Bleacher Report - Articles by William Yoder

Is the American League's Trash the National League's Treasure?

William Yoder — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:32:30 -0400

With Brad Penny’s outstanding performance Wednesday night for the San Francisco Giants, questions have yet again risen this season about the competition level in the National League.

Penny, through 24 starts with the Boston Red Sox compiled a 7-8 record with a 5.61 ERA. Batters had hit .299 on the former Dodgers ace, and at the end of his tenure he was struggling to pitch out of the sixth inning.

This of course shocked most of the sports-viewing world last night when Penny went eight strong innings against the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The righty allowed five hits, no runs, and only one walk.

Could it be that an American League team’s trash really is a National League team’s treasure?

This of course is the second instance this season alone where a Red Sox starting pitcher was cut from Bean Town only to resurface in the National League as a game-changing contributor.

On Aug. 6, future hall-of-famer John Smoltz got tattooed by the New York Yankees for eight earned in only 3.1 innings. The next day he was cut. Seventeen days after being released, Smoltz resurfaced in San Diego, this time with a Cardinals jersey on his back. He looked like a new man, or at least the same man that once dominated the National League for 20 years before his 2009 experiment with the Red Sox.

Smoltz struck out nine batters in five shutout innings for his new club, setting a St. Louis franchise record by recording seven consecutive strikeouts. In his next start against the Washington Nationals he appeared equally as nasty as the start before. The righty struck out six and allowed only four hits and one earned run through six innings.

This apparent phenomenon of mediocrity in the American League turned stardom in the National League isn’t limited to the mound either.

On Jul. 24, the Cardinals made another move, attaining outfielder Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics. From 2006-2008 Holliday was perennially one of the top hitters in the National League. Playing for the Rockies in that time period, Holliday averaged a .329 batting average with 32 homers a year. The left-fielder was shipped to Oakland this offseason and through 93 games in the Bay Area he hit a disappointing .286/.378/.454 with 11 homers and 54 RBI in 93 games. Since being traded back to the National League he has hit .375/.437/.691 with nine homers and 36 RBI in only 36 games.

Could it be that the American League is just that much more difficult than the National League? And if in fact it were true the implications of this fact would be astounding.

Would Albert Pujols still be the best player in baseball if he were in the American League? What about Hanley Ramirez? Apart from steroids, would Barry Bonds home run records be even more tainted? Are the Nationals that much worse than we thought because they play in the inferior league?

I don’t believe any of the above are true, nor could I imagine that the American League is anywhere near as superior as some give it credit. Consider these before you jump to that conclusion yourself.

Experience

The three aforementioned former All-Stars all played their entire careers in the National League before moving to the American League in 2009. The amount of time players, especially players at the top of the league, put into scouting and video preparation can’t be understated.

There is no question that after 20 years John Smoltz has a pretty good grasp on how to approach hitters in his prospective league. He has spent countless hours studying all the best, and even the worst hitters in the National League. Not only has he studied the hitters, Smoltz has gone toe to toe with the hitters, and learned something about how to face them each and every time they have taken the plate.

Clearly neither him, Penny, nor Holliday could pick up this experience immediately in a whole new league. Hitters usually take one full year to adapt to a new league, while pitchers can often take a year and a half to two.

Circumstance

In Colorado, Holliday was hitting in arguably the best hitters park ever. He was batting in a line up stocked with great talent, including one of the best hitters of the decade, Todd Helton.

In Oakland, Holliday moved to a pitchers park that not only made it hard to hit for power, but hard to hit at all as the cavernous foul territory turned many potential foul balls into outs. Holliday also was the only threat in a weak, last place line up. Moving to St. Louis, Holliday had the benefit of hitting in a neutral park, but more importantly he hit in front of the great Albert Pujols. It’s no coincidence that he has almost surpassed his Oakland numbers in only 36 games in his new situation.

Smoltz joined the Red Sox midseason after recovering from surgery on his torn labrum in the offseason. Even for a veteran, it is hard to join a team in the middle of the season, especially when one is in a pennant race. While Smotlz’s stuff was still there, he was clearly not yet comfortable on the mound. He simply wasn’t put in a position to succeed. In St. Louis he has been put in a situation where he is pitching against players he has faced in the past, and now he is finally comfortable being on the mound again. Clearly it shows.

