Six years ago when Bryce Harper signed with the Washington Nationals the year after Stephen Strasburg joined the franchise, there were crazy, wonderful and probably illogical dreams about what the pair of No. 1 overall draft picks might do once they both developed into major stars. The most extreme imaginings had them overlapping in their primes for a bunch of prime years or even becoming lifelong Washingtonians.
That's not going to happen. Harper didn't awaken to his full MVP promise until his fourth full season in 2015. Strasburg has been exceptionally good at times, building a 57-37 record with a 3.04 career ERA and a tie for a strikeout title. But he has never threatened to be a Cy Young Award candidate at the same time that Harper might be an MVP contender.
Until now. Maybe.
On Sunday at Nationals Park, Harper continued his insanely superb season. In the bottom of the ninth inning on what was supposed to be his first off day of the season, Harper was asked, no doubt in a soft voice by Manager Dusty Baker, to pinch-hit to lead off the inning with Washington trailing Minnesota, 4-3. His job, should be choose to accept it, was to get both Strasburg and his manager Baker off a big hook.
Strasburg had pitched seven excellent innings, continuing a streak of 17 straight starts - the equivalent of half a season - with an 11-2 record and a 1.71 ERA. However, Baker left him in longer than almost any manager ever had, deep into a trouble-filled eighth inning. On his 114th pitch, Strasburg allowed a three-run homer to Brian Dozier for a 4-1 Twins lead.
Of course, Harper always accepts any task. What's nuts is that he so frequently completes the job in ways that were not asked or imagined. This time he homered to dead center field on a full-count fastball, his high liner clearing the fence by 10 feet to tie the score.
Baker does not have a feeling for using Strasburg yet. Past managers might have relieved him after seven innings even though he'd only thrown 90 pitches. After Strasburg got a leadoff base hit in the bottom of the seventh, then had to run the bases for 15 minutes as his teammates failed to plate him, all of Strasburg's previous skippers would have had the best-of-the-bullpen hot in the top of the eighth if he got in a jam after so much pitching and base running. Instead, Baker went old-school and "gave the game" to Strasburg. He only had Matt Belisle warmed up. That's a neon sign: It's up to you, Big Guy.
This time Strasburg wasn't quite up to the moment. But he and Baker will learn each other as the season passes. What matters most, in the longer view, is that for 22 outs Strasburg had 10 strikeouts, looked in command and, thanks to his new crisp slider, has four "plus" pitches.
The Nats ultimately won a wild 16-inning game,6-5, despite having multiple men on base in five innings and leaving them stranded. They won despite Harper leaving after his pinch-hitting heroics. When Baker says, "Day off," he means it to a depth few managers ever have. After Harper homered he came out in favor of bench man Chris Heisey, who ultimately provided the game-winning blast.
With his ninth homer and 23rd RBI in just 18 games Harper increased his on-base-plus-slugging percentage to 1.222, even higher than his Ted Williams-like 1.109 last season. The new assumption about the Nats' No. 34 is that some exalted number above 1.000 is his new natural neighborhood. In other words, he's now even better than most baseball people, even the excited ones predicted.
But what if Strasburg's last 17 starts are the new and correct version of him? He'll be 28 in July. Because he's went to college for three years and also had an elbow injury that cost him more than full season, his future does not have the future Hall of Fame glow that Harper's now does. Also, Strasburg will be free agent after this season. The Nats ownership now makes unattributed noises about how much they "like" Strasburg. But they have probably waited too long - by years - to pursue and sign him to a long contract extension. His recent superb pitching, including a 3-0 record and 2.17 ERA this year set him up for an off-season auction he should enjoy.
That leaves one question: Is this the one and only year that Strasburg and Harper will be at their peak together and in Washington?
The answer, one which produces powerfully conflicted emotions, is probably yes.
However, if Harper keeps producing as he has for the last 13 months - to universal acclaim - while Strasburg continues what has been an almost unnoticed excellence since he returned from injury, then the combination may be just as powerful as anybody imagined in 2010.
Washington was never promised a Harper who hit like Mantle and a Strasburg who might have an ERA in the low 2.00's. Either or both could have been busts like so many No. 1 overall draft picks -- most of them, in fact. Perhaps hoping for several seasons of both at their best -- and together -- was unreasonable. And both as full-career superstar Nats was close to fantasy.
But one long summer of No. 34, trying to win back-to-back MVPs while No. 37 puts his name in the Cy Young Award discussion, that is not insanely optimistic. In fact, it may be happening right now.
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