Time to wrap up this mini-series. Today we'll be discussing what I'm exactly sure right off the bat was positive or negative. At the end of every different bit of analysis, I'll choose "Positive" or "Negative, because these aren't as cut-and-dried as the "What went right" and "What went wrong" parts of the recap were. These are meant to be semi-controversial and my opinion is not absolutely correct (just mostly correct), so feel free to debate in the comments.
1) Individual Performances
Jesus Flores is probably a surprise for most of you on the "Undecided" page. With Flores, you can basically arbitrarily pick any date in the season and his numbers will be good before that and bad after. The season just wore him out. He only ended up hitting .256/.296/.402...not bad, but not good enough for me to want to go out and buy a Flores jersey either. I'll declare Flores Positive, however, because his defense was solid and he excelled in high-leverage situations.
Ryan Zimmerman had an okay year. His injury was to blame for a lot of it, I'm sure. I was about to write Zim off as negative, just because he has regressed for two straight years. Then I looked at his month-by-month splits and see that he has hit .300/.355/.469 from May on. And since he returned from his shoulder issues, Zim has hit .304/.369/.452. Not perfect, but encouraging to see. Plus, he still plays awesome defense. Postive by a hair.
Wil Nieves had three straight 2-hit games in April and that won all of our hearts over. With Nieves, it's easy to go around expecting more than what you'll get: a .260/.300/.320 slash line and some good defense and some clubhouse tranquility. This year, Nieves outhit that slash line, going .264/.312/.345 in 08. When I was deciding who would fall under what category, I saw his numbers and went psh, BAD! But then I realized: I'll take that from my backup catcher any day. Positive.
Tim Redding was the tale of two halves. As you probably have seen somewhere else, he went 7-3 with a 3.85 ERA before the all-star break and 3-8 with a 6.82 ERA after. He's not a #1, we need to realize that, but if he's even going to be a 3 or 4, he needs to step it up in the second half. Negative.
Saul Rivera was originally put here because I think he's a completely neutral player. You know almost exactly what you're going to get (mid-to-high 3's ERA, lots of innings, decent amount of baserunners) and he delivers. Although his ERA numbers slipped for the second year in a row, I'll put him in Positive for now, mainly because I expect him to fall under "injured" next year and he deserves his due before that happens.
Collin Balester is a great prospect, but I'm not absolutely encouraged by his numbers this year. Sure, he's 23 and kept his ERA under 5 (and ended up better than Redding), but he almost had more runs allowed than K's. The first time around the lineup, opponents had a .510 OPS. The second time was .953. The third time was .980. He's got the stuff, let's see him put it together. Negative by a hair.
Jesus Colome-how the heck does he not end up in "what went wrong?" I'll tell you how-since his last BS or L (which happened June 30 and July 3, respectively), Colome has thrown 29 and 1/3 IP at a 2.45 ERA. But then look at his numbers a little closer: 12 BB/16 K in that span, 5 HR allowed...this IS the Colome of old, he was just getting lucky. NEGATIVE!
2) Mid-season trades
Rauch for Bonifacio
Ayala for Hernandez
Nunez for Gonzalez
It's nice to trade for middle infielders, but none of these guys are really that special. Gonzalez and Hernandez are proven no-hit all-glove guys and Bonifacio will probably be categorized as that in a few years. Rauch was our #1 tradable commodity and all we got for him was Bonifacio? I gave the Nats the benefit of the doubt at the time, but that's another Bowden Fail in my book. Ayala needed a change of scenery, so I can't really argue with that. And I doubt Nunez ever is a major leaguer. So we have a big lose in the Rauch deal and mini-wins in the other two. Still a lose overall, but it's close.
I don't really have anything else that falls under "undecided"...I'll come up with my 25 man roster now and post it and then you're all encouraged to do the same.
Showing posts with label Recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recap. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
2008 Recap: What went wrong
There's quite a bit to say on what went wrong this year. My top "tags" here at DC Sports Plus tell the story...out of individual players, Matt Chico (11) tied for most entries with Milledge and Dukes, Kearns had 9 tags, Failipe and Lo Duca had 8, and Johnny Waddles had 4. I dedicated a lot of time on my blog to hating on players and the management. While that may not be the most constructive activity, it does tell you a little bit about how the season went.
