A Game to Remember

Three years ago today was the worst day of my life. We lost 32 Hokies, including one of my sister's best friends, Leslie Sherman. Leslie was an extraordinary person and was going to do great things in the world. Her spirit still lives in everyone who knew her.

Three years ago Sunday, the Nationals took the field donning Virginia Tech caps. This was not a planned event. In fact, it came together at the last minute. Marc Carig of the Washington Post had this to say:

With about 90 minutes before first pitch, Harolyn Cardozo, executive assistant to General Manager Jim Bowden, was on the phone calling sporting goods stores. She dialed the number to the Sports Authority's store in Alexandria, and when she heard a voice, she had one simple demand: "Give me the smartest guy in the store who can get something done fast."

Paul Schneider, a department manager, soon was scouring the store for Hokies hats. Cardozo asked for 40 of them and they needed to be at the stadium before the Nats took the field. Schneider found about 20 on the rack and discovered a box full in a storeroom. He talked his managers into donating the 38 hats of various styles, then jumped in his car to cross the Wilson Bridge and weave through rush-hour traffic to get to RFK.

Fifteen minutes before the first pitch, Major League Baseball gave the team approval. Schneider arrived at the stadium during the first inning, and the caps made it to the Nationals' dugout in time for the team to take the field with them for the second inning.

Kasten arrived at the ballpark an hour into the game, surprised the hats had arrived. The gesture was similar to one by the Yankees and Mets when baseball resumed play after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Players from both teams donned hats representing New York's police and fire departments.

While the Nats lost 6-4 to the Braves, this was still by far the best thing they have done since being in DC. Thank you once again, Nationals. We'll never forget this.

Please spend a moment or two today remembering the victims of 4/16.

Inbox, Link Parade

Here's Ladson's finest, followed by the best of the blogosphere:

Do you feel Willie Harris should play every day in center field for the Nationals?
-- David P., Washington, D.C.

FJB had excellent timing with his post on Harris today. I don't think Willie needs to be penned in as the every day center fielder, but should play SOMEWHERE at least 3 out of every 4 days, whether it's LF, CF or 2B occasionally.

I consider Alberto Gonzalez as an everyday player. He has made great progress since he came from the Yankees. What do you think?
-- Yu-Hung Su, Chiayi, Taiwan

I'm not going to lie-I have a huge mancrush on 'To-Gonzo right now. I mean, the guy has 3 K's in 90 PA-we're just not used to that in DC. With a good glove, solid speed and great contact, he can be at the very worst a league-average SS. Ladson says the Nats shouldn't deal Guzman just to clear PT for Gonzo. I think they'd be just fine starting Gonzo now, but the lack of organizational depth at SS would be the reason not to trade Guz (unless you want to shift Anderson Hernandez over and split time between Harris and Belliard at 2B).

What is the status of Dmitri Young? What plans do the Nationals have for him?
-- Ed W., Dodge City, Kans.

Ladson-"I don't see where he fits in the Major League roster. The Nationals don't want to add any more veteran position players on the roster. If Nick Johnson is traded, for example, Adam Dunn most likely will play first base."

I understand that Dunn would take over at 1B, but I don't see how that would keep the Nats from bringing up Da Meat Hook if Johnson were dealt. Although Young is terrible in the field, he's still a bench bat who knows how to play 1B (Dunn can't play every day at 1B, and who else could fill in? Willingham's never played there, Belliard is a terrible 1B, etc.). If the time periods fit with Johnson being dealt and Young's timetable to be called up, I bet the Nats bring back Da Meat Hook.

I don't understand why the Nationals sent Jason Bergmann back to the Minors. Before being hit hard in his last game, Bergmann had a 3.77 ERA and getting the job done. Why is Joel Hanrahan still here after blowing so many games and losing his closer job twice?
-- Alex C., Montreal

As Ladson said, Bergmann is the only one with options. I know Hanrahan has killed us this year, but anyone who wants to DFA him is out of their mind. He is exactly the pitcher you want on a team like this-who cares if he blows games? This team is obviously not winning the World Series this year. I'm getting sick of everyone trying to run him out of town-dude's got a 3.64 FIP! This team sucks and if they want to have any chance of being good in the future, they HAVE to continue to give guys with unlucky performance but good rate stats second chances rather than crappy never-was'es like Tavarez and Wells.

His rate stats are a million times better than his performance-K/9 numbers are consistent with 2008 while BB/9 and HR/9 numbers are way down. Problem is a .431 BABIP and 66.3% strand rate, both WAYYYY off of his career numbers, even when he sucked as a starter (.341 career BABIP, 71.8% career strand rate). Hanrahan WILL improve, that's one thing I will swear by. Wells and Tavarez should be sent away before they even spend a second thinking about DFAing Hanrahan.

But back to Bergy-he should have never been sent down. I'm getting sick of the Nats treating him like a rag doll like they did with Chris Schroder in the past.

FREE BERGY! FREE CLIPPARD!

In a previous Inbox, you said coaches aren't to blame for Washington's defensive woes. If a team does not field, it is the coaching staff's fault. If manager Manny Acta isn't to blame, who is? You never seem to blame team president Stan Kasten.
-- Frank B., Washington, D.C.

This is one thing I honestly cannot comment on, as I really don't understand the SABR defensive stats. Might ask FJB to answer this one-have the Nats fielders gotten worse than their past performances at their respective positions in 2009? If so, I'd say it's on the coaching staff...if not, it's on the players like Ladson said.

How long do you think it will take for the Nationals to recover from all the bad trades and signings former general manager Jim Bowden made?
-- Mike E., Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Pretty self-explanatory question. Most of the guys are already gone. Young, Belliard and Kearns are gone after this year and Guzman (if you still count him as a Bowden mistake) next year. The only long-term mistake here is Scott Olsen. I think the biggest problem during Bowden's years was stagnation-he never really dealt the farm away. We're where we were in 2005, but not in terribly worse shape.

Why isn't the team quick to call up right-hander Tyler Clippard from Triple-A Syracuse? He seems to have the stats to support a promotion.
-- Drew K. Wilmington, N.C.

FREE CLIPPARD!!!!!!

Link parade:

-Some Nats bloggers got to roll with the big boys. I got to do this at VT as a senior in high school...hopefully I can sneak in next time as well!

-Nick Piecoro (the Diamondbacks' Chico Harlan wannabe) thinks the Snakes can challenge the Nats in the Bryce Harper derby.

-The Mets started to dump their "party like it's 2003" campaign and released Wily Mo Pena (and Javier Valentin).

-Acta's still around, and Ken Rosenthal should be made fun of, says the DCist.

-Canadian fans like the Nats, Nats fans like Canadian fake umpires.

-Corey Patterson O's jersey sighting at Straight Cash Homey!

-Caps Toy Shop...definitely begged my uncle for the Jim Carey action figure when I was about 10 years old!

-Last but not least, FREE CLIPPARD!!!

Holder signs, Patterson up, Acta out?

The overwhelming negativity of the rest of this post has nothing to do with the Nats signing their 3rd round pick, Georgia RHSP Trevor Holder (for $200k, I might add...a 60% discount over what similar picks got last year). It starts with the sad story of Josh Willingham losing his younger brother to a car accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Willingham family. Willingham is to be replaced by Corey Patterson while Josh on the bereavement list. Patterson is a terrible, awful, no-good baseball player and I am very upset the club is wasting a 40-man spot on him (cleared by moving Terrell Young to the 60-day DL, something they are apparently reluctant to do with Da Meat Hook). Did I mention Patterson is the worst baseball player ever?

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Manny's out as the manager and will be replaced by Jim Riggleman as soon as Monday. It's truthiness has yet to be confirmed, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise. Acta does not stick up for his players, rarely goes out to argue (or even ask for an explanation by the umpire) and is a poor in-game manager. His encouragement is valuable, but the Nats need a good manager rather than Matt Foley. Manny's a great guy and someone I would probably trust my nonexistant kids with (of course, a lot easier to say since I don't have any), but he's just not a Major League manager at this point, even after two and a half seasons.

Thursday Inbox

Before I get to the inbox, I'd like to extend my condolences to the Adenhart family, as their 22 year old son Nick, a pitcher for the Angels, was killed by a drunk driver who ran a red light last night after the rookie's 4th career start. There's a lesson to be learned: don't drive drunk. 

