David Vantress
As a San Diego Padre fan, I’ve suffered through several subpar seasons in a row the past few years. Things weren’t expected to get much better in 2010, according to the so-called “experts.”
Virtually every baseball publication I looked at — as well as a number of Web sites and blogs — picked my Padres to finish dead last in the National League West.
I’ve learned the hard way over the years to not get too excited about baseball played in April. As an old saying goes, pennants aren’t won in April.
But they can sure as heck be lost there.
And as April came to a close, the Padres were in first place, just ahead of the San Francisco Giants.
As we went to press Friday night, the Padres were percentage points ahead of the Giants.
A good place to be this early in the season.
And my least-favorite National League team — the Dodgers — finds itself in the cellar.
So, for the moment, all is good in this baseball fan’s universe.
I’m also proudly following the quick rise through the minor leagues of Nationals top pick Stephen Strasburg, who is a product of my alma mater, San Diego State.
Strasburg had a strong but brief stay at AA Harrisburg, with just one rocky outing — last Sunday.
The Nationals decided to discount that and promote him to the next step anyway, sending him to AAA Syracuse earlier this week.
His first start was Friday night, and the game was sold out.
Much rides on Strasburg’s rather broad shoulders, as he’s expected to be a savior for a Nationals franchise that has not done much of anything in its existence.
That’s not a good position for any rookie to be in. In addition to a lot of pressure on a player, cant-miss-kids like Strasburg present dilemmas for their big-league clubs.
Teams have to resist the temptation to rush their development and push them along too fast.
That, I fear, is precisely what happened with former Cubs first-round pick Mark Prior, who carried a burden of high expectations equal to Strasburg’s. Prior had a good first season, but too many innings early in his career left him with arm trouble.
After several failed comeback attempts, Prior was out of baseball at 27.
I remember well the summer of 2003, when Cub fans breathlessly awaited Prior’s arrival and watched his brief, meteoric rise through the minors. It’s the same kind of buzz Strasburg is creating.
Hopefully, the Nationals will learn from the Cubs’ painful object lesson and not repeat those mistakes.
It’s going to be a long, hot summer.
But when your baseball team is in contention, all things seem possible!
Contact sports editor David Vantress at 997-3111, ext. 14 or via email at dvantress@yourdailyjournal.com.
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