Penny had spent most of his successful career on the west coast pitching for the Dodgers. As Manny Ramirez will tell you, they’re very very different places. While both clubs compete for the division title every year, it’s clear Boston fans are far more in your face and far more involved. The pressure between pitching in the two cities is not even close. Boston demands success immediately, where Dodgers fans don’t even get to the ball park until the fourth inning.

These answers are much more logical than the assumption that the American League is simply better than the National League. While so far this year National League team’s have lucked out finding gems in discarded American League talent, it has little to do with the difference in competition level.

Nationals get more bang for their buck with Dunn than they would Teixeira

William Yoder — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:48:01 -0400

Going into the 2008 offseason, the Lerner group promised Washington Nationals fans that the club would land a big name free agent.

They had one man in mind, the biggest fish in the free agency sea, first basemen Mark Teixeira. It seemed destined to happen, too. Teixeira was from the D.C/Maryland area and the Nationals had the most money to offer to him. The Nats made their push for the slugger and they let everyone know about it.

Then on Dec. 23, Teixeira signed an eight-year, $180 million deal out of nowhere with the New York Yankees.

Merry Christmas, Washington.

Desperate, the Nationals combed the now-depleted free agent market to try and find some sort of bat to support their young star Ryan Zimmerman. More importantly, they had to make some sort of signing to save the franchise from embarrassment in the media, and ridicule by their fan base.

February rolled around and the Nats had yet to make any type of splash in free agency. There was only one man available, a man who had his own disappointing offseason, Adam Dunn. Dunn had the numbers, and had expected a major deal. The Nationals had the money, and had expected to sign a marquee name. Neither happened, for whatever reason.

The two struck a short-term deal, a compromise for both sides. The Nats got a premium talent at only $10 million a year and Dunn got a place to showcase his talent for two years before hitting what he hopes will be a better market.

Now, six months later, time has shed light on the 2008/2009 offseason. The Washington Nationals can now look back and evaluate how what once seemed like ill fate may have turned to great fortune.

The Yankees are currently paying Teixeira $20 million in salary this season, plus a $5 million signing bonus. While that number will slowly increase every year, it is currently one of the highest salaries in professional sports. In return for $25 million in 2009, the Yanks have received a first basemen who is hitting .284/.380/.547 with 32 homers, 101 RBI and 70 BB to 90 K.

That’s $781,000 per homer, $247,000 per RBI and $27,000 per OPS point.

The Nationals, on the other hand are currently paying Adam Dunn $8 million in 2009 with no flair aside from his salary. In return, the Nats are receiving a first basemen who is hitting .282/.417/.578 with 35 homers, 91 RBI, and 100 BB against 147 K.

That translates to $228,571 per homer, $87,000 per RBI and $8,000 per OPS point.

It seems that with the season almost over, the Nationals lucked into a far better deal, as their slugger is having the same season as the Yankees’ slugger, but for an exponentially better price. Even better for the Nats, Dunn is only locked into a two-year deal so they are not pigeonholed as Dunn ages. Dunn also does not have a no-trade clause, allowing the Nationals more flexibility.

For the short term this deal works for the Nationals because it gives them a player equal to Teixeira’s ability at the plate for less money. It also gives them a slugger to endure several losing seasons while still attempting to put a competitive team on the field with stars who will appease the fans. Dunn is the perfect rent-a-star the Nationals need to take them to the 2011 offseason, when their talent will be developed enough to start making effective free agent moves.

In the long run, this will help the club by clearing up their post-2011 payroll. They will need as much money as they can to sign their young prospects to extensions, especially if they want to go after relevant free agents when they are in a position to compete. The Yankees will be stuck paying Teixeira $22.5 million in 2016, but will he still be worth it?

Be thankful he rejected the Nats, they are in way better shape today as a result.

They Said It—Milton Bradley

William Yoder — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:08:47 -0400

Following the Nationals 15-6 win over the Cubs last night, Milton Bradley, who rejected the Nationals for the Cubs this offseason, was quoted by ESPN Chicago as saying:

“We got a Rodney King beatdown tonight.”