Here's Ladson's latest:

Although I like the outfield strengths, I think Adam Dunn, Elijah Dukes and Austin Kearns should be the starting outfielders. I know Lastings Milledge is starting in center, but the other three guys seem to be more of an offensive threat. What are your thoughts?
-- Don M., Charlottetown, Canada

Ladson: "I like Dunn, but I want to see Maxwell and Roger Bernadina as the other outfielders. I've often said this: I want to see the Nationals play the kids. Washington manager Manny Acta, acting general manager Mike Rizzo and team president Stan Kasten will disagree with me, but Maxwell and Bernadina are ready. They are better than some of the outfielders they have now."

What? Maxwell and Bernadina are older than Dukes and Milledge. I think the Nats need to step up soon, though and either trade somebody or send Milledge or Dukes down because it hurt their development to not play every day.

It's not a secret the Nationals are shopping Nick Johnson, but what are they looking for in return? And is Johnson concerned about this at all?
-- Philip G., Brandywine, Md.

Ladson: "The Nationals are looking for young starting pitching in return. As far as Johnson goes, he is not worried about being traded. All this guy wants to do is win. The Yankees spoiled him, and I can tell you he wants to win a World Series ring badly."

Works for me. I'd like for Johnson to stick around, but somebody needs to go.

I don't understand why right-hander Jason Bergmann wasn't given a shot to make the starting rotation this year?
-- Darren M., Fairfax, Va.

Ladson: "Contrary to what he thinks, Bergmann did not have a good year in 2008, and he should be considered a reliever. Just look at the numbers. I've often felt Bergmann has been in denial about the season he had. It doesn't help when a certain beat reporter tells him he should have won nine games if he had the offense and defense behind him. The record is right where it should be: 2-11 with a 5.09 ERA."

Contrary to what Ladson thinks, Bergmann is still probably the 3rd or 4th best ML-ready SP in our system. Nonetheless, he should have been given a spot on the ML roster as either a starter or reliever this year. FJB had a good take on this a few days ago.

With the Orioles letting him go, what is the Nationals' rationale in penciling Daniel Cabrera in the middle of their rotation, seemingly without any competition?
-- Jim S., Bethesda, Md.

Ladson: "It's about Cabrera's potential. This guy can throw gas and be unhittable. I think pitching coach Randy St. Claire can straighten him out. I want to see what Cabrera can do during the first half before I pass judgment."

I'm going to go out on a limb and say probably at least half of pitchers who have thrown in the majors can throw gas and be unhittable. That's very unscientific, but Cabrera has already had 5 years to prove his potential in the majors and has gotten worse as time has gone on. 

With the relative success of rejuvenating pitchers, is there any possible interest in the Nationals acquiring Tigers left-hander Dontrelle Willis? With his stock so low right now, it seems he could be obtained for little in return and would be a low-risk investment with high-reward potential.
-- Cliff S., Springfield, Va.

Ladson: "You and I are on the same page. I think St. Claire could turn Willis around. Right now, Willis is on the disabled list, so let's see what the Tigers do once he comes off of it."

Dontrelle is a 180 from Cabrera-he had great success in the majors before blowing up in 2008. I think he can be a good ML pitcher again with the right mentor (St. Claire), but he's also apparently not all there mentally anymore. He's not worth the money at this point. If the Tigers released him and he could be acquired for next to nothing, sure, but I don't want Willis taking up 10% or more of the Nats' payroll.

Dmitri Young is several floors -- not a few steps -- below Johnson defensively. I still believe Ryan Zimmerman's throwing problems are a result of playing a year with Young at first base. When you know you have to throw a strike to first base, it puts a lot of undue pressure on you as a fielder. Also, Young is not a couple of steps above anyone as a first baseman.
-- Richard A., Annapolis, Md.

Ladson: "As far as Young goes, I've seen worse first basemen. Give Young a break. I agree he is not a Gold Glover out there, and he won't be at first base as long as Johnson is healthy."

No, Young is TERRIBLE defensively. You haven't seen worse first basemen except for maybe Adam Dunn, but at least he hits 40 homers.

Wow, Ladson was really off today, even more so than usual.

The roster, it is a changin'

As you've probably seen already, the Nats have made a plethora of moves and announcements today:

Dmitri officially has been placed on the 40-man roster, taking Wily Mo Pena's spot, as he was put on irrevocable waivers. [Nationals Journal]

Both Shairon Martis and Jordan Zimmermann will be parts of the ML rotation. Martis will start the year as #4 and Zimmermann will start the year in AAA and be called up when the #5 starter is needed.

