While Strasburg prepares to sit, Kershaw continues to roll

Man, it must be tough to be a 24-year old pitcher in baseball nowadays.

I mean, just look at Stephen Strasburg, who was recently shut down for the season in hopes of saving his arm for future years. In total, Strasburg will throw about 170 innings this season.

And then, there’s Clayton Kershaw.

You see, the thing that nobody really talks about in this whole Strasburg debate is why other guys his age are throwing huge amounts of innings without any apparent arm problems (knocking on wood).

The poster child for that camp? How about 24-year-old Clayton Kershaw, who is just four months older than Strasburg.

To be fair, Kershaw did have a season of just 170 innings. Then again, he was 21 at the time.

Since 2009, Kershaw has logged seasons of 204, 233 and 192 (and counting) innings without any sign of serious arm problems, and this is from a guy who’s throwing the ball pretty darn hard (and well).

All this to say, it’s an interesting debate to have regarding the slow progression on young pitchers’ arms. While there are Nationals fans upset with how Strasburg is being babied, I think it’s safe to say that Dodger fans are pretty happy with how Kershaw’s career has played out.

(Still knocking on wood)