Stephen Strasburg: The Chaotic Story of a Prodigy

Hey everyone!
Over a decade ago, the Nationals had two of the most hyped up prospects ever: Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg. While Harper became a 2x MVP and is on a path towards Cooperstown, Strasburg has had a turbulent career. Still, despite these ups and downs, he's etched his name into the history books in more ways than one. Thank you all for another great year!
Follow me on Twitter: / sportstorm23
Sources (Articles/Media): pastebin.com/GkNrkgHx
Music:
1. • Cyberpunk Dark Synthwa... (prod. Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio)
2. • Chill Synthwave - Atmo... (prod. Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio)
3. link is gone (prod. Voyce Beats)
4. • Video (prod. inkfrlx)
5. • [FREE for PROFIT] (EMO... (prod. malloy x kndey)
6. • [FREE FOR PROFIT] **YK... (prod. YK PROD.)
7. • Yuzzy - Debunking | J... (prod. Yuzzy)
8. • [FREE FOR PROFIT] Juic... (prod. malloy x jean parker)
9. • Top Secret - Docume... (prod. CO.AG Music)
10. • [free for profit] baby... (prod. Rollie)
11. • [FREE FOR PROFIT] Old ... (prod. Hayku)
12. • Retro Horror Synthwave... (prod. Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio)
13. • Cinematic Retrowave Th... (prod. Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio)
14. • 02 On The Move - Docum... (prod. CO.AG Music)
15. • Spacewave / Synthwave ... (prod. Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio)
Business: [e-mail]
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:42 The Greatest Prospect Ever?
8:31 A Legendary Debut
11:11 The First Setback
14:33 Ups and Downs
19:20 Becoming an Ace
20:50 The Nationals' Last Chance
26:03 2019 World Series
30:18 The End of Strasburg?

[@StarkRavingSports]

Much better pitcher than he’ll be remembered for

[@tfulookingat55]

very true

[@joshwilner5622]

I mean not really I think everyone remembers the talent but availability is the best ability as they say

[@MatthewBreck]

@@joshwilner5622 I think you’re confused as time goes on he will be forgotten because of the injuries when he could have been remembered for decades had he been able to show his talent more.

[@pingamalinga]

Sucks when rash of injuries sidelines a HoF type arm.

[@jeffersonott4357]

I'm basically a Phillies fan who has a casual interest in baseball overall... I remember him as a remarkable, world series MVP who was injured a bunch. So, as someone who doesn't care bout the nationals, I disagree.

[@jemiller226]

I'm just amazed he lasted this long. His mechanics remind me so much of Mark Prior's that I assumed he'd be lights out for a couple of years and then disappear.

[@philarends7555]

Wasn't prior from San Diego State

[@jedismasher]

@@philarends7555 yes, he was.

[@jemiller226]

@@philarends7555 No, USC.

[@jemiller226]

@@jedismasher No. He's *from* San Diego but did not attend university there.

[@mspionage1743]

@Max The Cat Prior pitched for USC.

[@enthusiastJD]

GOD THE CLINGING OF THE FOUL POLE JUST SENDS A SHIVER DOWN MY SPINE I LOVE THAT SOUND

[@adrianbautista2308]

I don't care if he's been injury prone or that he likely won't make the HOF, that 2019 playoff run made him a legend in my books.

[@cloudicarus3626]

Stephen Strasburg has had a career that a lot of MLB pitchers wish to have. Could it have been better had he not had as many injuries? Of course, but I feel like that's the case with a lot of players.

[@SportStorm23]

Perfect summary

[@MrAdmvp]

@@Oregonstateman haha are you serious?

[@ObiWanKenobi]

@@Oregonstatemanyou could argue the same thing for trout being the GOAT yet never winning a playoff game lmao. Baseball is the most team sport out there and strasburg was ahead of his time with his pitching

[@PBMdanya]

@@ObiWanKenobi idk about that. Only his hype can be evidence of that

[@karlrovey]

He would have had fewer injuries if he hadn't basically copied Mark Prior's mechanics.