A lot of crazy things have come out of Milton Bradley’s lips through the years, such as, “…It’s not funny to Milton Bradley.” Or, “I want people to say Milton Bradley was a pretty good ballplayer and a pretty good person. Anybody who is going to stand between me and getting there, then they need to be eliminated.”

This one may take the cake as the craziest of all time, and that says a lot for Bradley.

I think Duk’ from Big League Stew put it best when he said:

"Raise your hand if you ever thought the '09 Nats would ever be compared to the '90s LAPD! I'd say that Bradley's comment was insensitive — King suffered a broken face, a broken leg and countless bruises during that incident — but in an age where a portion of this country sees no problem in comparing the President's healthcare campaign to the Nazis' extermination of millions of human beings, I have no idea where that line is anymore."

Washington Nationals Prospect Watch: Don't Look Now, but Here Comes Ian Desmond

William Yoder — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:45:31 -0400

When the Washington Nationals came to town in 2005, Ian Desmond was lauded as the next best thing.

Soon, however, the enthusiasm surrounding the shortstop dissipated and it left analysts wondering whether or not the hype surrounding him was just misplaced in his tools, or if perhaps his scouting reports were simply wishful thinking.

Desmond had tools all right. He was built on a good frame at 6'2", 185 lbs., he had supreme strength, a stellar arm, and top-notch base running speed. The only problem was, it didn’t really seem like he knew how to put it all together.

Desmond joined the organization by way of the 2004 draft when the Montreal Expos took him out of high school in the third round, 84th overall. He was sent to the organization’s Gulf Coast League affiliate right away and while he didn’t flourish with the bat, his glove and athleticism created a buzz.

It only took until 2006 for him to be named the number four prospect in the new Nationals organization. Yet, despite his tools, he could not hit his way out of Single-A for more than a few games. Desmond batted .244/.313/.384 for Potomac in 2006, and only .264/.357/.432 in 2007.

The Nationals and many others began to write the young shortstop off, especially after a 2008 hand injury sidelined him for a good portion of the season. When he was healthy, he only batted .251/.318/.406 in Harrisburg. While Desmond had learned how to field the position effectively, he still just couldn’t hit.

In 2008, Baseball Prospectus wrote:

"Desmond has been touted as the next big thing longer than Gretchen Mol, and with results that are as reliably disappointing. However, last year's progress at High-A Potomac is encouraging, even though it was his third pass through the circuit. Desmond is filling out, and his physical gifts are delivering better results in the field. He's not the blue-chipper some expected, but he's making slow progress towards becoming a decent shortstop in a world in which people are relying on punchless types such as Adam Everett and John McDonald."

Going into 2009, the Nationals had already found another future phenom shortstop in their system, a 19-year-old, Esmailyn Gonzalez. As an afterthought, Desmond was sent back to Harrisburg to perhaps someday develop into Gonzalez’s back up. But then Esmailyngate hit the Nats hard in spring of 2009, and the truth came out that the future star shortstop was a fake.

The Nationals were lost again concerning their future up the middle. Cristian Guzman was aging rapidly and "the future," Esmailyn Gonzalez, was five years older than they he had originally claimed. Yet, while the front office scouts and the stat-oriented analysts desperately searched for an answer, the oft-knocked (yes by this blog) Pat Corrales had a steady hand. In his ancient wisdom, he saw something in a young Double-A shortstop, Ian Desmond.

"He has grown up," Corrales said. "When he first arrived in Spring Training [in 2005], he was a young kid, but he has matured. He has become a leader. When I was in Harrisburg, they didn't know how to play without him. When he wasn't there, they were lost. When he came back, it was all good."

