Craig Stammen pitched pretty well as a rookie in 2009, though he had not looked nearly as crisp over the last month of the season. It seemed as though opposing hitters had begun to make their adjustments once they had seen him a few times.
Certainly, that happens to many rookie pitchers who, after looking very good the first time around the league is never heard from again.
But Chico Harlan posted the following on his Washington Post Journal on Sept. 2:
“Rookie starter Craig Stammen, a member of Washington's pitching rotation since May, has been scratched from his start on Friday because of elbow soreness. An MRI, scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C., will determine the severity of the injury.”
"I don't really know what's going on," Stammen said of his elbow. "It's just painful. It doesn't feel good. It's kind of something that's built up over the course of the whole year.
"It's something I've pretty much dealt with over the course of the whole season. It's just kind of time to get it checked out right now."
Five days later, Stammen had surgery on that elbow and was finished for the season.
The 25-year-old is now throwing without pain and is certain he will be ready to go when pitchers report to Spring Training next February. Doctors removed a bone spur from the back of the elbow and bone chips from the front.
While Stammen said he dealt with the pain all year, it became difficult to pitch in late July when he could no longer extend his elbow.
Was Stammen’s 4-7, 5.11 record indicative of his ability, or was it tainted by injury?
Here are his numbers from his first 12 starts (through July 22) and when he said the pain became worse (July 29 through Aug. 29):
Games Started:
1st Half: 12
2nd Half: 7
Record:
1st Half: 3-5
2nd Half: 1-2
Earned Run Average:
1st Half: 4.14
2nd Half: 7.39
Innings Per Start:
1st Half: 6.2
2nd Half: 4.2
Hits Per 9 Innings:
1st Half: 9.2
2nd Half: 11.9
Strikeouts Per 9 Innings:
1st Half: 4.6
2nd Half: 3.9
Walks Per 9 Innings:
1st Half: 1.8
2nd Half: 2.8
Batting Average-Against:
1st Half: .254
2nd Half: .309
On Base Percentage-Against:
1st Half: .297
2nd Half: .350
Slugging Percent-Against:
1st Half: .398
2nd Half: .600
Pitchers Thrown for Strikes:
1st Half: 65%
2nd Half: 59%
Those were some very impressive numbers that Stammen compiled before the elbow pain lowered his performance level.
To give you a better feel for his accomplishments, let’s compare Stammen’s batting average-against, on-base percentage allowed, and slugging average against (prior to his injury) with John Lannan, J.D. Martin, Jordan Zimmermann and Livan Hernandez:
Craig Stammen: .254—.297—.398
John Lannan: .266—.329—.421
Jordan Zimmermann: .271—.332—.429
Livan Hernandez: .295—.346—.411
Most of us have grown weary of the triple-digit losses and want a quick fix for the Nationals’ troubles, and we want it now . Tangible upgrades—John Lackey, Randy Wolf —are about all that will calm the collective anger of the Nationals’ nation.
But if we’re fair about all of this (and who says fans have to be fair?), Stamman and J.D. Martin showed enough in their rookie seasons to at least begin next season in the starting rotation.
However, if both pitchers fail next year, the Nationals are looking squarely at a third 100-loss season in a row, something the city just can’t accept.
Another year like the last two, and the team might as well board up Nationals Park and see if the city of Montreal remembers where they put the Youppi! costume.
It’s a tough choice to be sure. The Nationals could sign a couple of quick-fix, medium-priced free agent starters and try to tread water until the Stephen Strasburg makes it to the big club and Jordan Zimmermann returns from his injury.
They can do that, or hope that Martin and Stammen mature into another John Lannan, something both of them are easily capable of doing.
But if they don’t—if they falter—the Nationals have no one to replace them and things could turn very ugly in 2010.
Will general manager Mike Rizzo go for guaranteed mediocrity and sign a couple of decent free agents, something Nationals’ fans would gladly accept in 2010, or will he roll the dice and hope that Stammen and Martin will lead him out of the basement and into the promised land, but knowing that the end of the world (baseball style) was just around the corner?
Stay tuned.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments