Strasburg Scheduled to Pitch In Cleveland June 13th

"I’m kind of a big deal. People know me.-Ron Burgandy"

The Washington Nationals announced that the top pick in the 2009 draft, phenom Stephen Strasburg, will make his much-anticipated Major League debut on June 8th. For those of you who are wondering why the hell you should care, it’s because the Nationals play the Indians that weekend, in Cleveland. And Strasburg is scheduled to make his second start on June 13, versus the Indians, in Cleveland.

This very well could be a huge letdown, but if there’s only one Indians game you go to all year, this probably should be it. The Indians are expecting a big walk-up crowd for the hyped prospect’s second start, so you may actually want to get your tickets early for this one. He’s been dominant in the minors, with a 1.43 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched.

Now, like I said, this could be a huge letdown. He may end up as a total bust in the big leagues. But right now Stephen Strasburg is generating excitement throughout baseball, and Cleveland has a chance to get in on that excitement. And really, aren’t we deserving of a little bit of excitement after how this season has gone so far?

Speaking of excitement, arguably the #2 prospect in baseball is expected to be called up in the near future, and I’m talking about Carlos “Smooth” Santana. .450 OBP, 10 HRs, and 40 walks to 30 strikeouts. The dude is a hitting machine. While he does actually know how to play the catcher position, he’s had a hard time throwing out baserunners (7-28 on would-be base thieves) . This is an area where incumbent Indians catcher Lou Marson has actually excelled, so “Smooth” isn’t the perfect catcher … yet. However, the Indians are pinning a lot of their hopes on Santana being a savior for the Indians.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Santana was brought up before June 13th and was in the lineup that day. I’ve been predicting for awhile now that Santana will be called up in early June, so it’s safe to say that “Santana Watch” is officially on so the “Summer of Smooth” can begin.