Corrales was right, and so far in 2009, Desmond, still only 23, has finally showed the hitting potential that many have waited for over the years. Desmond’s 2009 output:

Harrisburg (AA)—42 G, 6 HR, 13 SB, .306/.372/.494
Syracuse(AAA)—40G, 0 HR, 6 SB, .336/.418/.422

If the young shortstop continues at this pace, he should be ready for a call-up in September when the rosters expand. If the Nationals are smart, they’ll give him another half-season at least in the minors after that to let his bat fully develop. If they do, he could be 100 percent MLB-ready by 2011, when Guzman’s contract expires, Jordan Zimmerman returns from Tommy John, and Stephen Strasburg prepares for his first Cy Young.

What’s exciting about Desmond is while he is hitting for contact now, scouts are hopeful that his strength will eventually turn his contact into power. Often, once a young, strong batter becomes more comfortable hitting for contact, that’s when he can develop power. This is also why it may be crucial he stays in the minors at least a little bit longer next season.

Baseball Prospectus put it best in an article this week:

“This just might be an example of a genuine late bloomer. A third-round pick in 2004, Desmond's tools and athleticism has had many projecting him as the Nationals' shortstop of the future for years, but there was one big problem with that: he didn't hit. Showing a much better approach this year in terms of both plate discipline and a focus on contact over power, Desmond hit .306/.372/.494 at Double-A this year. He's batting .406 in his last ten Triple-A games, raising his overall line to .328/.413/.400 in the International League. He should be up in September, and given that he doesn't turn 24 for another month, he's still a prospect.”

Random Stat Of the Day: Nick Johnson Hurt

William Yoder — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:11:56 -0400

Nick Johnson hasn’t played for the Marlins since AUGUST 18TH, and it doesn’t look like he is going to any time soon.

Johnson injured his hamstring in the first inning of a double header on the 18^th and hasn’t been around to help the Fish since.

According to South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s beat reporter Juan C. Rodriguez, Nick Johnson attempted to run a bit to test his tender hammy before yesterdays game…it didn’t go too hot:

"It didn't go too good," said Johnson, who has not played since the first inning of the first game of the Aug. 18 doubleheader because of a strained right hamstring. "When I'm running, I still feel it."

Johnson is able to play catch and hit without discomfort, but running and fielding ground balls remain problematic.

Asked about the possibility of returning during the upcoming Mets series, which starts Tuesday at Land Shark Stadium, Johnson said: "After what I just did, I don't see that happening."

Consider that a good trade. The Nationals only benefit in keeping Johnson was that he would provide a solid presence for the rest of this last place season. Now that he is hurt, he would have no value to the Nationals, and certainly isn’t helping the Marlins.

The Nationals received lefthander, 22-year-old Aaron Thompson in the trade. In four starts in Harrisburg, Thompson has posted a 2.78 ERA and has struck out 23 in 22 innings with only six walks allowed.

What's Wrong with John Lannan?

William Yoder — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:36:10 -0400

John Lannan had one of the worst outings of his young career last night, as the left-hander allowed seven earned runs in only 1.2 innings Saturday night in a 11-9 loss against the Brewers.

Unfortunately, and surprisingly, this awful outing has only been an exclamation point at the end of a slope of downward progress for Lannan that has seen him winless in his last four starts.

That leads to the inevitable question: What’s wrong with John Lannan?

Going into the All-Star break, many considered Lannan a rising star in the National League. In only his second full season in the big leagues, the lefty had a 3.70 first half ERA in 18 starts for the club, and that’s after coming off an awful April that saw him give up 14 earned runs in 27 innings.

In the month of May, John Lannan had an ERA of .389, and in June, 2.19. Many began to consider Lannan an overlooked bright spot in a dark season for the Washington Nationals.

However, in Lannan’s eight starts since the All-Star break, he has allowed opponents to bat .293 against him. His second half ERA has spiked to 4.81 and he has walked almost as many batters as he has struck out. The month of August alone has been even worse, as the lefty has allowed batters to hit a whopping .364 against him and has had a 9.00 ERA.

So what has changed?

In the first half of the season, Lannan allowed 39 walks in 112 innings, which comes out to one walk every 2.9 innings pitched. In the second half, he has allowed 14 walks in 48.2 innings pitched, which comes out to one walk every 3.4 innings.

So actually, his walk rate has gone down, which is a good thing.

