Strasburg will be an All-Star for years to come, but maybe not in '10

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg has made a huge impact on the 2010 season in his first three starts for Washington. He has won two games and given his team a chance to win all three. He has set a major league record for most strikeouts to start a career, surpassing J.R. Richard of the Houston Astros. So, why wouldn't Strasburg be an All-Star or at least get heavy consideration? It's the manager's decision who will pitch in the mid-summer classic, and Charlie Manuel of the N.L. East Phillies makes that decision on Strasburg this year. We are less than three weeks away from Anaheim it what could be a Nationals-laden and Nationals headline-heavy week at the All-Star Game. Bryce Harper, the Nationals number one overall selection, will be there, attending the Golden Spikes Award presentation as the only junior college nominee. Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Pudge Rodriguez, Matt Capps and Tyler Clippard all have legitimate cases to make the team. This year it could be "How many Nationals?" versus who will be the lone Nats selection by the manager. But just from a news angle, Strasburg would be the buzz of the 81st game if he was selected. He would be the talk of the town and the country, under even more of a super spotlight than what we see right now. What would it mean to Strasburg to pitch in that game, a mere two hours away from where he grew up and honed his skills at the collegiate level? Manager Jim Riggleman is not a fan of the selection of All-Stars when half the season is completed and is much more of a fan of end-of-season honors as an example of who deserves All-Star consideration each year. He puts much more stock in Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year. But can you argue against Strasburg not being one of the pitchers to get his shot this year? You would assume if he continues at his record strikeout pace, after 100 innings he would have strikeout numbers that would be on the list of some of the best in baseball. So, the mere fact that Strasburg is being considered for an invite to the All-Star game after starting two months after every other pitcher is amazing in its own right. And one would expect that if his first few starts are any indication of future results this would set him up for perennial All-Star selections for years to come.