[@AudicyVEVO]

Being in the DC area my whole life, and our sports teams being pretty bad during my time alive here, it was incredible when he finally got to play for the nats. The whole city came alive for baseball again.

[@TheIndie5hundy]

I can’t imagine how it must feel to be so close to dominating the league in historical fashion but to be held back by constant injuries and limitations. He’s a total legend in my book.

[@thereisnosuchthingasanativ904]

Agreed. I’ll always remember him as the hero who took down those cheating Astros. Mixing up 5 sets of signs because they said they knew they was STILL cheating. He still prevailed My man was a freak when he was healthy and nobody can deny that

[@drakegotcakelol]

sadly that’s the most common way careers get ended . And it’s sad when you see HoF level talent fall off cause of one injury . D rose :(

[@ganger9]

strasburg and lincecum will always be my top 2 favorite pitchers

[@CoffinDaggers]

Including the Nats championship playoff run of 2019, Strasburg pitched 245.1 innings during that season. The highest total of his entire career. For a player who had pitch count/season inning limits during the first few years of his career and who was fragile at best during the 2010's, that 7 year/$245 million contract coming into his age 31 season was very much a championship euphoria high purchase. So sad to see how quickly Strasburg and the Nats fell off the last few years.

[@enthusiastJD]

Hardcore nationals fan here, Absolutely wild decade for us, what a ride bro. Its crazy all the insane talent that has gone through our organization, hope someone rich buys us. Curly W will rise again .

[@benballier9580]

Y’all won’t be competing for another decade unless the Lerner’s decide to spend money again. Mets and Phillies unloading brinks trucks and Braves silently over the luxury tax.

[@Arosusi1927]

@@benballier9580 mets and phillies are going down in the long run with those contracts braves are gonna be the team of the century from the nl east and nationals and marlins are the future if they can get the pieces

[@TPTGopher]

Sadly, at best I think the soonest we'll be good again is 2025, when as part of the DeSantis Inaugural festivities, the team could break the Curse of Anthony Fauxi by allowing that inhuman little monster to be executed on the pitcher's mound.

[@VisibilityFoggy]

@@Arosusi1927 The Mets have an owner who genuinely doesn't care about those contracts. The goal was to become the Dodgers of the east coast, and it looks like Cohen is literally putting their plan into action from when Dodgers ownership changed. Mets will be a juggernaut. My team isn't even in the same league so no bias here.

[@rosettastoned9467]

@@Arosusi1927 😂😂😂😂

[@hbsea4698]

Your editing never disappoints. Excellent work man

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you!

[@davidmartinez52420]

It's wild to think that he's already been in the MLB for 13 years now. Time flies faster as you get older.

[@peytonsworld4328]

Look when you draft stras, and harp and they both debut in the same time frame. That's wild. Those 2 made it what it is to be a nationals fan.

[@peytonsworld4328]

@@Oregonstateman he still got the ring. Every person on that Squad earned that ring.

[@tommydevine9993]

​​@@Oregonstateman in terms of pitching, he was the biggest contributor to the WS win. Max in the regular season, and Stras in the postseason

[@brendonbuffaloe8830]

@@Oregonstateman Could say the same thing about Harper. Dude was drafted to be the savior of that franchise, and when they grew tired of his temper tantrums and antics, he abandoned them for a big contract with a “more competitive” team. Ironically the Nationals were more successful after Harper left while the Phillies have never lived up to the hype. They had a fluke run this postseason until Yordaddy put them back in their place. And Harper is pretty much a unanimous HOF player, so for you to say that Strasburg is overrated is ironic.

[@aaronbeaver3647]

@@Oregonstateman didn't he win World Series MVP lmao

[@yoitssami4683]

Legend, sad what happened to him. As a nats fan he’s definitely one of my favorite players ever

[@fries5849]

@@Oregonstateman because baseball is a team sport and only 2 teams make it every year?

