The Big Debate: Strasburg on the 2010 NL All-Star Team

The error, his umpteenth of the year, turned a runner on third with two outs into bases loaded with no outs for his pitcher, SDSU phenom Stephen Strasburg.

The Atlanta Braves batsmen, spurred by their foam tomahawk wielding fans, took advantage of the miscue and the Nationals' rookie hurler ended up with a hard luck L.

The loss on Monday, Strasburg's second straight after two wins and a no decision, muddied what has been a fascinating debate:

Should a rookie pitcher, even one as obviously dominant as Strasburg, earn an All-Star Game slot?

Before the loss, the debate had centered on how many games does Strasburg (2-2, 2.27 ERA, 48 K's, 5 starts) need to start before he can earn inclusion.

There was no clear consensus among commentators or fans but there were some historical examples cited by Joe Lemire in an excellent SI.com piece arguing against Strasburg making the All-Star team.

"Strasburg will have made only seven starts by the time of the All-Star Game and only six by the time rosters are announced on July 4," Lemire wrote.

That's not enough starts for Lemire and he goes on to recall Dontrelle Willis' addition to the 2003 NL team as an injury replacement.

Willis was 8-1 at the time with a 1.98 ERA after 12 starts. As Lemire notes, that's double the amount of starts Strasburg will have if he pitches as scheduled before the All-Star Game.

Lemire's colleague on the SI staff, Ted Keith, offering a "counterpoint" to Lemire's "point," argued that stats, while important, are less weighty than the National League's desire to win the game.

As Bud Selig has decreed, the All-Star Game gives the winning league home field advantage in the World Series.

The idea is lambasted by many but it has stuck and if Charlie Manuel, the Phillies' manager who will be helming the NL squad, thinks Strasburg can help his side win, the lanky guy with the 100 mph heater will be there.

"If Manuel needs three outs this year, would he rather be calling on Matt Capps or Stephen Strasburg?" Keith asked in the piece.

On the MLB Network and ESPN's Baseball Tonight, the discussion on Strasburg has taken into consideration the impact his inclusion could make on his psyche and that of his baseball brethren.

The idea, as expounded by Phillies' "wild thing" closer Mitch Williams on Monday night, is that accepting the invite would cause Strasburg to alienate his older colleagues.

And Williams went so far as to speculate that Strasburg would turn down an invite to avoid ruffling feathers.

"If Strasburg was asked, absolutely he would say no," he said.

Active players ---- specifically, a group of six Dodgers interviewed by LA Times scribe Bill Shaikin ---- said Strasburg hasn't faced many National League teams, the batsmen who would be among the best judges to determine whether he merits a nod.

"It's just a little too soon for me," Jamey Carroll told Shaikin. (As of Thursday, Strasburg had faced two NL teams and three AL teams.)

For fans of the game, a sampling of voices from across the country, Strasburg is great, no doubt, but he hasn't piled up enough starts this year to earn a slot.

"If you give him an All-Star bid based on his four starts so far then by the same logic R.A. Dickey should be on the All-Star team and has he done enough to earn it, yet?" asked Wayne, a television sports director who hails from Los Angeles.

Wayne's longtime friend, Chad, contacted via e-mail, agreed.

"What's he had four starts? A lot of pitchers can string four games together. I think he is the real deal, he just needs to prove it over 162 games (maybe 25 starts), not four," said the financial services executive.

Bobby, a Washington D.C.-based sports writer, echoed Lemire's argument when he said Strasburg's sample size is too small.

"I'm not saying you have to play the entire first half, but a good portion.

"I have the same stance with injuries. Let's say hypothetically Tim Lincecum starts the year on the DL, and doesn't make it back until the first week of June. Even if he goes 4-1 with a 2.5 era and a 9-1 K-walk, I wouldn't vote him over another borderline guy with more starts."

As for my take, I'm a SDSU alumnus so I'm biased. I would love to see him pitch an inning and notch a couple of K's.

But, if the experts and my baseball buddies are right, and Strasburg is passed up this year, he should be on plenty of teams in the future.

And, in a couple of years, when Bryce Harper is left off the roster after hitting 10 HRs in only 25 games, Strasburg and Harper can kick back in the dugout, put in a fresh pinch, and laugh about it.