Stephen Strasburg lacked command in his rehab start in Fredericksburg Tuesday night, but more concerning for the Washington Nationals front office has to be that he lacked velocity.
According to FanGraphs, Strasburg, 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 2019, 1-3 with a 5.73 ERA in seven starts in parts of two seasons since, had an average four-seam fastball velocity of 94.1 mph in 2019, but as he began to battle injuries – carpal tunnel in 2020, thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021, he was down to 91.8 mph each of those last two years.
His fastball Tuesday night in his 61-pitch outing against the Salem Red Sox was sitting 90-92 mph, more 2020-2021 than 2019.
His off-speed stuff was biting, he said after the start, which is a good sign. His arsenal includes a change and a curve, in addition to the four-seamer and a sinker, which he has come to rely on more and more – FanGraphs had 26.7 percent of his pitches as sinkers in 2021, up from 13.3 percent in 2020, and a mere 7.0 percent in 2018.
It’s looking like Strasburg is in line for another rehab start in Fredericksburg on Sunday. Watch for him in terms of command, but maybe more important is the velo.
Story by Chris Graham
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