The Nationals have the best record in baseball and much of that success can be contributed to their ace, Stephen Strasburg. Shockingly, Washington stood true to the inning cap allotted to Strasburg at the beginning of the year, and shut him down for the rest of the 2012 season. Two contributors weigh in on this controversial decision:

Shut him down

A 21-year title drought across major professional sports in Washington D.C. has caused perennial heartbreak and disappointment to its fans. Yet, seemingly out of nowhere, the Washington Nationals (the franchise formerly known as the Montreal Expos) have taken Major League Baseball by storm, boasting the best record in the league. At the heart of this resuscitation is 24-year-old pitcher, Cy Young candidate, and face of the franchise—Stephen Strasburg. Despite this success, the Nationals recently decided to shut him down for the rest of the season, taking precautionary steps to prevent re-injury and eliciting a firestorm of backlash. Though controversial, the Nationals’ decision was the right one because it protected Strasburg.

In a league where the most valuable commodity is young starting pitching, Strasburg is the cream of the crop. Despite his otherworldly talent, Strasburg fell to injury and underwent Tommy John surgery during his 2010 rookie campaign, forcing him to sit out the entirety of last season. There is undeniable evidence that increasing a pitcher’s workload after coming back from Tommy John’s surgery is career-threatening and, sometimes, career-ending. One only needs to look as far back as Kerry Wood and Mark Prior to see the worst-case scenario for pitchers with Strasburg’s potential coming back from Tommy John. In the years following their arm surgeries, Wood and Prior were rushed back into heightened action, and the effects were clearly negative. Wood has only been able to pitch in excess of 180 innings twice since 2000. The last time he broke 100 innings was in 2004, as a 27-year-old. Prior has not pitched in the Majors since 2006 and has seen his body progressively break down after being overused in 2003, when he was just 23.

Strasburg wants to pitch, and Washington wants to win, but risking the health and career of the organization’s most prized player is potentially crippling for the franchise—as it was for Wood, Prior, and the Chicago Cubs. The Nats have done their homework, looking at case after case of pitchers recovering from Tommy John, and have made an educated and cautionary decision. They may be sacrificing a chance to win the World Series this year, but Strasburg’s injury-prone history does not project well for early overexertion. Not only do the Nats need to protect their investment for the long-term, they also need to do the only humane thing possible—allowing Strasburg the chance at a future career. Washington is the best team in baseball because it is the best young team in baseball; and mortgaging the next ten years for one playoff push would be an egregious error. Washington was fully justified in shutting down Strasburg, and building a brighter future for the Nationals.

—Mayaz Alam

vs. Let him play

Life hasn’t exactly been easy for Stephen Strasburg. Off the field, he has dealt with enormous expectations fueled by constant media pressure. On the field last year, he injured his throwing arm and underwent Tommy John surgery to repair it.

Yet, somehow, despite the media scrutiny and major surgery—which forced him into taking almost a year off—Strasburg seems to be just fine. He opened this season with an impressively low 1.13 ERA and 34 strikeouts over just 32 innings. Considering Strasburg is only 24 years of age, he seems like a perfect candidate to be the staff ace for his playoff-bound and league-leading Washington Nationals.

Not so fast. On Sept. 7, the Nationals decided that it would be in their best interest to shut down the right-hander as a precaution against any setbacks to his previous injury. Really? Insisting on shutting down a healthy athlete is one thing, but to do it in the middle of a playoff hunt is a definite miscalculation not to mention, Strasburg is one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Strasburg told the media numerous times that he was feeling great, and more importantly, that he was not showing any signs of fatigue. Furthermore, he backed up these comments with an impressive 15 wins by the end of August on a reduced workload, placing himself amongst the best arms in the league. Even more puzzling, however, is that the doctor who performed Strasburg’s surgery, indicated that there is no conclusive evidence to support ending Strasburg’s season prematurely is in the best interest of the all-star pitcher. Nationals fans are undoubtedly upset, and justifiably so, especially since Strasburg’s surgeon does not support the decision.

Put simply, Strasburg should be pitching. He is a professional athlete who is being paid to pitch; but more importantly, there are fans paying money to come watch him do so. This wouldn’t be so controversial if the Nationals were out of the playoff race. However, this is a franchise dying for postseason baseball, having been deprived of it since 1981—as the Montreal Expos no less. Why not go for it? The team has the best record in baseball, but without Strasburg, their chance of prevailing in the National League takes a massive hit. This simply sends the wrong message to the fans.

Moreover, for the Nationals’ sake, they should hope that in coming years, this does not cause a rift between management and Strasburg—for it would be a real shame if one of the best pitchers in baseball was lost to free agency, all because they wouldn’t let him pitch when he was healthy enough to do so.

­— Michael Ghofrani

Winner: Shut him down 

While the Nationals’ postseason hopes figured heavily on Strasburg’s arm, the thought of putting future seasons in risk is too much to ignore, especially since the team has a bright future. Therefore, Washington made the right, but tough decision.