So, without further ado, what went wrong in 2008:
1) Individual Performances
Austin Kearns was supposed to be a cog in our lineup this year. Turned out he was a clog. A .217/.311/.313 slash line is never good out of a guy you're looking for to knock in runs, but it is especially horrible for a player who spends 259 of their 357 total plate appearances in the cleanup and 5th spots of the batting order. Hopefully we'll look back on it and blame injury, as this was the first season Kearns ever had an OPS+ under 100 (minus a 64 game 2004 season where it was 92).
Aaron Boone appeared to be set for a steady season. Turns out he really only had a good May, hitting .290/.351/.580 in 77 plate appearances. From June through now, he has only hit .221/.264/.313 in 141 plate appearances. Methinks we'll go for a younger, cheaper (and better) option next year, even though Daddy Boone works in the front office.
Kory Casto still has yet to prove he can hit ML pitching. Out of all of his splits, Casto has one consistency: poor performance. Whether it be versus lefties or righties, home or away, first or second half, during any month or as a starter or a sub, Casto simply hasn't been good. Okay, there was ONE split (yes, just ONE) that gives me hope Casto will be a good future 4th OF/good bat off of the bench: a .271/.321/.417 slash line in "high leverage" situations. While I do not know what constitutes a "high leverage" situation, it certainly sounds good.
Pete Orr never should have been on the team, I'm sorry. He had a good rookie year in 2005 (.300/.331/.387) that was all thanks to a .349 BABIP. 3 years of poor performance should be enough to show, despite a good rookie year, he is NOT a ML quality hitter. Luckily, we get to endure the poor hitting and good fielding of Emilio Bonifacio, Anderson Hernandez and Alberto Gonzalez for the next few years, so Orr won't be back.
Roger Bernadina looked good in the minors this year (.323/.398/.474 in 266 AA at bats, .351/.404/.513 in 191 AAA at bats, 31/42 SB) but awful in the majors (.191/.276/.221 in 68 at bats, 4/7 SB). His glove is legit, but just like a ton of Nationals, he has to hit if he wants to stick on this team. They have way too many 4th OF and utility infielders who can't hit. Time to find some that can hit but can't field (Rick Short anyone?).
Wily Mo Pena was terrible. We're talking new Green Day bad. Pena sported a .205/.243/.267 slash line to go with 2 HR and a 10:48 BB:K ratio. 10 RBI in 195 at bats is not good for a slugger, let me tell you. And to top it all off, he looked lost in left field. But, barring a miraculous release, Pena will be on the squad next year.
Emilio Bonifacio was supposed to be our future leadoff guy. He looked awesome at first (.375/.375/.594 in his first 7 games and 32 at bats in a Nats uniform) but has been pretty bad since then (.216/.276/.295 in 31 games and 132 plate appearances). He is sick with the glove, though, and is probably the fastest baseball player I've ever seen, so there is obviously still a ton of upside in the 23-year-old.
Johnny Estrada was an awful, awful, beyond awful FA signing. There is no good in Fatstrada, as he is a horrible player, doesn't hustle and is universally disliked by fans and teammates. Eatstrada 'hit' .170/.200/.200 in 53 at bats for the Nats this year and that was more than enough. And he refused to accept his crappiness and suck it up in AAA. Thank goodness, because Bowden might have given him a September call-up.
Rob Mackowiak was not a bad signing. While Estrada and Lo Duca looked to be on the decline after poor 2007 seasons, Mackowiak had a decent 2007 campaign, with a slash line of .263/.337/.386 (hurt a lot by his poor showing after being dealt from the White Sox to San Diego, where bats go to die). But Mackowiak became Mackowiakkkkkk, striking out 17 times in 53 at bats (against 7 hits). It wasn't heartbreaking for me to see the Nats cut the guy with the .132/.254/.208 line loose.
Paul Lo Duca was probably the worst signing because he cost us the most money. Out of the terrible trio of himself, Mackowiakkkk and Fatstrada, Lo Duca put up the 'best' numbers at .230/.301/.281. He allowed 13 of 15 potential base stealers to convert their thievery and played a great left field and first base! Thanks for the memories, Paulie.
Felipe Lopez hit .234/.305/.314 for us. Now he's hitting .355/.396/.493 for the Cardinals. He's getting their hopes up just like he got our hopes up in 2006. I was not disappointed to see him go, as I thought he would rebound from his awful 2007 campaign.
Jason Bergmann was not bad per se, he just wasn't good. I was kinda hoping he would going to improve on his decent 2007 campaign, but he regressed, going from a 4.45 ERA to 5.18 and from a 1.223 WHIP to a 1.449. Bergmann was not good as a starter or a reliever this year. I don't really know what to do with him, because he has the potential to be awesome. But then again, hasn't everyone in the major leagues had the potential to be awesome at some point?
