VIERA, Fla. — Nyjer Morgan, the smooth-talking center fielder for the Nationals, is standing in the middle of the clubhouse telling me about the nickname he came up with for phenom Stephen Strasburg.
He calls him Jesus.
Not because the No. 1 pick is the savior of a team desperately in need of one, but because of the reaction of players, coaches and executives when they see the right-hander let loose a baseball.
“When you see this kid live,” Morgan explains, “the first thing that is going to come out of your mouth is ‘Jeeee-sus.’ “
Morgan admits other words are uttered, but wants to “keep it G-rated,” adding, “I have never seen stuff like that. Everybody in here has played the game and nobody has seen stuff like this.”
Nationals special assistant Davey Johnson has. “He reminds me a lot of Doc,” Johnson said.
Johnson first saw Dwight Gooden in 1982 at Single-A Kingsport, when Johnson was a roving instructor with the Mets. It’s not only his stuff — the laser fastball, clocked at over 100 mph at San Diego State, and the high-velocity predatory curve — that sets Strasburg apart from others, but also his command. Stand behind the catcher when Strasburg is throwing and watch the catcher’s body. He barely has to move.
“A lot of guys get to the majors on ‘stuff,’ “ Johnson said, “and then it takes them years to learn command. He has both right now. Stuff and command works anywhere. And the icing on the cake is that he’s mature and has very good poise.”
Johnson is the resident expert on Strasburg. He managed him when Strasburg pitched for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Back then Strasburg was a fastball, curve ball pitcher. Against the Dutch team he had a no-hitter through six innings. Since then, he has added a nasty 88-mph changeup and a 93-94 mph sinker.
Strasburg’s bullpen sessions so far have been National events. He’s expected to pitch only home games this spring, a good business move by the Nats. Catcher Pudge Rodriguez used the word “amazing” to describe Strasburg. Amazingly, Strasburg is not overwhelmed by any of this.
“He’s a humble kid,” Morgan says.
As for Morgan’s nickname, Strasburg says with a big smile as he stretches out his 6-4, 220-frame in the first-base dugout at Space Coast Stadium, “Nyjer’s a funny guy. For him to give me a nickname like that, I don’t really know what to say, but I’m definitely rolling with it. It’s all in good fun. This may sound weird, but from all the stories I’ve heard from other guys who have gone up and the stuff they had to go through, I’m kind of looking forward to it. It’s all about paying your dues.”
Strasburg credits his mom and dad for raising him right in San Diego, where he exploded onto the scene at San Diego State.
“Being an only child they really wanted to make sure, growing up, that was nothing was handed to me,” he said. “I had to work hard for it.”
No official plan has been announced, but expect Strasburg to start the season at Class A Potomac. He has not thrown one inning of minor league ball and must get the feel for pitching every five days, unlike at college, where pitchers start once a week. His innings will be carefully monitored, but he could be in the majors in time to face the Mets on July 1 in Washington.
The Nationals have something going on beyond Strasburg. They’re putting together a top-notch organization with GM Mike Rizzo and manager Jim Riggleman. They have another 2009 first-round pick in right-hander Drew Storen (10th overall) and will draft No. 1 overall again this June, when another phenom represented by Scott Boras, catcher Bryce Harper, is expected to be chosen by Washington.
Getting Strasburg settled into his role, though, is job No. 1.
“He’s uncomfortable with the big hype,” says Rizzo, who signed Strasburg to the record-breaking $15.1 million contract, “because he believes he hasn’t done anything to warrant it yet, which is a good attitude.”
Club president Stan Kasten, who was Braves president when their great young pitchers came through Atlanta and also ran the NBA Hawks, said, “In baseball, no one has seen this type of attention. Stephen kind of single-handedly made the MLB draft an event. There have been phenoms since there has been spring training, but it’s not just what I see with my eyes, it’s what people who have been around a long time are saying.
“No one says, ‘He’s ready to go to the major leagues.’ That doesn’t happen. It’s not that easy, but they say that about him. He’s a serious-minded kid. As soon as he got out of college, he married his college sweetheart.”
And he’s frugal.
“They had some really good deals in San Diego for a winter wedding,” said Strasburg, who got married Jan. 9. “We got a winery for like half the price..”
His baseball honeymoon is just getting started.
“It’s a big game and it’s a big business,” Strasburg says. “I feel like I’m ready for it.”
The Strasburg era is about to begin, Jeeee-sus.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com