Anyone hoping to see Stephen Strasburg in a big-league uniform in 2009 got some disappointing news Tuesday. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo confirmed that Strasburg's first professional appearances will be with the Phoenix Dirt Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. This shouldn't be surprising news (Andrew Johnson reported that possibility here on FanHouse last Friday), but I think a large group of more casual fans expected to see Strasburg in red and blue almost immediately. That will clearly not be the case. The reality is that even the most advanced pitching prospects in the past few seasons have made at least some minor-league starts before making their big-league debuts. After being drafted by the Giants in 2006, Tim Lincecum made 14 minor-league appearances in 2006 and 2007 before getting an early call to San Francisco. The Orioles drafted Brian Matusz fourth overall last year and he made his debut in the AFL, then made 19 minor-league starts before the O's brought him up a few weeks ago.
The reality of the situation is that even the most advanced pitchers take some time to advance from college to the big leagues and it's unlikely that Strasburg will be an exception. He'll probably take some lumps in the AFL, because that's what happens to most guys that pitch in that league, go to big-league camp next spring, and begin 2010 with the Potomac Nationals (Washington's advanced Single-A affiliate) or maybe the Harrisburg Senators.
He'll probably pitch in D.C. before next season ends, but do we really expect him to progress quicker than Lincecum? I know there's a lot of hype around Strasburg, but that'd be a pretty tall order.