[@bigk-ut6lr]

@@Oregonstateman Because he starts 1 out of every 5 games for a team? This is quite possibly the dumbest baseball comment I've ever read. And the Nats won the WS in large part because of him. That postseason run is arguably the greatest for a pitcher ever.

[@joshuapatrick682]

In 2019 I got interested in Baseball again for the first time since 05 to see the post season where the Nats took a WC spot all the way to the title. I personally believe that Strasburg’s performance in that span is worth every cent they have paid and will pay him. Period.

[@flacogonz13]

One good postseason is not worth having the worst contract in baseball. The dude has made 8 starts since 2019. He is literally wasting a quarter million dollars for the Nats

[@ofclown9458]

@@flacogonz13 prolly makes that back in jersey sales easy especially now

[@joshuapatrick682]

@@flacogonz13 it’s not his fault they have him the bag, but even if they had not he’s only getting 150,000,000 more than he would have had he not opted out and being directly responsible for your franchises lone World Series win is definitely worth that much when you look at the value of the franchise in 2018 compared to now. So sure you can look at it surface level like you choose to, but that is some very flawed logic man.

[@flacogonz13]

@@joshuapatrick682 "Flawed logic"? The Nats have lost Soto, Turner, Rendon, Scherzer, and Harper, and have two of the worst pitcher contracts in baseball in Corbin and Strasburg. The Nats are in a giant financial hole and won't be relevant for years

[@fredsavage7380]

World Series MVP after battling through injuries. Dudes a warrior in my book.

[@shawnafrederiksen907]

Absolutely I knew he was finished after that World Series and that that contract would never be even remotely lived up to you but he got him a ring and he was a beast in that playoffs and that's what matters I wish they would have let him pitch when he was a Youngster when they shut him down

[@thenewfury9798]

Even if he never pitches again, what an amazing career. And a ring to a long-suffering franchise. Truly electric stuff. Also one of your best videos. Truly nails the documentary feel.

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@CSDonohue11]

Totally agree He’s had an electric career And what more could Nats want ? They got their ring Sure would have been even better had they got a ring with the 2 #1 Back to Back picks That would have been Dope That 2012 Playoffs when they sat Stras was the one they really had a shot to do so had they let Stras go and be there for those BiG Games in The Playoffs

[@champfamo]

Cap

[@ericbetterige]

He’s only 35 he can miss 2 years and get right and come back and play another 5 years

[@saaketh83]

Diehard Nats fan here. That first strasmas is something I’ll never forget. At one point I remember putting the game on both tvs in my house and running up and down the stairs to see each strike out again (there was a slight delay on one of them). I remember reading about his possible life long issues because of his inverted W he uses too. He’s given us a lot. A lot of great memories. Great video man, really appreciate it

[@coyotelong4349]

On the First Day of Strasmus your true love gave to youuu A big old curly inverted WWWW

[@jtthomas7349]

The one thing I will always remember about Strasburg is being a Mariners fan and being super hyped about getting him in the 09 draft, then the M's shot themselves in the foot YET again and just HAD to sweep the A's in the last series of the season to fall to the #2 pick and settle for.. Dustin Ackley (Why wasn't Mike Trout the #2 prospect in that draft by a mile??). The Nationals even swept the M's themselves that year and STILL got the 1st pick. Classic Mariners 😆

[@jjmariani_]

Growing up in the northern Virginia area as a kid when the Nationals first came back to the area, there was no bigger name synonymous with Nationals. I watched him live a few times including once at an absolutely packed out Potomac Nationals stadium.

[@natebrown5766]

I was there for that P Nats game too! Never seen the Pfitz so electric.

[@mrp1924]

He has had a lot of injuries, he put it all together in 2019 a clinical baseball World Series run.

