Comparing Zimmermann's 1st Year Back from Tommy John to Stephen Strasburg's

While Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg are two very different pitchers, both have had relatively similar career paths up to this point.

Both started at least 12 games in their rookie seasons (Zimmermann with 16, Strasburg with 12), both underwent Tommy John surgery early in their sophomore seasons (Zimmermann made seven starts, while Strasburg made five) and both were put on innings limits in their first full seasons back from the surgery.

Zimmermann's return season came in 2011. That season, he recorded an 8-11 record with an impressive 3.18 ERA. He tossed just 161.1 innings because of the imposed limit but struck out 124 while producing a 1.147 WHIP.

While his record left much to be desired, the Nationals had to have been happy with the results coming off of the surgery. He kept runners off the bases, which resulted in his small ERA.

Had the Nationals had a stronger offense, it's likely that Zimmermann's record could have been 11-8 instead of 8-11. He was the hard-luck loser on several occasions.

All in all, Zimmermann pitched very well in 2011.

Strasburg's return season in 2012 has seen very good results, results even more dominant than those of Zimmermann's.

Through 156.1 innings, Strasburg owns a 2.94 ERA, a 1.119 WHIP and has struck out an NL-leading 195 batters. He has a 15-6 record through 27 starts.

Strasburg now has just two starts left this season before he gets shut down. This should put him in the 170-inning range.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo had always said that there was no "hard" number for Strasburg's shutdown, so seeing a number 10 innings higher should not come as a big surprise. Honestly, the longer the Nationals keep Strasburg around, the better.

It's unfair to compare Zimmermann's and Strasburg's records because, like I said earlier, the offenses are very different. Strasburg has been given the run support this season that Zimmermann craved in 2011.

In all likelihood, Strasburg will finish with a lower ERA and a lower WHIP, but that's no true indication of whether or not he had a better season in his return than Zimmermann did.

The best way to look at it is by comparing each player's return year to the campaign he played before being injured.

Strasburg was dominant from the get-go. His 14-strikeout debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates left everyone in attendance satisfied that he was the real deal. His blazing fastball and flat-out nasty breaking ball were just as advertised.

Strasburg's return season, then, has put him right back to where he originally was. He is still the same strikeout artist with the menacing fastball and lethal breaking ball—hence the 195 strikeouts through 156.1 innings.

Zimmermann, on the other hand, actually improved after Tommy John surgery.

In his rookie season (the one before he was injured), he compiled a 4.63 ERA and a 1.358 WHIP. In 91.1 innings, he surrendered 95 hits.

While he did strikeout 92 batters for the best SO/9 rate of his career (9.1), he was not nearly as effective as he was upon his return.

Relative to their initial seasons, I would actually say that Zimmermann has been a bigger success after Tommy John surgery than Strasburg has.

While Strasburg will likely always be the dominant ace of the staff, Tommy John surgery may have actually transformed Zimmermann into a semi-dominant ace himself.

Both players' returns have been exactly what the Nationals have asked for, and the respective place that each pitcher is in now is a huge reason why the Nationals are enjoying a record-breaking season in Washington.