Stephen Strasburg had an intriguing career that set the precedent for managing pitcher's arms in the modern era. He was the First Overall Pick in 2009 and debuted for the Nationals the following year, in what was arguably the most highly anticipated pitching debut by an American player. However, he only appeared in 17 games in his first two years as he underwent Tommy John Surgery. Despite this, he was effective in his limited work and showed what he was capable of.

In 2012, the Nationals made it known that they would be monitoring Strasburg’s innings. He went on to be an All-Star that year, going 15-6 with 197 strikeouts. It could have been a lot more, but Washington shut him down on September 12, including the playoffs, where the Nats were eliminated in the Divisional Round. Strasburg had a decent 2013 (8-9, 191 SO, 3.00 ERA) and 2014, he was ninth in Cy Young voting and led the National League in strikeouts with 242.

Strasburg continued to show why he was worth the investment, and he was an All-Star again in 2016 and 2017, with the latter being the better season. He led the NL in FIP (2.72), had a career-low ERA (2.52), and was third in Cy Young voting. After another solid season, Strasburg went 18-6, fanned 251 batters, and was fifth in Cy Young balloting. Even better, Strasburg led the Nationals to their first World Series win, going 5-0 in the playoffs, including two wins in the Fall Classic, where he was named the World Series MVP. He signed what was then the largest contract for a pitcher (7 years/$245 million), but disaster was about to strike.

Strasburg succumbed to a nerve issue in his pitching hand that held him to only three batters in 2020. Diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, Strasburg managed only 21.2 innings in 2021. It was even worse for Strasburg, who had to be shut down after one game, and he never pitched again.

As promising as his talents were, Strasburg was a hell of a talent when he was healthy, but sometimes it is not meant to be.

Sergio Romo played the first half of his career with the San Francisco Giants (2008-16), where the Relief Pitcher was an All-Star in 2013 and won three World Series Rings (2010, 2012 & 2014).  Romo had 84 Saves for the Giants and 137 Overall in a career that also saw him throw for Los Angeles (NL), Tampa Bay, Miami, Minnesota, Oakland, Seattle and Toronto.

Sean Doolittle spent his entire 11-season career as a relief pitcher. He started with the Oakland Athletics in 2012 and became an All-Star in 2014 when he saved 22 games. Doolittle was traded to the Washington Nationals in 2017 and continued to save at least 20 games annually until 2019.

In 2018, Doolittle made his second All-Star appearance and in the following year, he led the National League in games finished (55) and helped the Washington Nationals win their first World Series. He finished his career with stints in Cincinnati, Seattle, and a second run with Washington, saving a total of 112 games throughout his career.

Robinson Cano, a phenomenal infielder from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, was signed by the New York Yankees in 2001. He made his debut in the pinstripes in 2005 and was the runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year. In the following year, Cano was an All-Star and Silver Slugger after batting .342. He played solidly for the next three seasons and helped the Yanks win the 2009 World Series. Although it was Cano's ultimate accomplishment in baseball, his best individual years were yet to come.

From 2010 to 2013, Cano was New York's best player, winning four Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. He had at least 27 home runs and 94 RBIs in all those seasons. Cano kept his OPS well over .880 over this stretch and was also a perennial All-Star. Despite being a proven superstar, Cano left New York for Seattle in 2014.

Cano remained an upper-tier player for Seattle, earning All-Star spots in three of his first four years and finishing fifth in MVP voting in 2016 when he had 39 home runs and 103 RBIs. However, Seattle was going nowhere, and Cano was traded to the Mets. But at over 35 years old, he was clearly in decline. After an oft-injured 2019, Cano was much better in 2021, batting .316 in the shortened season. However, he lost the entirety of 2021 due to a PED suspension, which raises questions about his performance. Cano limped back with brief stints in New York (NL), San Diego, and Atlanta before quietly exiting the Majors after the 2022 season.

Cano's stats (2,639 hits, 335 HR, 1,306 RBI & 68.1 bWAR) make him worthy of the Hall of Fame. However, the fact that he was suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) may prevent him from being inducted as no two-time or even one-time PED-suspended player has come close to being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.