Javier Valentin refused his assignment to AAA and became a free agent.

Jose Castillo and Corey Patterson were sent to AAA (thank God!!).

Collin Balester also was sent to AAA. [Nationals Journal]

What does this all mean? It means we are going in the right direction. We are going into Opening Day with the best pitchers we have in the rotation and the best position players at bat and in the field. Cutting deadweights like Wily Mo Pena is something Bowden was way too hesitant to do. Glad to see Rizzo's got the guts to do it.

Thursday Inbox: Bowden's ghost continues to haunt the Nats

First off, here's your inbox:

Kearns is having a good spring, hitting .333 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Do you think he is having success because he's back with his buddy Dunn?
-- David M., Woodbridge, Conn.

No, he's having success because he's not hurt anymore. And whatever Ladson said about his stance and Eckstein and stuff.

Bill, here's your $1 million question: Will the Nationals become playoff contenders in 2009?
-- Alex C., Montreal

No. They still don't have enough pitching. 2010 isn't out of the question and 2009 will be an improvement, but I think .500 is about the most realistically optimistic we can be.

Is Willy Mo Pena still in the running to get on the 25-man roster?
-- David, W., Arlington, Va.

He can't be. His power never returned (1 XBH in Spring Training). He's worthless in the field. Without power, he's nothing, and right now, he is without power.

Jordan Zimmermann is the real deal. He is the savior to this franchise. What are your thoughts on him?
-- Brent N., Hamel, Minn.

ZNN is NOT the savior to this franchise. I'm sorry for being such a Debbie Downer today, but he hasn't even thrown an inning above AA! Why put so much pressure on him? Just let him pitch and call him a "savior" after the season if that's what he ends up being.

If Nick Johnson gets hurt this season, will Dunn move to first base?
-- Jack S., Washington, D.C.

Apparently, Dmitri Young might snag some AB's as well. The team is going to put him back onto the 40-man (Thanks, Bowden). I'm guessing that if Johnson got hurt, assuming health for everyone else, Dunn would get about 65% of the playing time at 1B with Dmitri getting the other 35%. (Side note on Young-I think it's funny that Rizzo is going to honor Young's "handshake agreement" with Bowden, considering Bowden himself probably wouldn't honor it. "(Jeff) Shaw claimed at the time that Bowden had agreed not to trade him as part of a contract that involved Shaw taking less money from the Reds than he could have gotten elsewhere. “We had a handshake deal that he wasn't going to trade me,” Shaw said. “Three months later, he traded me. ... If I had been in the room with him, I would have killed him.").

The Nationals can't possibly go north with Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Dunn, Kearns, Pena and Josh Willingham on the 25-roster. Who is going to get cut or traded?
-- Bobby M. Gaithersburg, Md.

Cut: Pena. Trade: Willingham

Wednesday Evening Link Parade

Some interesting stuff for you tonight.

Bill Nye the Science Guy is a Nats fan! See the first poll at the bottom of the post! [DC Sports Bog] 

Dmitri Young is smelling a trade [Half Street Blues]

The Nats are going to start the season with a 4-man rotation and 14 hitters [Nationals.com]

Ladson speculates that the "extra" bench guy will be Kory Casto, Dmitri Young or Wily Mo Pena, but not a catcher. Also, Rule 5 draftee Terrell Young is "suffering" from right shoulder pain. Says he's fine now. Might we be stashing him for a while on the DL? [Ladson's Blog]

Anderson Hernandez pulled a hammy tonight, apparently pretty bad. See the second poll at the bottom of the post. [Nationals.com]

Sunday Inbox

2 in 4 days, hooray! It's Ladson time.

Should the Nationals hold on to right-hander Shawn Hill? Will outfielder Elijah Dukes have a big year? Those are two of the many questions Nats fans want to know during Spring Training. Here are answers to some of those questions.

With Hill constantly getting hurt as a starter, wouldn't it be ideal for him to be moved to the bullpen? I hear he has great stuff, but his lack of endurance scares me. 
-- Rafael B., Miami

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES. Or does moving Hill to the pen just make too much sense?

I'll keep saying it again and again. When are the Nationals going to wake up and smell the coffee concerning Hill? He is injured far too often. I think there are a couple of young pitchers in the organization that would do much better than him. 
-- Jorge T., Springfield, Va.

