreshing that Nationals forum, I finally can relax: Stephen Strasburg is a Washington National. The thoughts of him sitting out a season to play in Japan or an independent league (or even college) were finally gone. Finally, I knew that when the listings of the top prospects in baseball come out in the winter, Strasburg's name will be near the top of the list, with the name "WASHINGTON" right next to him.

Finally, the Nationals had their Alex Ovechkin. Finally, they had a player that every fan could recognize by name, even the casual fans who only know the Nationals as the baseball team that has major-league prices but minor-league product. Even Ryan Zimmerman isn't Stephen Strasburg. The new "face of the franchise" would save the team and be their ace, something no one in the system has the potential to be.

Until 11:58:43 on August 17th. At that second, the Nationals had their stud. They had their ace.

At least we hope so. There is still a lot of work to be done before Strasburg is actually the team's ace, but, for right now, Natstown is riding high. Thoughts of previous #1 overall pitchers who became busts - far too many to name - are pushed to the wayside. For the first time in a very long time, nobody laughed at the Nationals. They had done something right for once: they signed the top draft pick, a Scott Boras client, for a lot less than was originally expected - a feat that few teams can claim.

It's a momentus step forward for the franchise. The Lerner family finally put their money where their mouth is and spent more money on bonuses than any team has ever given in the draft. The team finally had it's #1 prospect and future "ace."Interim GM Mike Rizzo made a big step toward being named permanent GM. The franchise actually followed "the Plan" that Stan Kasten dreamed off all the way back in 2006. Even if Strasburg never amounts to the hype - which is very much a real possibility - it was the right move for the franchise and a big leap forward, which is something Nationals fans haven't been able to say for a long time.

The Nationals picked the right year to finish last

A 100+ loss season is never easy to swallow. It wasn't for me in 2008 when the Nationals lost 102 games and finished dead-last in the majors. Sure, I was optimistic afterward: the team played much better down the stretch, Dukes and Milledge emerged as top young players, John Lannan played fantastic, etc. The team had injuries and was young. They cut dead weight (for the most part) and would not have the same repeat performance in 2009, I told myself. The additions of Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham would help stabilize the rotation and outfield. Oh, and Jim Bowden resigned and the team signed Adam Dunn, who has been the best player in World Baseball Classic, with 2 home runs at (I think) 4 walks in 2 games (on base all but one time).

But still, it's hard to be totally optimistic when the team you love just lost 100+ games and everyone is predicting yet another last-place finish. The outlook just got a whole lot sweeter, however, when I read this article on ESPN.com.

The article talks about Stephen Strasburg, who is projected to go to the Nationals with the first overall pick. It talks about his 100-mph fastball that has movement on it, his 94-mph slider that is filthy, and mechanics that should not lead to further injury like fellow top prospects Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.

They call him the best prospect...ever. Ever. Ever. As a college junior, one scout says he is better than A.J. Burnett, who just signed a 5-year, $80 million deal with the Yankees and was ranked the #2 free agent pitcher available. Oh yea, and Strasburg was the only college player on the 2008 U.S.A Olympic baseball team.

Wow. Just wow. I suddenly became much more optimistic about the Nationals' future. He sounds like the Nationals' version of the Caps' Alexander Ovechkin. The Nationals can't pass on him. They won't. Not a chance.

Oh, and the Nationals also have the 9th overall pick (really 10th, because of the non-signing of Aaron Crow). Ohhhh baby. June is going to be a good month.