Strasburg influences P-Nats' plans

Major league spring training games began Tuesday, but it's a different sort of game the Potomac Nationals are preparing for with the minor league opening day a little more than a month away.

Anticipating the possibility that No. 1 prospect and last year's top draft pick Stephen Strasburg could be assigned to his club by the start of the minor league season, Jonathan Griffith, Potomac's vice president and general manager, is busy answering a deluge of media requests and ticket sales.

"We've had more media credential requests than ever before this early in the year," Griffith said. "Even locally, like [Mid-Atlantic Sports Network] and other groups that haven't covered us normally have made requests."

Griffith said typically the club has less than 10 media members show up to the P-Nats' media day event prior to the season's commencement.

This year the number is expected to be between 50 and 100 members of the press.

"It's been from all over the country, too," he said. "We've had calls from the San Diego area [Strasburg's hometown] calling for credentials and things."

And when the organization announced a promotional ticket package based on the hype Strasburg's presence would generate, the interest in tickets also jumped.

"Especially when we first announced it," Griffith said of the flex plan, "there was a substantial number of calls. Now people are holding off to see if [Strasburg] comes here for sure, but the longer they wait, the less chance they'll get the seats they want."

Griffith, who declined to divulge the exact sales numbers, expects a sellout for the April 8 opener against Salem.

The ticket plan, which the Griffith insists is not "the Stephen Strasburg Plan," includes opening day admission and tickets to any other four home games purchasers are interested in.

Originally, Griffith said the plan was set for opening day and every home game that Strasburg might start based on a five-man rotation.

"As we thought about it," Griffith said, "we realized there might be problems with rainouts and stuff. That's why we went with a flex option. You can go when you want."

Should Strasburg be assigned elsewhere in the system, Griffith said there are no refunds for the plan and that patrons are encouraged to come watch other top organizational prospects such as No. 2 Derek Norris, the player expected to catch Strasburg during spring training and if the two eventually reach the majors.

"It's more of an entertainment value here," Griffith said. "We're putting on a show. I don't sell the baseball aspect. Strasburg is the baseball part and he'll bring the baseball fans."

Griffith said that so far there are no plans to sell Strasburg merchandise at the team store such as bobbleheads or jerseys, adding that the club typically only uses players who formally played at Potomac as it's too great an investment for a player who didn't perform at Pfitzner Stadium.

"We have a Drew Storen bobblehead this year," he said of Washington's No. 3 prospect and last year's P-Nats closer. "If we do get them, we ride the wave. But we don't make a bobblehead of a player that never played here."

The idea of having one of the most highly-touted players in baseball history arrive in Woodbridge in the coming weeks is still a bit overwhelming to the GM, too.

"Everything you read," Griffith said, "it's either D.C. or Potomac. That's amazing that it's those two options.

"We've never dealt with anything like this before."

Staff writer Joe Conroy may be reached at 703-878-8047.