No Need to Panic Over Stephen Strasburg

Right now it's very easy to panic and begin predicting the demise of Stephen Strasburg. White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, who to his credit is one of the game's best pitching minds, scared the wits out of Washington fans this week when he compared Strasburg and his mechanics to those of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

Of course we know the story of Wood and Prior and how injuries derailed their promising young careers. But let's get one thing straight about Strasburg: while he is far from bulletproof when it comes to concerns over mechanics, he is not either of those guys. Although there are mechanical similarities, particularly to Prior, Strasburg is a different pitcher pitching under very different circumstances.

Let's first consider the situation with Strasburg and how he went on the DL. One of the biggest challenges a young pitcher has to face early in his career is learning the difference between normal soreness and a real problem. Cooper, as well as anyone out there, knows this. And as Strasburg's college coach, Tony Gwynn, pointed out he has never had even a hint of a shoulder problem. This is new territory for him.

So, can we rule out that this is the beginning of a serious problem? No. But the best feel you can typically get for how serious an injury is is from the player himself. And, quite frankly, in this case the player lacks the experience to differentiate between routine stiffness and a real problem.



Also worthy of consideration is the fact that Strasburg is adjusting to throwing once every five days and doing so at the big-league level. Most prized pitching prospects are still in the minors making that adjustment in their first pro season, and many are shut down mid-year simply to rest their arms. These are more than logical reasons that Strasburg now finds himself, in a very precautionary case, on the disabled list.

Therein also lies another major difference between Strasburg and the two pitchers to which Cooper compared him. He is being handled with kid gloves unlike Wood and Prior, who were thrown right into the fire by Dusty Baker and the Cubs with little concern paid to workload and pitch count.

Of course, you can make the argument -- as some have already -- that even handled carefully, Strasburg will still end up injured. But again, it's very common for highly touted young arms to be shut down for even the most minor reasons. The only difference is, given his talent, Strasburg is experiencing that at the big-league level.

But what of these mechanical concerns? Even before his injury, many wondered if Strasburg's "inverted W" arm action would hurt him health-wise in the long haul. After his downfall, Prior became the poster child for what would supposedly happen to any pitcher who elevated his elbow above his shoulder as he delivered.

Someone better get the memo to Adam Wainwright and his "inverted W" to alert him that he is overdue to break down if that's the case. And that goes for a large number of current and former successful big-league pitchers. I won't say there is nothing to this theory, but it is not by any means the undoubted link to injuries for these pitchers.



Many of the pitchers like Prior who throw the ball in this manner can also have their injuries explained in other ways, but in general people like a clean, easy explanation and that's what the "W" has become. I do believe, just from a common sense and biomechanics standpoint, that you have to worry about it a little, but it's genuinely difficult to have serious concerns about Strasburg given the balance and precision of his mechanics. You worry about players who rely on their arm, sling the ball to the plate, or throw across their body. All of these things tell me a pitcher is not using his lower half properly and, in turn, is putting undue stress on the arm. Strasburg doesn't have anything resembling those problems.

The timing of Strasburg's arm getting over his front side following his long stride is as good as you'll find. And it is not possible without tremendous leg drive and much of the power coming from that lower half. Although his mechanics look similar to Mark Prior and others, I'll make the argument that his excellent use of his lower half is a significant difference. He also gets outstanding extension as he bends at the torso and finishes his pitches.

Mix all that in with the fact that Strasburg is not being asked to throw 130 pitches per game by his manager and you have a situation that is not as worrisome as Cooper may believe it to be. Every talented young pitcher is destined to be compared to the cautionary tales of Wood and Prior, but let's remember to look at their deliveries on a case-by-case basis and keep in mind that those two pitched under far different circumstances.

Unfortunately, evaluating the future health of a young pitcher isn't as easy as finding an inverted W in their delivery. The risk cannot be denied with such a delivery, but the fact has to be faced that this is an inexact science. Right now, Stephen Strasburg is a rookie pitcher with mild shoulder stiffness who was shut down as a precaution. Until we see some far more serious red flags, he and his generally sound mechanics are undeserving of such early predictions of his demise.

Frankie Piliere spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.