Spring in their step

On Opening Day, every team is a contender | Mark Bergin

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His name is Stephen Strasburg. His right arm is electric. And the hopes of baseball fans in the nation's capital are resting squarely on his 21-year-old shoulders.

For a team that has lost more than 100 games two seasons in a row, Strasburg represents change, a new start for a five-year-old expansion franchise that once showed promise. The Washington Nationals selected Strasburg with the first overall pick in the 2009 draft, and the team has since committed a record $15.1 million to the unproven prodigy.

According to talent scouts and media analysts, the investment is sound and the hope of a city well placed—albeit perhaps premature. Strasburg's senior season numbers at San Diego State defy belief: a 13-1 record, a 1.32 ERA, 195 strikeouts in 109 innings.