I'll meet you halfway. Hill is worth keeping around. It's worth taking a chance that he'll one day get healthy because when healthy, he's not just good, he's really good. But what the team needs to do is stop expecting him to be healthy, because he's not. Consider him Nick Johnson-enjoy his 1/4 of the season while it lasts.

If first basemen Chris Marrero and Nick Johnson continue to have good springs, would that affect how the Nats think about Johnson's future with the club? 
-- Brett L., Washington, D.C.

With his injury last year, Marrero is really nowhere near ML-ready. I can see Johnson being dealt, but instead of rushing Marrero to the bigs, Dunn or Willingham would shift to 1B.

Do you think the Nats will eat the salaries of Dmitri Young and Austin Kearns in an effort to keep the best players on the roster? I think the bench looks much better with Willie Harris, Ronnie Belliard, Josh Willingham, Roger Bernadina and Wil Nieves. 
-- Chris O., Ashland, Va.

Dmitri's not going to be on the bench, so to be honest that doesn't have any effect here. I wish people would actually give Kearns a chance instead of considering his 2008 season extreme and uncharacteristic suckitude  rather than caused by injury suckitude.

Don't you think they should keep Young and put him on the bench? I think he would be a great pinch-hitter. 
-- Michael B., Epsom, N.H.

They are keeping Young, but he isn't close to being healthy enough right now to be worth a roster shot.

As a season-ticket holder, I watched Dukes improve his hitting during the latter half of the season. He developed a keen eye for the strike zone and seldom swung at bad pitches. I believe he will draw a lot of walks and be one of the best hitters on the team this year. What is your take? 
-- Charles K., Va.

I like you, Charles K. Glad to see some good insight here as opposed to "I LIKE ______________ LET'S START HIM!!!" or "KEARNS SUCKS!!!!!1!!!"

Can we expect to see President Barack Obama throwing out the first pitch at the home opener? 
-- Michael L., Williamsburg, Va.

Don't expect it, but be pleasantly surprised if he does. He's a sports fan so I think he will throw out a home opener, but could you blame him for throwing it out for the White Sox, his favorite team?

Are the Nats interested in free agent Will Ohman? They need bullpen help, and he is a young lefty. 
-- Rich R., Slingerlands, N.Y.

"I see the Nationals making a trade to improve their bullpen."-Ladson

That's dangerous in my opinion. Ohman could be had for ~$1 mil. We would have to give up a prospect to get a lefty, so why not spring an extra $500k or so to get a player without having to give one up.

Thursday Inbox

Straight from Ladson's mouth!

What position will Adam Dunn play? Can Josh Willingham go behind the plate? Those are two of the many questions Nats fans want to know during Spring Training. Here are answers to some of those questions.

What position will Dunn play this season?
-- Ambrose D., Rockville, Md.

Left field, until Nick the Stick gets hurt at least. He'll play 1B exclusively in 2010.

Josh Willingham used to be a catcher. With the crowded outfield, is there any possibility that he could be the team's starting or backup catcher?
-- Alex C., Montreal, Canada

"That is a good question. I just don't see it at this time. The only way I see Willingham behind the plate is if Jesus Flores and Wil Nieves are hurt. The Nationals are happy with what they have at the catcher position."-Ladson

The only way Willingham SHOULDN'T catch is if he's physically incapable of doing it anymore (and I could see that being the case). The Nats being happy with their catchers is a terrible excuse, as Willingham would be a HUGE upgrade over Nieves and a much better hitter at least than Flores.

The Nationals gave up on second baseman Orlando Hudson because he was out of their price range, but he signed with the Dodgers for $3.4 million. If this was too much, how much did they expect to pay for him?
-- Chris V., Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

"I don't think Washington needed a second baseman. I think Ronnie Belliard, Willie Harris and Anderson Hernandez are good enough to play the position."-Ladson 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Belliard is a good hitter and a bad fielder, Hernandez is a bad hitter and a good fielder and Harris (to this point at least) hasn't seemed to be in the Nats' plans at 2B.

I'm guessing Hudson would have cost us ~$4 mil at least. We have to overpay for free agents since we were so bad last year. With his injury concerns, I can understand why the Nats passed, but to say they didn't need a second baseman is preposterous.

