Mr.Strasburg, or should I call you Stephen because of your very childish acts of late, just take the money and get to work. Tell your agent, Scott Boras, to take your record-setting deal, and go to whatever level of the Nationalsorganizationthey put you in. I know you want 50 million dollars, so does everyone else, but almost as many would take 20 million. Don’t go over the top here, because the Nationals are not going to give you that much money because of a few of my friends. Let me introduce them to you.

How about Mark Prior, remember him? He was almost as hyped up then as you are now and signed a big contract with the Cubs. He was alright for a couple years before finally coming into his own with an amazing season, and then injuries ruined and effectively ended his career.

Then there’s Ben McDonald. About 20 years back, the LSU pitcher was just as hyped up as you are Prior, and he even led the US baseball team to a gold medal at the Olympics. McDonald only lasted nine seasons as a pro baseball pitcher, and hardly anyone today remembers his name.

Then, more recently, there’s Rick Ankiel. Touted as an exceptional pitcher and the next big thing in baseball a few years back, everyone believed that Ankiel was a lock for some Cy Young awards and probably more.

He had a big fastball, heavy sinker, and a nasty curve ball, just like you, Stephen, and after a great rookie season where he came in 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting, he lost it. He couldn’t control anything and was sent to the minors to fix it. Luckily, while there they discovered he was an awesome outfielder and had a huge bat. Stephen, could you be a superstar as an outfielder? I doubt it.

And it’s not just baseball where this happens. It happens in nearly every sport. Let’s look at some players like Ryan Leaf and Jamarcus Russell (more recently) in football, or players like Kwame Brown, Shawn Bradley, and Michael Olowakandi in basketball. It seems like it happens everywhere.

Who knows what the future holds in store for you. You may very well be as amazing as everyone anticipates. This does happen sometimes. But it’s up to you to prove your worth at the young age of 21. Pitch a few great seasons and rest of the money will follow. Trust me on that.

Good luck to you whatever you choose. Hopefully you’ll make the right move.

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Category: Baseball Players• Tags used in this article: Ben McDonald  Mark Prior  Pitcher  Rick Ankiel  Ryan Leaf  Scott Boras 

Baseball articles on the web based on related keywords: Ben McDonald  Mark Prior  Pitcher  Rick Ankiel  Ryan Leaf  Scott Boras