Shawn Hill pitched 12 games through pain (I know, I was surprised he made it to 12 also). We got to experience pain watching these games, as he had a 5.83 ERA and averaged just over 5 IP per start. Make him into a reliever NOW!
Matt Chico may or may not have pitched hurt, but he was awful nonetheless. I don't deny the fact that the man can eat innings, but at a 6.19 ERA he's the best we can do? I doubt it.
Charlie Manning proved why he is a 28-year-old rookie: he's not that good. He has a 5.27 ERA, but also just gives up way too many homers (1.76 HR/9) and walks (6.8 BB/9) to be an effective major league pitcher.
Brian Sanches was an experiment that failed. He was bad for the Phillies last year (and the year before) but was lights out in AAA, so why not give him a shot, right? 7.36 ERA. That's why not. Still, sadly, he'll get an invitation to big-league camp by someone next year.
Marco Estrada furthered an already well-tested theory that Estradas and Nationals don't mix. The young righty threw only 1o and 2/3 innings but gave up 9 runs. Hopefully he'll be able to turn it around in the future.
Michael O'Connor: because if the experiment fails the first time, it's JimBow's perrogative to re-try it! 13 ER, 11 BB, 4 K in 9 IP. Yuck.
Shairon Martis had quite a year in AAA, but the 21-year-old is just not ready for the big leagues (can you believe that? A 21-year old isn't ready for the big leagues?).
Levale Speigner somehow found a way to raise his career ERA from 8.78 to 9.19 in only 8 innings. Can we dump him? Pretty pretty please?
Ray King sucked it up in 6 and 1/3 innings. I barely remembered he was even on the team. Another early roster casualty. Maybe he should have stuck to In-N-Out burgers.
2) Injuries
I'm going to be frank here: the Nats were probably the most poorly managed team in recent history when it comes to injuries. We had guys out for more than a week before being put on the DL, only to see them out for an extended period of time (Zimmerman, Gonzalez, Boone, Da Meat Hook, Johnson, Cordero, etc.). I'm not blaming the injuries, but rahter the manner in which the front office handled them.
3) Awful roster management
We lost Josh Whitesell on waivers to the Diamondbacks to make room for a Rule V draftee that didn't even stick with the team. I called it a bad move at the time over at NFA. It's even worse now, as Whitesell had a .993 OPS this year in AAA to go with 110 RBI...and we were stuck with Aaron Boone, Ronnie Belliard and Kory Casto at 1B for way too long. I don't even want to get into most of this, as I've been harping on it all year long in my "If I were GM of the Nationals" posts. A lot of this goes with my previous point of injuries as well.
4) The Chad Cordero situation
This was an absolute embarrassment to the entire franchise. Jim Bowden (once again) proved he was an idiot by publicly saying Cordero would be non-tendered before he told Cordero himself. When Screech's Best Friend shows his talons, you know there's a huge issue.
5) Lack of trust in the coaches/management
Fire Jim Bowden
Lenny Harris
Stan Kasten
The Lerners
Plus the latest example: "Team in Crisis"
The only people in the organization trusted by anyone outside of the organization are Manny Acta and Mike Rizzo.
6) Rooting for the team to lose
As you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven't voiced my opinion on the Strasburg deal on the blog. I've mentioned him once, basically saying he's an obvious pick if he's on the board. To be honest, I would love to draft Strasburg. But I will under no circumstance root against my team.Strasburg is NOT going to save the Nationals by himself. He can't pitch all 162 games. Even if he wins 20 games, he is still only one player. At this point, I still won't root against my team. It is a little different to not mind losing, but I will never cheer for my team to lose. When 47% of your fanbase is rooting for your team to lose, it's beyond pathetic.
I think the "to win, you have to lose" mantra is stupid and incorrect. If you have nitwits running the team, that may be the case (like in our case). To win, you have to spend money, period. Not necessarily on big-name free agents, though. You have to spend it on the draft, on international FA's, on scouting, to pay your players and to pay your rent.
But, for those of you who are keeping score...the Nats have a little bit less than a 47% chance of snagging the #1 overall pick next year.
7) Jim Bowden
One word: ugh. I'll just leave it to FJB for all of the reasons to hate on Bowden (Smileygate, Aaron Crow epic fail, awful FA signings, losing Whitesell for nothing, general suckiness, being a jerk, etc.).
