2009 Nationals Bullpen: The Calm Before The Storen

No matter whom the Nationals had selected with their second first-round pick this past June (the one received for not signing pitcher Aaron Crow last year), there was going to be howling from the sidelines.

Collusion! Stupidity! Cheap Sons-of-guns! You get the drift.

With the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, the Nationals had no choice but to select Steven Strasburg and his accompanying baggage, namely Scott Boras and the 50-million problems he brings to Washington.

It was assumed that because of the drain that Strasburg would create in the team’s coffers, the Nationals would draft someone, um, “signable” with their second pick, the 10^th overall selection in the draft.

And when the Nationals selected Stanford closer Drew Storen, the grumbling began. Storen, who had a 7-1, 3.80 record with the Cardinal in 2009, had been projected as a late first-round pick. MLBdraft.com, one of the most accurate mock drafts in the business, had him going 22^nd to the Minnesota Twins.

The Nationals, or so the story goes, drafted Storen 10^th knowing he was a low first-rounder. They would then offer him a little above slot for where he should have been drafted and he would gratefully sign, and sign quickly.

And so it came as no surprise when Storen signed his contract on June 10^th, the day after the draft, and for just $1.5 million dollars, less than half of what the Nationals had offered Aaron Crow the year before. The savings would then be used to try and sign Strasburg.

Would the Nationals really use a top-10 pick to draft a below-par player just to save money? Frankly, I think that’s crazy.

But in the words of Pistachio Disguisey, “It’s so crazy that it just …. might ….work!”

It’s not like Storen was a failed starter pitching for a second-rate team. Over his two seasons with Stanford, he had a 12-4 record with a 3.64 ERA. In 99 innings, he struck out 116 and walked just 23, including an amazing 66:12 strikeouts to walk ratio in 2009.

His fastball touches 96 mph with movement and he has a hard breaking ball that crosses the plate at 80 mph. He has a very good curve, but closers seldom need three pitches.

Storen’s command isn’t the best, and that’s why scouts see him as a closer at the major league level. An example of that are the six home runs he gave up this year at Stanford.

I don’t think the Nationals drafted Storen as a cost-saving measure. Since the injury to Chad Cordero two seasons ago, the team simply hasn’t had a closer that was reliable, little alone dominant.

I think Storen is a National because he was the best closer available, and because at the time of the draft, the Nationals had by far the most blown saves in all of baseball.

I think it was a no-brainer.

The team certainly had enough trust in his talent to start him at ‘A’ Hagerstown, unusual for a player with just two years of college experience. At first, that trust seemed misplaced, as Storen gave up runs in his first two outings and had an ERA over 12.00 before he had time to unpack his bags.

But after those first two games, Storen has shown why the Nationals have so much faith in him. In ten appearances, he’s lowered his ERA to 3.95. He’s allowing less than one base runner per inning. His batting-average against is just .204.

That’s impressive. What’s ridiculous is his power pitching and control. In 13 innings, Storen has struck out 23 while walking no one.

I’ll wait for a minute while that sinks in.

That means that this year, when you combine his college and professional numbers, Drew Storen is in a world all his own. Look at this:

Innings pitched: 55        Strikeouts: 89      Walks: 8

Now, I don’t mean to be sacreligious, but those are Strasburg-esque numbers. Strasburg pitched 110 innings for San Diego State this year, so let’s halve his stats so we can get an exact comparison between the two pitchers:

Innings pitched: 55       Strikeouts: 97        Walks: 9

I am in no way suggesting that Drew Storen is Steven Strasburg. What I am saying, however, is that Storen is a solid first round draft pick who could be saving games in Washington long before Strasburg ever toes the rubber at Nationals Park.

He might not have been a sexy pick, but he was a sensible one. The Nationals needed a number-one starter, and they got one. The Nationals needed a closer, and they got one of those too.

And if those saved millions help the Nationals sign Steven Strasburg, well, great. Storen didn’t need them and Scott Boras is blackmailing the Nationals to get them.

That’s a win-win if ever I’ve heard one.