Signing Strasburg likely to take time – The Wash. Times
In his limited media availability Stephen Strasburg was talking about taking a vacation and working out, knowing full well that he won’t be signed anytime soon. Scott Boras is his agent we are well aware of how Boras does business. This thing won’t be over until August 17, it’s a lock.
MICHAEL WILBON – A Risky Choice – The Post
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have the very first Michael Wilbon column about the Washington Nationals. Can anybody else recall him writing one in the five seasons that they have played here? I cannot. Has he even ever been to Nationals Park? Also, note the dateline of the article.
Anyway, you know how Boswell often cited statistics about pitchers drafted #1 overall? Wilbon does that here, noting that no one them won a Cy Young. Sure its true, btu we’re talking about independent events here, what Andy Benes or Tim Belcher did has absolutely no bearing on what Strasburg will do.
Get this:
This notion that the Nationals needed to draft Strasburg as a show of faith to the team’s fans is insultingly absurd. You know how you build and keep a loyal fan base? Put a credible product on the field. Be competitive year after year. Forget about the symbolism of drafting and signing the kid rated No. 1 and instead acquire the best players. How much could Strasburg affect attendance if he’s pitching approximately 16 times at home?
Of course you need a credible product on the field, but you need a credible effort from the front office to put that product on the field. Does anybody who actually follows the Nationals believe that has been the case up until this point?
Nats get Storen in the fold quickly – The Wash. Times
#10 overall pick, Drew Storen, came to Washington and signed with the Nats yesterday. He signed for below his market value which probably went okay with ownership. He has a great backstory too:
But the story goes back even further than that. It picks up in 2003, when the Nationals were still the Expos and Storen was a batboy for the team whenever it would get close to his hometown of Indianapolis.
His father, Mark Patrick, who used to be a baseball analyst on XM radio, knew former Montreal trainer Ron McClain and arranged for Storen to come over from Indianapolis to Cincinnati for a series against the Reds.
Storen met rookie closer Chad Cordero and decided then he wanted to work the ninth inning in the big leagues.
“It was kind of when the dream started, like, ‘Hey, I really want to do this for a living,’ ” Storen said.
So when Storen signed with the Nationals on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the team drafted him with the 10th overall pick, and stood in front of reporters with his flat-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes, it felt like the completion of that dream.
Facinating, hopefully he’ll lead the league in saves some year like Cordero did in 2005. Hopefully, he’ll do it without the heart palpations that Cordero caused.
Future Closer Storen Is Signed, Delivered – The Post
Uncovering a Draft Philosophy –
So there is speculation that all of the talk about “draft the best player available” is missing the qualifier, “as long as he’s cheap.” That may be true, but Nationals Farm Authority suggests that there may be more to it and that is is actually good news.