My bottom 5 of 2008:
1) No trust in management
2) 'Fans' rooting for the Nats to lose
3) Chad Cordero situation
4) Awful performance on the field in general
5) Johnny "Waddles" Fatstrada/Eatstrada
So, without further ado, what went wrong in 2008:
1) Individual Performances
Austin Kearns was supposed to be a cog in our lineup this year. Turned out he was a clog. A .217/.311/.313 slash line is never good out of a guy you're looking for to knock in runs, but it is especially horrible for a player who spends 259 of their 357 total plate appearances in the cleanup and 5th spots of the batting order. Hopefully we'll look back on it and blame injury, as this was the first season Kearns ever had an OPS+ under 100 (minus a 64 game 2004 season where it was 92).
Aaron Boone appeared to be set for a steady season. Turns out he really only had a good May, hitting .290/.351/.580 in 77 plate appearances. From June through now, he has only hit .221/.264/.313 in 141 plate appearances. Methinks we'll go for a younger, cheaper (and better) option next year, even though Daddy Boone works in the front office.
Kory Casto still has yet to prove he can hit ML pitching. Out of all of his splits, Casto has one consistency: poor performance. Whether it be versus lefties or righties, home or away, first or second half, during any month or as a starter or a sub, Casto simply hasn't been good. Okay, there was ONE split (yes, just ONE) that gives me hope Casto will be a good future 4th OF/good bat off of the bench: a .271/.321/.417 slash line in "high leverage" situations. While I do not know what constitutes a "high leverage" situation, it certainly sounds good.
Pete Orr never should have been on the team, I'm sorry. He had a good rookie year in 2005 (.300/.331/.387) that was all thanks to a .349 BABIP. 3 years of poor performance should be enough to show, despite a good rookie year, he is NOT a ML quality hitter. Luckily, we get to endure the poor hitting and good fielding of Emilio Bonifacio, Anderson Hernandez and Alberto Gonzalez for the next few years, so Orr won't be back.
Roger Bernadina looked good in the minors this year (.323/.398/.474 in 266 AA at bats, .351/.404/.513 in 191 AAA at bats, 31/42 SB) but awful in the majors (.191/.276/.221 in 68 at bats, 4/7 SB). His glove is legit, but just like a ton of Nationals, he has to hit if he wants to stick on this team. They have way too many 4th OF and utility infielders who can't hit. Time to find some that can hit but can't field (Rick Short anyone?).
Wily Mo Pena was terrible. We're talking new Green Day bad. Pena sported a .205/.243/.267 slash line to go with 2 HR and a 10:48 BB:K ratio. 10 RBI in 195 at bats is not good for a slugger, let me tell you. And to top it all off, he looked lost in left field. But, barring a miraculous release, Pena will be on the squad next year.
Emilio Bonifacio was supposed to be our future leadoff guy. He looked awesome at first (.375/.375/.594 in his first 7 games and 32 at bats in a Nats uniform) but has been pretty bad since then (.216/.276/.295 in 31 games and 132 plate appearances). He is sick with the glove, though, and is probably the fastest baseball player I've ever seen, so there is obviously still a ton of upside in the 23-year-old.
Johnny Estrada was an awful, awful, beyond awful FA signing. There is no good in Fatstrada, as he is a horrible player, doesn't hustle and is universally disliked by fans and teammates. Eatstrada 'hit' .170/.200/.200 in 53 at bats for the Nats this year and that was more than enough. And he refused to accept his crappiness and suck it up in AAA. Thank goodness, because Bowden might have given him a September call-up.
Rob Mackowiak was not a bad signing. While Estrada and Lo Duca looked to be on the decline after poor 2007 seasons, Mackowiak had a decent 2007 campaign, with a slash line of .263/.337/.386 (hurt a lot by his poor showing after being dealt from the White Sox to San Diego, where bats go to die). But Mackowiak became Mackowiakkkkkk, striking out 17 times in 53 at bats (against 7 hits). It wasn't heartbreaking for me to see the Nats cut the guy with the .132/.254/.208 line loose.
Paul Lo Duca was probably the worst signing because he cost us the most money. Out of the terrible trio of himself, Mackowiakkkk and Fatstrada, Lo Duca put up the 'best' numbers at .230/.301/.281. He allowed 13 of 15 potential base stealers to convert their thievery and played a great left field and first base! Thanks for the memories, Paulie.
Felipe Lopez hit .234/.305/.314 for us. Now he's hitting .355/.396/.493 for the Cardinals. He's getting their hopes up just like he got our hopes up in 2006. I was not disappointed to see him go, as I thought he would rebound from his awful 2007 campaign.