What's pitcher Jack McGeary's current status? I thought I had heard that he was leaving Stanford this spring to concentrate on baseball full time. Is he in Viera, Fla. ? 
-- Hendo, Silver Spring, Md.

"McGeary is still at Stanford and is not expected to report to camp until Monday. There have been reports that McGeary is going to quit school, but he has not made it official."-Ladson

That's a legit scoop, Bill. All of the speculation led us to believe it was a 100% deal. Guess we all spoke too soon.

I thought reliever Chad Cordero did not want to come back to the Nationals, yet I am hearing constantly that club is interested in signing him. Is Cordero seriously thinking about signing with Washington? 
-- Jonathan P., Woodbridge, Va.

"Now that Jim Bowden is no longer the general manager, I think there is no question that Cordero would consider coming back to the Nationals. Cordero was upset that Bowden announced last May that he would be non-tendered. Such an announcement is not made until the offseason. Cordero vowed not to come back to Washington if Bowden was the GM."-Ladson

2 scoops in 1 mailbag! I like it! I'm sure the Chief would love to be back with the Nats-they're probably willing to pay him more than anyone else (for nostalgic purposes) and he would have way fewer people in his way when he attempts his comeback.

Given that Austin Kearns hasn't played well since he arrived in Washington, shouldn't the Nationals be looking at Jorge Padilla as a backup outfielder? He comes a lot cheaper. 
-- Neil B., Sheffield, England

Padilla is terrible. Off the top of my head, here are 14 players that I'd rather see in our OF than him on Opening Day: Dukes, Milledge, Dunn, Willingham (all givens), Harris, Kearns (more upside), Pena (more upside), Davis, Maxwell, Langerhans, Casto, Bernadina, Lowrance and Daniel. I might even consider Dmitri Young and Corey Patterson. Padilla has no ML upside-he's a AAAA player and a mediocre one at that. He's not worth a second look, to be honest. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he'll be a Syracuse Sky Chief all year.

What are Dmitri Young's chances of making a Major League roster? He was the Nats' best player two years ago. 
-- Dick L., Centreville, Va.

If Johnson gets hurt, it's about a 50/50 shot (assuming Meat's health, which is never a good assumption to make). If everyone's healthy, less than 10%. He needs to get under 300 pounds before we even think about it.

Ladson's Inbox

I guess big Bill has been saving questions up, so here's the second "Inbox" of the week!

 

With the glut of outfielders on the roster, who do you think has the best chance of getting traded? -- Derek C., Ottawa, Canada

Wily Mo Pena and Austin Kearns because they're an

yone else's for the taking. If either has a strong ST, I could see them being dealt (as in someone actually wanting them). Willie Harris, Lastings Milledge and Josh Willingham are all possibilities, too.

Was Dunn a Type A free agent, and did the Nationals have to give up a Draft choice for signing him? -- Phil L., Hershey, Pa.

(Ladson's answer): Dunn was not a Type A free agent because the D-backs didn't offer him arbitration. That means the Nationals will not lose a 2009 Draft pick.

(my addition): Imagine if they HAD offered him arbitration. We could have gotten him for like $3 mil a year.

With the addition of Dunn, do you think Ryan Zimmerman will have a breakout year in 2009? -- James C., Washington

(Ladson's answer): Here's what I think Zimmerman will do this season: .290 with 30 home runs and 110 RBIs.

Seriously? I love Zim, but he's not a 30 HR hitter. Put me down for .290, 25 HR, 45 doubles and 100 RBI. And I will not attribute this to Dunn for the most part, but rather to Zim's continued development.

What is the status of Dmitri Young? I can't find any information on him anywhere. -- Steve D., Hayden, Ind.

Via Facebook: 

Why aren't the Nationals trying to sign a pitcher like Pedro Martinez? He's at the end of his career, yes, but he could help the younger pitchers improve. 

-- David P., Boucherville, Quebec, Canada

I think signing Pedro would be a great addition-theres's no reason to believe he's got nothing left in the tank. More of an issue on injuries.

 

Everything I have been reading has Mike Hinckley set to be the main left-hander out of the bullpen. What does this mean for Mike O'Connor? 
-- Paul M., Vienna, Va.

O'Connor has been terrible in the majors. Do you really want him back?