[@YOUNGPADAWON]

I still remember the hype around him & Harper…. Crazy to me

[@zacharymutter7402]

I grew up with Stephen we played t-ball on the same team.We went to the same high-school .... during out first season playing baseball he caught to fly balls as a short stop and cried his way to the dug out to celebrate. He was presurred by his Dad to the point of abuse, His Dad was so toxic he sat on a hillside 30 yards behind the bleachers to watch his Highschool games. It's unfortunate he got hurt I was really excited to see him mature and get his emotions under control. Hope he can be free of any kind of regret or identity issues from not meeting the level everyone expected him to....

[@limjahey8316]

I understand how some dads be toxic like that but do you think he woulda made it this far had his dad just chilled and didn’t care win or lose? I don’t think so. That toxicity definitely played a factor in Stephen putting in the work to make the big leagues

[@gwell66v2AnimeReviews]

​@limjahey8316 it's not an either or. If the dad had understood that, his son could've avoided breaking down so much

[@georgepress1261]

I am a Phillies fan, so I have watch stephen strasburg for his entire career. If he is done, he career was a good one, not great/ hall of fame, but good. But their is one thing that no one can take away from strasburg. 2019 World Series champion who also won mvp for his team. That alone is worth being draft number 1 with all the hype

[@hilaryweiner893]

Well done and balanced treatment of Stras' career. I didn't realize he almost quit before his college career began. I hope we get to see him back again as a successful MLB pitcher, but know that the odds are against him.

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you! I also didn't know he nearly quit. Pretty crazy story

[@VACATETHE48]

Strasburg, Halladay and Buerhle were my 3 absolute favorites to watch pitch. Watching Strasburg go on that 2019 postseason run was really something. When he was on, Strasburg is goddamn unhittable. I really hope he can turn his career around for one more run in 2023, even if it's just one more year. Hell, just one start. I just want to see him pitch again.

[@murray1978]

Doc Halladay was my favorite player. I watched him dominate as a Jay since 98.

[@bmac4]

A healthy Strasburg would no doubt be a Hall of Famer. Rare case of a talent whose "what-if" story doesnt have a lot of gaping holes. Man has all star nods and a WS MVP, we all know how dominant he is when he's playing, he earned the money he made with his play, he just hasnt been able to play enough to truly assert his longtime legacy.

[@psc92]

As a Nats fan it's sad to think that he'd probably be a hall of famer if he had just stayed relatively healthy. I think many fans who didn't follow the Nats closely seem to think that he just pretty good but never lived up to the hype. Playing for many years with Max Scherzer gave him some camoflauge as people talked about more about Max and less about him (given his personality he probably preferred it this way.) But when he was healthy, holy hell he was as good as advertised. I'm sure many people will remember him as a guy who never reached his potential. I will remember him as one of the most underrated pitchers of his era, and arguably the biggest reason why we won a World Series.

[@psc92]

@@Oregonstateman You're doing just great

[@PBMdanya]

You're a nat fan so you're bias. He couldn't physically live up to the expectations and that's the reality. Your evaluation comes off as a speculation of what he could've been. That isn't a factor when evaluating his career

[@psc92]

@@PBMdanya ok

[@luv2sail66]

As a Nationals fan, I’m certain we don’t win a championship in 2019 without him. I hope he can come back and pitch competitively again, but if not I will always be grateful for the 2019 season.

[@mattdimaulo6683]

He was I hittable in those playoffs

[@maxthompson9350]

As a nationals fan hes will always be appreciated and loves for what he did for us. He won us a world series, gave us something go watch when we sucked. Hes a legend, we’ll never undervalue what he did for us. In every nats fans top 5 favorite players easy.

[@6mcneills]

Idk if he will ever return to a shadow of his former self, but his run during the 2019 playoffs was one for the ages. He was electric the entire postseason and was absolutely the reason the Nationals beat the Astros.

