Rare Stephen Strasburg Interview
May 7, 2009 – 9:45 am by Jimmy Shapiro
(Editor’s note: This column is written by Craig Elsten, the PBP voice of the SDSU baseball team.)
Stephen Strasburg is leaving a legacy at San Diego State University. Considered by many scouts to be the best college pitching prospect of all-time, Strasburg has re-written the SDSU record books with a 101-MPH fastball and slider which draws comparisons to the best in baseball. This year, Strasburg has posted a 10-0 record and 1.38 ERA in 11 starts, with 147 strikeouts in only 78.1 innings pitched. He is a lock to be the #1 pick in the June MLB Amateur Draft and command a record contract. For all of this, Strasburg is a humble and reclusive young man who shies away from talking about himself and rarely agrees to a one-on-one interview.
Two days before his final home start as a collegian, Strasburg sat down with 619sports.net’s Craig Elsten to talk about his teammates on the SDSU baseball team, how his family has helped guide him through a meteoric rise in baseball, and his time on campus at San Diego State.
On His Most Fun Experience This Year:
“Definitely the most fun was pitching in the rainy, cold weather at New Mexico, and going the entire game to beat them 1-0. It was a big game for us, especially to set the tone for that series. They were running their mouths before, so it was great to just shut them up afterwards.”
On His Dad’s Advice:
“He’s always told me to just enjoy it. It’s not so much where you end up, it’s really the ride that you’re taking. He’s really instilled that in me, that you’ve got to take every new day as a blessing. You’ve got to remember all the guys that you’ve played with, because you’re going to make a lot of lifelong friends in this game.”
On His College Experience at SDSU:
“All I can say about that is it went by way too fast. It seems like yesterday that I was in my first day of conditioning my freshman year. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how much I’ve grown as a person, and I’ve loved every minute of it here. I hope a lot of the younger guys on this team will have a similar experience to what I’ve had. I’ve enjoyed being an Aztec and I’ll always consider myself a lifelong Aztec.”
Listen to Stephen Strasburg on www.619sports.net with Craig Elsten
Tags: Best pitching prospect ever, MLB Draft, San Diego State Baseball, Stephen Strasburg
