MLB Prospect Watch

Link: Strasburg Conrtols His Own Fate, ETA

Despite the persistent assumption that the Washington Nationals will hold super-prospect Stephen Strasburg in the minors until June in order postpone free agency another year, William Ladson of MLB.com tweets that Strasburg's Opening Day status will be solely based on his Spring Training performance.

Given the state of the Nationals' pitching staff, it's hard to believe that Strasburg won't be one of their 5 best pitchers at the end of March, so assuming the validity of this report and Strasburg's health, we could easily see Strasburg on the Opening Day roster.

Link: No Surgery for Nats' Strasburg

Fearing the worst, the Washington Nationals were pleased to hear that Stephen Strasburg's knee injury is only a patellar subluxation, and not something that will require surgery, reports Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post.  Strasburg injured the knee while shagging fly balls in the Arizona Fall League, but given his recent diagnosis and assuming there are no major setbacks between now and Feburary, he should be ready for Spring Training.

Link: Update on Strasburg Knee Injury

The left knee injury that caused Washington Nationals top prospect Stephen Strasburg to miss his scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League championship game has turned out to be a a dislocation in his knee joint, reports the Associated Press.  The injury will not require surgery, and should be solved with rest and physical therapy.

Link: Strasburg out for AFL Title Game with Injured Knee

For the second time this fall, Stephen Strasburg has been scratched from a scheduled start, this time because of his knee.  The Washington Nationals apparently twisted his left knee while shagging fly balls, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com, but the injury is not considered serious, and an MRI revealed no damage.

The AFL Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 2:35 EST, and will be televised on the MLB Network.

Link: AFL Pitchers Recap

Jason Grey of ESPN.com breaks down the performance of every pitcher in the Arizona Fall League.  Key names include:

• Stephen Strasburg
• Jenrry Mejia
• Aaron Crow
• Mike Leake
• Mike Minor