Jason Bergmann was not bad per se, he just wasn't good. I was kinda hoping he would going to improve on his decent 2007 campaign, but he regressed, going from a 4.45 ERA to 5.18 and from a 1.223 WHIP to a 1.449. Bergmann was not good as a starter or a reliever this year. I don't really know what to do with him, because he has the potential to be awesome. But then again, hasn't everyone in the major leagues had the potential to be awesome at some point?
Shawn Hill pitched 12 games through pain (I know, I was surprised he made it to 12 also). We got to experience pain watching these games, as he had a 5.83 ERA and averaged just over 5 IP per start. Make him into a reliever NOW!
Matt Chico may or may not have pitched hurt, but he was awful nonetheless. I don't deny the fact that the man can eat innings, but at a 6.19 ERA he's the best we can do? I doubt it.
Charlie Manning proved why he is a 28-year-old rookie: he's not that good. He has a 5.27 ERA, but also just gives up way too many homers (1.76 HR/9) and walks (6.8 BB/9) to be an effective major league pitcher.
Brian Sanches was an experiment that failed. He was bad for the Phillies last year (and the year before) but was lights out in AAA, so why not give him a shot, right? 7.36 ERA. That's why not. Still, sadly, he'll get an invitation to big-league camp by someone next year.
Marco Estrada furthered an already well-tested theory that Estradas and Nationals don't mix. The young righty threw only 1o and 2/3 innings but gave up 9 runs. Hopefully he'll be able to turn it around in the future.
Michael O'Connor: because if the experiment fails the first time, it's JimBow's perrogative to re-try it! 13 ER, 11 BB, 4 K in 9 IP. Yuck.
Shairon Martis had quite a year in AAA, but the 21-year-old is just not ready for the big leagues (can you believe that? A 21-year old isn't ready for the big leagues?).
Levale Speigner somehow found a way to raise his career ERA from 8.78 to 9.19 in only 8 innings. Can we dump him? Pretty pretty please?
Ray King sucked it up in 6 and 1/3 innings. I barely remembered he was even on the team. Another early roster casualty. Maybe he should have stuck to In-N-Out burgers.
2) Injuries
I'm going to be frank here: the Nats were probably the most poorly managed team in recent history when it comes to injuries. We had guys out for more than a week before being put on the DL, only to see them out for an extended period of time (Zimmerman, Gonzalez, Boone, Da Meat Hook, Johnson, Cordero, etc.). I'm not blaming the injuries, but rahter the manner in which the front office handled them.
3) Awful roster management
We lost Josh Whitesell on waivers to the Diamondbacks to make room for a Rule V draftee that didn't even stick with the team. I called it a bad move at the time over at NFA. It's even worse now, as Whitesell had a .993 OPS this year in AAA to go with 110 RBI...and we were stuck with Aaron Boone, Ronnie Belliard and Kory Casto at 1B for way too long. I don't even want to get into most of this, as I've been harping on it all year long in my "If I were GM of the Nationals" posts. A lot of this goes with my previous point of injuries as well.
4) The Chad Cordero situation
This was an absolute embarrassment to the entire franchise. Jim Bowden (once again) proved he was an idiot by publicly saying Cordero would be non-tendered before he told Cordero himself. When Screech's Best Friend shows his talons, you know there's a huge issue.
5) Lack of trust in the coaches/management
Fire Jim Bowden
Lenny Harris
Stan Kasten
The Lerners
Plus the latest example: "Team in Crisis"
The only people in the organization trusted by anyone outside of the organization are Manny Acta and Mike Rizzo.
6) Rooting for the team to lose
As you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven't voiced my opinion on the Strasburg deal on the blog. I've mentioned him once, basically saying he's an obvious pick if he's on the board. To be honest, I would love to draft Strasburg. But I will under no circumstance root against my team.Strasburg is NOT going to save the Nationals by himself. He can't pitch all 162 games. Even if he wins 20 games, he is still only one player. At this point, I still won't root against my team. It is a little different to not mind losing, but I will never cheer for my team to lose. When 47% of your fanbase is rooting for your team to lose, it's beyond pathetic.
I think the "to win, you have to lose" mantra is stupid and incorrect. If you have nitwits running the team, that may be the case (like in our case). To win, you have to spend money, period. Not necessarily on big-name free agents, though. You have to spend it on the draft, on international FA's, on scouting, to pay your players and to pay your rent.