[@admiralpatton5716]

Thoracic outlet syndrome is the scariest baseball injury. I feel awful for Strasburg because of that pain and no clear fix. Bro is getting eulogy videos now.

[@unkledoda420]

Same thing ruined the careers of Alex Cobb and Matt Harvey if I'm not mistaken. That TOS is a career killer, especially for pitchers. Even if guys come back from it they're never close to what they were before the injury.

[@CanadaMMA]

Stephen Strasburg's mechanics when throwing the ball put an insane amount of pressure on his elbow. Even before his debut, a lot of scouts saw his injuries issues coming. It's why people who laugh at things like innings limits are idiots.

[@NatsFan18]

The excitement of me in high school when SS made his debut as a Nats fan during all the rough years was through the roof!

[@mervalon0966]

Stephen Strasburg was electric, If he didn’t have the Inverted W mechanics he might’ve not been as injury prone

[@petespizzeriaabortionclini8020]

In 2012, my younger brother loved Strasburg and had his jersey, and the nationals were due to play at Fenway. I happened to be going to the game and my brother asked me to take his jersey to see if I could get it autographed by Stephen himself. So obviously in the ninth inning I made my way down towards the opposing dugouts and after the game as Strasburg was walking down towards the clubhouse there was me and a bunch of adults asking for his autograph, to stand out I shouted "Hey Mr. Strasburg! Could you please sign this jersey for my little brother?" The dude immediately turned around to tell the security guard walking with him to grab the jersey from me so he could sign it... and it's something I'll never forget, he seems like a guy with a great heart, and he's had a hell of a career

[@unkledoda420]

Most baseball KZbin channels have done a video about JR Richard, one of the guys above Strasburg in the debut K list. I'd love to see a video about the other guy, Karl Spooner. He was a highly rated prospect in the Dodgers system. In 1954 he only pitched in 2 games, both complete game shutouts (15 k's in his debut and 12 k's in his second start). The next season he blew his arm out in spring training. He had a few good starts but bounced back and forth from the bullpen and rotation and didn't even pitch 100 innings. After getting rocked in game 6 of the '55 WS he never pitched in the bigs again. By 1959 he had washed out of the lowest level of minor league ball at the time and retired. I couldn't find anything definitive about what his exact injury was but from what I've read it sounds like he needed Tommy John surgery. If he stayed healthy and those early-mid 60's Dodgers teams had a healthy Spooner along with Koufax and Drysdale. That would've been the best trio ever, hands down.

[@bigk-ut6lr]

Think you can make a strong argument that he had the best "stuff" for a pitcher this century. He was that good. I hope that he can end his career on his terms, he's meant a ton to the Nats and it's been a blast watching him pitch. Can always appreciate how hard he worked to come back from all of those injuries. His October 2019 is insane to watch and when you look at the stats he had that postseason, it makes you appreciate what he did that much more.

[@davymo19]

This is absolutely one of the best videos I've seen on youtube in a really long time. I think we've taken Strasburg for granted for so many years now that I didn't know most of his story. And honestly you've presented it all incredibly well

[@iamhungey12345]

What can be said, at least he did eventually helped deliver a title. Throughout the time he was actually their best postseason player even before 2019.

[@davidcook680]

Had a great college career. Accomplished alot in the majors. Won a world series. Although he didn't last super long. He accomplished alot. Made tons of money. I hope he sees how successful he has been.

[@jmiogo]

Some fantastic editing work! Well done and thank you!

[@lb3bodybuilding278]

This was beautiful, man. Great job.

[@TheTEN24]

It’s crazy how long it’s felt since he was fully healthy but he was dominant in his prime years

[@Authentic_Confidence]

Amazing work dude! Great editing

[@StinkyPinkyyy-_-]

coming from an astros fan, i can see how that 2019 world series meant a lot of the nationals let alone strasberg… i’m happy for him and he has had one hell of a career. cheers

[@RedFromDa713]

As a Astros fan that 2019 WS still hurts, the 2019 Astros team is the greatest in our franchise history and one of the greatest in MLB history also. Weakness was the bullpen. Nationals was the one team I thought could beat us, there pitching matchedup with Verlander, Cole & Greinke.