You have mentioned that the organization is content with Harris as a reserve. If that's the case, who do you see as the leadoff hitter? 
-- Eddie T., New York

How the lineup should go:

Guzman-6
Johnson-3
Zimmerman-5
Dunn-7
Dukes-9
Milledge-8
Flores-2
Belliard/Hernandez/Harris-4

If Harris is starting, put him leadoff and move Guzman down to 8th.

If Johnson starts this season and is healthy and plays at the expectations people thinks he can, will he be back in 2010? 
-- Juan F., Alexandria, Va.

That's a good question. I would tend to doubt it. I expect the Nats to put Dunn at 1B long-term (as in 2010).

 

Tuesday Thoughts

First of all, I'm disappointed we didn't sign Ray Durham. I wouldn't waste a penny on a bet with 1000 to 1 odds saying Anderson Hernandez will be "good" this year. I might consider "league average" but even that would be a push. Belliard is nice, but Durham is better.

It's good to see guys getting to Viera early. Among the list of early arrivals (from Nats Journal): Nick Johnson, Dmitri Young (who apparently is lookin' good), Scott Olsen, Jason Bergmann, Ross Detwiler, Steven Shell, Joel Hanrahan and Garrett Mock. I'd like to see guys like Flores, Kearns and Pena get there early to get some extra work in, but it's extremely early for hitters to show up.

Last in the order of business-anyone want to start a Natmosphere fantasy baseball league? I'm in, and FJB and I better not be the only excited ones!

Wish List

Hendo asked for it, so here is the official DC Sports Plus Wish List:

1) Frank Howard back where he belongs-in DC!

2) Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson, Randy Johnson and Stephen Strasburg

3) Takers for Wily Mo Pena and Dmitri Young

4) Nick Johnson to be healthy

5) the chance to run in the Presidents Race

6) the Lerners to stop being so dang cheap (goes with #2 and #3)

7) a World Series ring!

Did I miss anything? I reserve the right to update it-this was just the stuff off the top of my head!


Merry Christmas, everyone!

Friday randoms

Jim Bowden made a (well overdue) roster move tonight, outrighting RHP's Brian Sanches and Chris Schroder off of the 40-man roster. It appears that both have cleared waivers and have elected to stay with the club, so they will remain in AAA Columbus. I've advocated giving Schroder another chance all year, and although this certainly isn't the end for him (see Langerhans, Escobar, etc. in past years), it certainly isn't encouraging I'm sure. Both pitchers celebrated their 30th birthdays this month, so it's not like there is a whole lot more upside there anyways. By moving these two off of the 40-man, the Nats have 38 on it. Additional spots will be made by putting the Chief and Hill on the 60-day DL, leaving the Nats with 4 spots. 1 will go to Dmitri Young when he is activated from the restricted list. I'm guessing the other 3 will be Hinckley, Montz and Novoa.

In other news, Redskins veteran Jon Jansen is apparently on the roster bubble after being challenged by second-year Maryland product Stephon Heyer. I don't like the potential move, because Jansen only makes $400k more than the minimum against the cap this year (or at least that's how I understood the article). And he's got the potential to be the beast he's been most of his career.

Only 16 hours until kickoff! GO HOKIES!!!

Wednesday Night Nats Roundup

Mostly just links and a little blurb, since I'm tired.

Old news: WMP is out for the year, but should be back for Spring Training next year. Maybe his labrum/rotator cuff woes were to blame, as he "had a tough time getting around on fastballs because of the shoulder." I was skeptical when Guzman's career was supposed to be turned around with laser eye surgery/weight loss. This isn't the same thing, but until I see results, I'll continue to be skeptical.

Nats Journal injury updates:
Aaron Boone still has discomfort in his calf and will have an MRI tomorrow. We don't necessarily need Boone back yet, but it would be nice to have him so Zim doesn't have to start every day. The trade deadline doesn't matter, as he'll pass through waivers (if the Nats choose to trade him away, reducing their monopoly on Boones from 3 (before Bret retired) to 2 (now) to 1 (if Aaron is traded).
Acta says we'll probably see Shawn Hill again before the end of the year. Similar to SBF's sentiments on Nats320 about Zimmerman: if one of our guys with decent potential is hurt, shut them down. No sense making it worse in a season that is un-salvagable anyways.
Da Meat Hook will also be back by the end of the year. "Asked if Young was expected back by the end of the year, Acta said, 'Oh yeah. Not by any means are we shutting him down. No. I'm very positive we'll be seeing him over here again.'"
Chico and Ladson are both reporting that Milledge could return as early as the weekend. As long as he's ready, fine. If he's not 100%, just like with Hill/Zimmerman, it's simply not worth it. Injured groin muscles are not things you want to play on (no pun intended).