But, for those of you who are keeping score...the Nats have a little bit less than a 47% chance of snagging the #1 overall pick next year.
7) Jim Bowden
One word: ugh. I'll just leave it to FJB for all of the reasons to hate on Bowden (Smileygate, Aaron Crow epic fail, awful FA signings, losing Whitesell for nothing, general suckiness, being a jerk, etc.).
My bottom 5 of 2008:
1) No trust in management
2) 'Fans' rooting for the Nats to lose
3) Chad Cordero situation
4) Awful performance on the field in general
5) Johnny "Waddles" Fatstrada/Eatstrada
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
2008 Recap: Intro and what went right
I'm going to run a mini-series over the next few days on the 2008 season (and I'll throw in the past offseason as well, so basically it's the last year): What went right, what went wrong and what is still undecided. I'd also like to do something fun-at the end of the series I'll post my prediction for the opening day 25 man roster, including offseason acquisitions, callups, etc. I'd like for all other bloggers of the Natmosphere (and anyone else, for that matter) to do that. I'll tabulate everything and post it up and we'll give bragging rights to the winner. So look for that on Friday. (edit: I just spammed all of your comments with this notice...and then realized that I spelled "offseason" wrong. Ridicule is accepted and expected, for I missed the little red line under it).
Tonight I'll go over what went right. I'll try to stick to major things and group them together.
1) Individual Performances
The Nats had a few breakout seasons and pleasant surprises this year.
Cristian Guzman stayed (mostly) healthy and set career highs in hits, doubles, total bases, batting average and on base percentage. He also set a career low in strikeouts and is within 1 HR of his career high and 5 RBI away from his career high there.
Willie Harris was one of our best sluggers this year, tying for third on the team in HR. He almost doubled his career total of HR this year, with 13 (had 7 in 7 seasons before this year). He (obviously) set a career high in total bases and slugging percentage, played stellar defense and lessened the gap between BB and K as well.
Ronnie Belliard was probably picked by a ton of people to have a down year in 2008, as none of Bowden's retreads who were resigned ever really duplicated their success (see Hook, Da Meat). Belliard hit well above his career averages across the board, with a .287/.372/.473 slash line. Injuries and less effective defense were minor problems, but Belliard's 96 games have been just about as good as 96 from any other National this year.
Lastings Milledge wasn't perfect in his first whole year, but .271/.335/.408 is a good slash line for a 23-year-old. And his defense started improving as the year went on...he still better be in left field next year, though.
Elijah Dukes stayed out of real trouble this year and deserves the team MVP by all leaps and bounds. The Duke of Dinger hit .271/.393/.491, leading the team in OBP and SLG. He showed impressive plate discipline, immense power potential and gave us the best defense on the team, regardless of position. If he can stay healthy (and out of trouble), we have a true franchise player in Dukes. The Elijah Dukes bandwagon starts here!
Ryan Langerhans dug himself out of the great hole that was 2007. His batting average was still suspect at .234, but a .379 OBP and .402 SLG combined with a better BB/K ratio, some timely pinch-hits and awesome defense leads me to believe Ryan will be a National on Opening Day 2009.
Dmitri Young and Nick Johnson hit very well when they were healthy, combining for a .255/.397/.452 slash line. Strangely, Johnson's batting average was awful and Da Meat Hook suffered a bit of a power outage, but both can hit on the ML level still. Both are worth their weight in gold if they can stay healthy....but we all know they can't.
John Lannan followed up a good 2007 with another good 2008. He threw 177 innings with a 3.86 ERA and provided the Nats with quality starts (6+ IP, 3 or less earned runs allowed) in 21 of his 30 starts. I'll take that any day from a rookie! What I was most impressed with was his drastic change in his BB:K ratio (from 17:10 last year to 69:112 this year).
Odalis Perez was one of two FA signings (the other being Wee Willie) that didn't go horribly wrong (note: not including minor league FA's, so Shell doesn't count). Odalis threw 156 innings with a respectable 4.27 ERA. He escaped major injury (although he missed a few starts in June) and had 14 quality starts out of 29 (but keep in mind he had an unusually large amount of games, 9, in which he threw less than 6 innings but gave up 3 or fewer earned runs).
Joel Hanrahan blossomed into a passable reliever this year. He doesn't have a wow-level ERA
(3.95), but sports a 9.93 K/9 on the year. Interestingly enough, Hanrahan's BB numbers have improved drastically since becoming closer (4.85 BB/9 before July 22-Rauch trade date, 3.6 BB/9 after), but his H/9 (7.13 before July 22 and 9.36 after, HR/9 (0.76 before July 22 and 1.44 after) and WHIP (1.33 before July 22 and 1.44 now) have gotten worse. His ERA and K/9 numbers have been almost identical. Still, a lot better than a 6+ ERA last year.
