After last night’s epic World Series game, I wanted to talk about a World Series legend in Stephen Strasburg. Yesterday, Strasburg’s alma mater, San Diego State announced that the former World Series MVP
would be joining their coaching staff. After being out of the public eye since his forced retirement, Strasburg is starting the next chapter of his baseball life.
While things certainly ended on a sour note between the Nationals and Strasburg, he is still a legend of the team. There is a reason nobody has worn number 37 since his retirement. Sure, the contract sucked, but it is not Strasburg’s fault that his body broke down. He gave everything he had to get that World Series in 2019.
I still remember Strasburg for the good times. The electric debut and the postseason heroics, not the albatross contract and weird feud with the team. That was not how anyone wanted things to end, but Strasburg is one of the greatest Nats of all time.
It is neat to see Strasburg get back into baseball in a public way. Given his personality, I thought there was a chance we would never hear from Strasburg again. He is a guy who did not like the spotlight or attention. However, he loved baseball, and clearly cannot quit the game altogether.
Of course, Strasburg rose to prominence at San Diego State. After being lightly recruited out of high school due to being out of shape, he became one of the greatest pitching prospects ever with the Aztecs. He was routinely hitting 100 MPH at a time when pitchers simply weren’t doing that. It was not just the fastball though, Strasburg had it all. The curveball, the changeup, the command, they were all there.
Now Strasburg is going back to the program that turned him from a chubby high schooler into a generational pitching prospect. His title is officially the Special Assistant to the Head Coach. In that role, Strasburg will be involved with pitcher development, but also fundraising.
I never pictured Strasburg to be the fundraising type who chops it up with boosters, but it sounds like that will be a big part of his job. If I were a pitcher choosing schools, the prospect of living in San Diego while being mentored by Stephen Strasburg does not sound like a bad deal.
It will be interesting to see if Strasburg wants to go deeper into coaching. If he wanted to, he could surely be the coach of San Diego State one day. It is not like the Aztecs are unfamiliar with hiring a baseball legend. When Strasburg was at San Diego State, the late great Tony Gwynn was his head coach.
Gwynn was also Strasburg’s idol growing up. Maybe filling Gwynn’s shoes at San Diego State is something that drives him. Despite the rough ending, I am happy to see Strasburg back involved with the game he gave so much to. He is a legendary Nat and I wish him nothing but the best.