[@Gemnist98]

For me, as a fellow Astros fan, I wouldn’t change a thing. 2019 may have been the best team in franchise history, combining the good of both 2017 and 2022, but we needed to lose then. Losing in 2019 brought us down to earth, and made us realize that we needed to be punished for 2017. So the Astros readjusted, and we came back again. Honestly, even 2021 I don’t regret much, aside from maybe not getting Greinke a ring.

[@andrewgomez6864]

Great video my man !

[@highinside4757]

I still remember watching his debut live on TV

[@joshuapatrick682]

What gets lost in the conversation of his “worst contract in baseball” is that he’s getting about 145 million more than he would have if he didn’t opt out. There’s no team out there that wouldn’t pay that much money to win a World Series. So yes in hindsight it’s not a great contract for the future, but as a bonus for being the one who carried the team to the promise land with the October of a lifetime, I think it’s more than reasonable. Especially with how front loaded the latest round of massive FA contracts have been.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Also, there’ve been WAY worse contracts. Just ask the Angels or the Tigers. Hell, the Mets botched Bonny Bonilla’s contract so bad that instead of paying him $5.9 million for one year when they released him after a disastrous season they ended up on the hook for $28.9 million dollars! Not only that, they’ll be being him more than a million dollars every year until 2037 when he turns 72! In retrospect, the Mets might have been a little too trusting of that Madoff guy…

[@Jt7166]

Great stuff man.

[@michaelhathaway2399]

Fantastic video. An absolute legend of the game whose name will live on for generations. What a story, what a career, what a presence on the mound.

[@andrewho1578]

Great Video!!

[@dnavarro972]

One of the best videos I’ve seen.

[@tempolivre9465]

Thanks Bro, im happy for discover that history

[@Yelknifer]

Great video really enjoyed it!

[@madethecut]

Another gem emerges from the Storm. Great vid man!

[@SportStorm23]

Thanks man!

[@EmersonMM27]

Finally 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙏🏽!

[@astrostar49]

Thanks for sharing his story.

[@jesuzzz4492]

La calidad de este video es como la que puedes encontrar en un documental de Netflix o HBO o incluso mejor, simplemente excelente :))

[@SportStorm23]

muchas gracias!

[@lukemccullough8384]

This video was amazing

[@kushclarkkent6669]

4:11 "Pitching coach Rusty Filter..." baseball always has the best names 😂

[@BenaSTL]

Absolutely love your vids man.

[@SportStorm23]

thank you!

[@coyotelong4349]

I remember when Stephen Strasburg’s debut was the most talked-about debut I can remember Now I routinely forget that he’s even still playing and not retired, and I check Wikipedia and am stunned that he’s still with the Nationals as well after 12 years You just never hear about him anymore. Like at all

[@InvestingEasy_]

Awesome video

[@Thats_The_Puzzle]

Underrated channel

[@brianminsk8]

Great video

[@mark_thurwanger]

The Nationals got fleeced HARD with giving him that contract!

[@tyjadah3169]

This is a great video

[@jrdonaldson2053]

Cool vid!

[@MiaouwPhilliesSuki14]

I’ll never forget when he burst onto the scene. Watching this kid pitch… wow. Don’t think I’ve been blown away like that since.

[@benwrixon681]

Great video as always!

[@SportStorm23]

thank you!

[@ItsCrawdaddy]

15:50 ugh I love those red "W" unis. So clean.

[@ambience2174]

He was that #1 pick when I first started watching baseball

[@sethwiemers3505]

This was an amazing video that made me appreciate Strasbourg more and im a dodgers fan. But I've always know he was a good pitcher.

[@thegoat6189]

Fire video i didn’t know matt patt made mlb videos

[@TPTGopher]

My favorite fact about Pudge Rodriguez: he caught Nolan Ryan's last and Stephen Strasburg's first pitches...and appeared in World Series games 50 years apart.

[@dailyright]

Seen a lot of stras vids. Good stuff. New subscriber.

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video

[@Lotus-Son]

I actually was a student at the same elementary school as Stephen at Carlton Oaks Elementary School! I’m by no means any sort of expert or true fan of baseball, but we all knew there was something really different about Stephen. He always was a little taller and walked around with a very different swagger and posture - it was evident he was different in his athletic build and tall stature. Always had a weirdly calm and almost somber demeanor/face (like he knew what he was good at, knew the tasks at hand were, once in a while looked down, and would walk over to class or whatever and would look back up quietly and get to it - hard to properly explain). I’d occasionally see kids around him talking to him and facing him while talking but he’d still just either look off into the distance or keep looking down with the same somber demeanor. Not saying he was depressed or anything but just seemed really calm and thinking about other things while everyone else around him was talking relatively “kid” subject matter. I think I was about two years younger than him but during PE he was the one kid who didn’t participate during our normal PE activities. I think I remember him and his dad and/or a personal coach would be sometimes present. And Stephen would get PE credit by working on throwing pitches against a nearby fence with only his dad and coach while the rest of us did the normal PE-kid activities. That’s where I knew he was doing some out of this world stuff - I had already seen other athletic students around me who had baseball experience, and who could throw some great fast balls or curve balls. But Stephen was practice-pitching levels beyond anything I had ever seen from the other boys. I just remember thinking that athlete-adults probably couldn’t throw any baseballs the way Stephen was throwing those balls. It just looked like he threw with not just power and speed but like these balls would curve a lot more than they should from a kid. Pinpoint accurate and would just look like they did different things midair from a mere kid. My brain and my classmates’ brains couldn’t really process what he was doing already at a young age. And I think he was only in the 5th or 6th grade when I saw him doing all these things. Then in when we all got to high school he just became a familiar name that would come up here or there, but I would never see him around school or in-person anymore. I just remember he was sort of enigmatic like he was gone away from school a lot or was in sports, but never with the regular kids. Like he was always doing more important or high level things for his progress. I’m a teacher now and realize him and his parents were probably affiliated with big clubs and getting sent around the country. Like he’d probably be off to different tourneys or camps for weeks at a time. Fast forward to college (we both attended the same college at San Diego State University) and all I heard about him being on the baseball team, and was working with Tony Gwynn and becoming a true prospective MLB player already. And even though I didn’t quite understand just how difficult it was to become a pro at that level like I understand now, it just felt like it was his destiny to be in the MLB since we were kids. It was only a matter of time when he’d make it there. Still such an enigma to me. So I’m glad in a way he has this weird aura / presence in the MLB that fans see that I always saw when I grew up around him. Also I know the Mexican fiod shop in Santee he got addicted to eating California Burritos (tortilla with Carne Asada beef, French fries, sour cream, and sometimes guacamole). We were all addicted to them at Estrada’s Mexican Food haha. There were two shops family-owned literally just 1.5 miles between each other. So cool to know he was like all of us in the small town of Santee in San Diego County and loved the same Cali burritos and would frequent the same Mexican food place we all loved to hang out around and in. The family there is a staple in the city and we all love them too! The families who owned the shops were always patient with us dumb kids (and they still are to this day). They provided a great place for us all to come in to get away from stresses from homework but at the same time relish in the good parts of middle or high school in bonding with friends. So even though a lot of us didn’t see Stephen and it seemed like he was always busy with baseball training and wasn’t around as much as the other kids, a big part of me is happy to hear from this wonderful KZbin documentary that he was frequenting the shops just as much as we all did as teens/kids haha. We’re so fucking proud of Stephen. Sorry for rambling, but I hope some fans of his enjoyed any of this.