Steven Shell was awesome this year. Kid had a 2.20 ERA in 49 IP. He's the man. Guaranteed a spot on my 25 man.
Garrett Mock as a reliever was a good thing this year. He had a 2.31 ERA in 23 and 2/3 innings in relief. He only allowed 5.4 H/9 and had 10.4 K/9 out of the pen. His walk numbers (strangely, 5.4 BB/9) were the only part I wasn't impressed with. Guaranteed a spot on my 25 man.
Mike Hinckley found his niche as a reliever this year and has straight dominated ML hitting. 11 and 2/3 shutout innings to start his career. 5.4 H/9 (oddly the same as Mock), 1.54 BB/9, 6.17 K/9, 4:1 K:BB ratio. Nice work, Hincks. Another guaranteed spot in my book, barring an awful spring training.
2) The team's willingness to cut dead weight
The signings of Johnny Estrada, Paul Lo Duca, Ray King and Rob Mackowiak were all awful. I'm proud of the Nats for swallowing their pride and cutting these losers loose. It also gives me hope that this will set a precedent in the future-and that we might not see Wily Mo in a Nats uniform next year.
3) The farm system looked a lot better this year
We had breakout seasons by Jordan Zimmermann, Leonard Davis, Michael Burgess (29 OF ASSISTS?!?), Adrian Alaniz and Luke Montz. We had 17 all-stars and a better than .500 record across the board in the minors for the first time since the team has relocated.
4) We had another good draft (minus the Crow debacle)
I'm happy with Hood, Espinosa, Hicks, Nieto, Demny, Killian, Ramirez and Curran. The Crow dealio sucked, but I would say the Nats were far above average through rounds 2-15.
5) Mike Rizzo looks better and better as a future GM
This post by Steven over at FireJimBowden gives me immense confidence in Mike Rizzo's abilities as a talent evaluator as well as a public figure. Make this Kasten and Rizzo's team NOW!
6) We made good trades last offseason
Pulling Dukes for Glenn Gibson and Milledge for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider were both good deals in retrospect. Church can't stay healthy, Schneider is not as good as his 2008 numbers indicate and Gibson was beyond terrible this year. Milledge wasn't amazing, but I think we'll look back on that deal in 2 years and it will be a wash at the absolute worst. And Dukes is a beast.
My top 5 of 2008:
1) Elijah Dukes' breakout year
2) Mike Rizzo's emergence as a great future GM
3) Vast improvement in the minor leagues
4) Willie Harris' breakout year
5) Bright futures in the bullpen (Hanrahan, Shell, Mock, Hinckley)
Tonight I'll go over what went right. I'll try to stick to major things and group them together.
1) Individual Performances
The Nats had a few breakout seasons and pleasant surprises this year.
Cristian Guzman stayed (mostly) healthy and set career highs in hits, doubles, total bases, batting average and on base percentage. He also set a career low in strikeouts and is within 1 HR of his career high and 5 RBI away from his career high there.
Willie Harris was one of our best sluggers this year, tying for third on the team in HR. He almost doubled his career total of HR this year, with 13 (had 7 in 7 seasons before this year). He (obviously) set a career high in total bases and slugging percentage, played stellar defense and lessened the gap between BB and K as well.
Ronnie Belliard was probably picked by a ton of people to have a down year in 2008, as none of Bowden's retreads who were resigned ever really duplicated their success (see Hook, Da Meat). Belliard hit well above his career averages across the board, with a .287/.372/.473 slash line. Injuries and less effective defense were minor problems, but Belliard's 96 games have been just about as good as 96 from any other National this year.
Lastings Milledge wasn't perfect in his first whole year, but .271/.335/.408 is a good slash line for a 23-year-old. And his defense started improving as the year went on...he still better be in left field next year, though.
Elijah Dukes stayed out of real trouble this year and deserves the team MVP by all leaps and bounds. The Duke of Dinger hit .271/.393/.491, leading the team in OBP and SLG. He showed impressive plate discipline, immense power potential and gave us the best defense on the team, regardless of position. If he can stay healthy (and out of trouble), we have a true franchise player in Dukes. The Elijah Dukes bandwagon starts here!