The Nats could non-tender Chad Cordero. It wouldn't be worth it to resign him for $5 mil if he's not going to pitch, and then hit FA after the year. Maybe we can get something done with an option for 2010 before the season ends. Otherwise we'll have to cut ties and hope he's still around on May 15 when we can sign him again. I want the Chief back. He's still only going to be 28 at the beginning of the 2010 season. He's worth keeping, just depends on the price.

Last but not least, Pete Orr has decided against playing in the Olympics, deciding rather to stick with the Nats. It probably would have been career suicide for Orr to go to the Olympics rather than sticking it out in Washington.

Part 3 coming tomorrow

Got back from the game pretty late, so I'll just post my thoughts on that and do Part 3 in the "Maybe Next Year" series tomorrow.

It was quite a game tonight! I took the girlfriend (it was her first baseball game sitting in the stands) and we had a good time, even better because the Nats won! She liked Dmitri a lot, as well as Belliard, because they were "gangster" and "played with swagger." I wonder what she would have said if Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge were playing. But I guess Da Meat Hook and Belliard are old enough to be referred to as "O.G.'s" now, as in "original gangsters."

Jesus Flores and Kory Casto came through with the big hits (and walk) for the Nats tonight. Lo Duca was hit by pitch one too few times (since he's still on the team at the moment). Lannan didn't pitch incredibly well (threw a lot of balls), but he did get himself out of a lot of jams, inducing the Diamondbacks into countless double plays (actually, my dad counted, and it was 4).

It was my first win at Nationals Park, with the previous 4 games being losses by the counts of 6-0, 6-1, 13-3 and 10-2. Sooooo the GF is officially GL-good luck.

That's all I've got. I'll probably have a post at some point during the day tomorrow.

A couple quick notes

According to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal (via MLBTradeRumors.com), 2 good things have decent chances of happening:

-Dumping Fail-ipe Lopez on the Orioles (for a "marginal prospect")
-Resigning Guzman to a 2-year deal

Trading Lopez to the Orioles would make me a happy man. I'd love to see "O's Exec" who trolls around the Nationals Journal comments stuck with the awful infielder.


Also, Dmitri misses Fick and says the team would be better off with him. I think he'd be a good coach, whenever he retires.

Random thoughts on the offense

Our O is pretty bad right now. The best we're doing in any category is 2nd in the NL in HBP (no, I'm serious). We do have a few things to look up to now, though.

Lastings Milledge is up to .250/.318/.371. Yes, this is still awful. But he's improving every day. He's hitting .321/.406/.607 over the last week, .264/.328/.415 over the last 2 weeks and .265/.327/.441 over the last 4 weeks. Not great, but he's developing into a nice player.

Elijah Dukes is done insulting our manager and starting to warm up as well. He's still at .222/.342/.343 for the year, but he's at .286/.394/.429 over the last week, .286/.386/.490 over the last 2 weeks and .269/.396/.410 over the last 4 weeks. Still not perfect either, but he's a good defender and will excite Nats fans for as long as he can keep his head on straight.

And over the last week, Dmitri is hitting .500/.565/.750. That's 10/20 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 3 R/3 RBI, 3 BB/5 K. Atta boy, Meat Hook!

Some old faces

After reading through this week's "Pop Culture Grid" on SI.com's Extra Mustard section, I realized how much I really do miss having personalities on our team. Brendan Harris was featured on the page. Here are his answers:


Hopefully you can read those. Otherwise, just click the link and it will take you right there. His answers weren't LOLtastic, but, like I said, I miss having guys with personality (you'll feel the same way if you read Ryan Zimmerman's blog). You have to love it when a guy fills in the blank in "I never leave home without my _____" with "flask" and says that Hillary Clinton needs to stop talking.

Some other guys I miss: Jose Guillen (enough personality to supply a whole team), Jamey Carroll (my first autograph where I actually talked to the player), Joey Eischen and Robert Fick. I'll also throw in Mike Bacsik pre-756, even though he's still in the organization. We do still have Circus Music Dmitri Young but that's about it.