[@thisguy8106]

I remember watching his debut.. Injuries really did him, and us fans, dirty..

[@jamesebrown111]

Thanks!

[@ashtongray3427]

I went to the same high school as him. We had posters and newspapers posted in the walls of the office about him. Every alumni game we would joke saying that he’d come back on a helicopter.

[@EricMoranFilms]

As a DC native nothing will ever compare to his MLB debut. for the beginning of his career I remember him being on a short leash with injury risks and all that but man he was so fun to watch toward the end of his career. That’s World Series MVP Stephen Strasbourg to you all btw

[@betrayedstudios8397]

Interesting how this was recommended now

[@dieklachst1675]

one of my fav pitchers growing up

[@rjlesch]

well said

[@tonycee]

My Dad and I watched his MLB debut and we were blown away

[@dbecker33]

It was a smart move for his confidence to make his debut against the Pirates 🤣

[@craigcavaliere6744]

They took every precaution except changing his mechanics.

[@SportStorm23]

I've seen a few comments about this. Truthfully I know very little about mechanics, but I wish that came up when researching. I didn't even think about that

[@karlrovey]

They made some minor adjustments that helped a little. Unfortunately, it is difficult to successfully make substantial changes where they actually matter.

[@djglass8642]

Great Video

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you!

[@frommatorav1]

Strasburg has always been one of my favorite pitchers. I followed the hype and story of him and Bryce Harper and became a fan of the Nationals, even though they aren't a local team for me. In his rookie season of 2010, I saw him in Cleveland on fathers day with my wife and 2 daughters. We went to this game specifically because he was pitching and I wasn't disappointed. I hope he can still come back but although I consider him a special pitcher, he's not as good as some of the current greats out there, due to injury. I feel that pitchers like him and DeGrom do have a chance at HOF but most likely won't be first ballot inductees because of injuries and innings limits used by teams.

[@SaltyChip]

Him and Bryce Harper were the two biggest hyped prospects leading up to their first starts during the 2000’s. His first couple starts somehow matched the hype. Too bad he had a pitching motion that his arm couldn’t handle in the longterm.

[@JacquamillafiousJBH]

If he can overcome this injury, I think he can put together a few more good seasons

[@Hose4days1]

I was at that June 13th game, best pitcher I’ve ever seen live by far dude was a stud.

[@Selassadi]

This guy sounds just like MatPat😂 Great video btw.

[@ral3514]

I'm glad you mentioned Kerry Wood because my 48 year old brain was screaming Kerry Wood before you mentioned him.

[@rajasamra9543]

Dude what a great documentary!! This was awesome and very informative, loved the editing and the commentary. I remember being in little league when Stephen when pitching at SD State, and I was totally blown away with what this guy was doing. If it wasn’t for injuries, I truly believe Strasburg would be in the first ballot HOFer

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you! I definitely agree with you

[@warlordop713]

I wish he never got injured. Bro would be as goat status as Cole

[@jeffrapier947]

The problem with "treatments" that merely cover up symptoms is that the damage is still compounding. Sure, the Botox helped him compete for a while but now he is questioning whether he can get out and pitch ever again. It's a fight I have with my own doctor. I don't want temporary relief from my symptoms, I want a long-lasting solution that prevents or at least severely reduces further damage and leads to better overall quality of life. But I guess it's up to each individual which outcome they value more.

[@unkledoda420]

Sometimes there isn't a long term solution, or at least not one that the patient is willing to deal with so at the time a cover-up may be the only other thing that can be done.

[@bleedy7281]

As a nationals fan, this video makes me sad. But it’s great!!

[@SportStorm23]

Thank you! Your team should have a bright future. I'm rooting for all the guys the Padres traded for Soto

[@shaneyy__]

Watching in celebration of his official retirement. What a legend