Ryan Langerhans dug himself out of the great hole that was 2007. His batting average was still suspect at .234, but a .379 OBP and .402 SLG combined with a better BB/K ratio, some timely pinch-hits and awesome defense leads me to believe Ryan will be a National on Opening Day 2009.
Dmitri Young and Nick Johnson hit very well when they were healthy, combining for a .255/.397/.452 slash line. Strangely, Johnson's batting average was awful and Da Meat Hook suffered a bit of a power outage, but both can hit on the ML level still. Both are worth their weight in gold if they can stay healthy....but we all know they can't.
John Lannan followed up a good 2007 with another good 2008. He threw 177 innings with a 3.86 ERA and provided the Nats with quality starts (6+ IP, 3 or less earned runs allowed) in 21 of his 30 starts. I'll take that any day from a rookie! What I was most impressed with was his drastic change in his BB:K ratio (from 17:10 last year to 69:112 this year).
Odalis Perez was one of two FA signings (the other being Wee Willie) that didn't go horribly wrong (note: not including minor league FA's, so Shell doesn't count). Odalis threw 156 innings with a respectable 4.27 ERA. He escaped major injury (although he missed a few starts in June) and had 14 quality starts out of 29 (but keep in mind he had an unusually large amount of games, 9, in which he threw less than 6 innings but gave up 3 or fewer earned runs).
Joel Hanrahan blossomed into a passable reliever this year. He doesn't have a wow-level ERA
(3.95), but sports a 9.93 K/9 on the year. Interestingly enough, Hanrahan's BB numbers have improved drastically since becoming closer (4.85 BB/9 before July 22-Rauch trade date, 3.6 BB/9 after), but his H/9 (7.13 before July 22 and 9.36 after, HR/9 (0.76 before July 22 and 1.44 after) and WHIP (1.33 before July 22 and 1.44 now) have gotten worse. His ERA and K/9 numbers have been almost identical. Still, a lot better than a 6+ ERA last year.
Steven Shell was awesome this year. Kid had a 2.20 ERA in 49 IP. He's the man. Guaranteed a spot on my 25 man.
Garrett Mock as a reliever was a good thing this year. He had a 2.31 ERA in 23 and 2/3 innings in relief. He only allowed 5.4 H/9 and had 10.4 K/9 out of the pen. His walk numbers (strangely, 5.4 BB/9) were the only part I wasn't impressed with. Guaranteed a spot on my 25 man.
Mike Hinckley found his niche as a reliever this year and has straight dominated ML hitting. 11 and 2/3 shutout innings to start his career. 5.4 H/9 (oddly the same as Mock), 1.54 BB/9, 6.17 K/9, 4:1 K:BB ratio. Nice work, Hincks. Another guaranteed spot in my book, barring an awful spring training.
2) The team's willingness to cut dead weight
The signings of Johnny Estrada, Paul Lo Duca, Ray King and Rob Mackowiak were all awful. I'm proud of the Nats for swallowing their pride and cutting these losers loose. It also gives me hope that this will set a precedent in the future-and that we might not see Wily Mo in a Nats uniform next year.
3) The farm system looked a lot better this year
We had breakout seasons by Jordan Zimmermann, Leonard Davis, Michael Burgess (29 OF ASSISTS?!?), Adrian Alaniz and Luke Montz. We had 17 all-stars and a better than .500 record across the board in the minors for the first time since the team has relocated.
4) We had another good draft (minus the Crow debacle)
I'm happy with Hood, Espinosa, Hicks, Nieto, Demny, Killian, Ramirez and Curran. The Crow dealio sucked, but I would say the Nats were far above average through rounds 2-15.
5) Mike Rizzo looks better and better as a future GM
This post by Steven over at FireJimBowden gives me immense confidence in Mike Rizzo's abilities as a talent evaluator as well as a public figure. Make this Kasten and Rizzo's team NOW!
6) We made good trades last offseason
Pulling Dukes for Glenn Gibson and Milledge for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider were both good deals in retrospect. Church can't stay healthy, Schneider is not as good as his 2008 numbers indicate and Gibson was beyond terrible this year. Milledge wasn't amazing, but I think we'll look back on that deal in 2 years and it will be a wash at the absolute worst. And Dukes is a beast.
My top 5 of 2008:
1) Elijah Dukes' breakout year
2) Mike Rizzo's emergence as a great future GM
3) Vast improvement in the minor leagues
4) Willie Harris' breakout year
5) Bright futures in the bullpen (Hanrahan, Shell, Mock, Hinckley)
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