His home run rate has stayed steady as well. In the first half, he allowed a homer every 9.3 innings pitched, and in the second half, he has allowed one only 9.64 innings pitched.

Even Lannan’s hit rate has only risen slightly, as the first half saw him allow 1.04 hits per inning, where in the second half, he has allowed 1.16 hits per inning.

Statistically, it is hard to pinpoint the cause of the problem. Visible evidence shows that he is allowing the big inning far more often.

What made Lannan such a successful starter in the past was that he was able to pitch out of tough situations. He had that bulldog mentality that gave him that switch to really turn it on in the clutch. It’s what made John Lannan so fun to watch.

It seems like that’s gone away somewhere. Maybe he’s harboring an injury, or maybe he’s tired.

Whatever it is, Lannan better find himself good and quick.

Did the Washington Nationals Help Aaron Crow by Not Signing Him?

William Yoder — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:50:16 -0400

It’s been over a year since the Washington Nationals drafted Aaron Crow in 2008, and the amateur pitcher remains unsigned by anybody, despite having already sat out a season and a half.

After the debacle with the Nationals in 2008, Crow re-entered the draft and was selected 12th overall by the Royals. One might have thought after a yearlong layoff, Crow would want to sign and play immediately.

However, when we last heard from him, he had just turned down a $3 million offer from the Royals.

While almost every other player in the draft had to be signed by August 17 or else they would be forced to enter the draft the following year, Crow was a special case because he pitched in independent ball in 2009 (one game for the St. Paul Saints). As a result, Crow has until the next draft to sign.

Waiting until after all the other first round picks have signed has given Aaron Crow a tremendous advantage.

When Crow turned down the $3 million offer before the signing deadline, it came at a time when the majority of first round picks were unsigned. The $3 million offer was based on the value of the previous year's contracts.

However, after Stephen Strasburg signed a $15 million deal, and Seattle signed the second overall pick to a $7.5 million deal, Aaron Crow has an all new bargaining position.

Without lifting a finger (or a pen), his price has gone up. By putting the price tag at $15 million on a top of the line, college-pitching prospect that is close to Major League ready, Crow and his team can easily argue that he is at least 1/5th of the investment that Strasburg is.

It’s a funny world. By opening up their pocket to get Strasburg, the Nationals actually inadvertently helped the player they discarded last year.

Sorry, Kansas City.

Brewing Homegrown Talent: What The Nationals Can Learn From Ben Sheets

William Yoder — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:06:29 -0400

Before the Brewers clinched the Wild Card in 2008, the last time they had been in the playoffs, Ronald Reagan was only in his second year of his first term.

It was a struggle for the Brewers from 1982-2008, filled with 26 years of embarrassment, futility, and well, Bud Selig-ness. The low point came in 2002 when the Brewers finished the season in last place with a record of 56-106. Brewers fans had had-it, following the 2002 season the club hired a new General Manager, Doug Melvin.

Under Melvin’s tutelage, the Brewers developed and grew arguably the league’s best home grown talent.

First came pitching phenom Ben Sheets. Sheets had been drafted in 1999 10th overall by the Brewers, and by 2000 he was an Olympic hero for the American Baseball team. He soon rode his new-found fame to the Major Leagues, however many speculated that he may have been rushed. For three years sheets produced mediocre results, which were interrupted by shoulder problems.

In 2004, however, Sheets broke out in a big way.

In 34 starts, the hard throwing righty posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 264 strikeouts to only 32 walks in 220 innings pitched. Those numbers were good enough for the leagues best strikeout to walk ratio and for a second All-Star appearance for Sheets.

Then for the Brewers came the young home grown hitters we all know today. And as Sheets combined with Fielder, Braun, Weeks, Hart and eventually Sabathia the team rose to the top of the standings in 2008.

In the second half of 2008 Sabathia and Sheets were sensational for the Brewers. Sabathia recorded seven complete games and three shutouts. In 130 innings the big fella went 11-2, posted a 1.65 ERA and struck out 128. Sheets matched his brilliance with three shutouts of his own, along with a 3.09 ERA.

However the team met their downfall in the playoffs when Sheets could not pitch due to yet another arm injury. They lost 3-1 in the NLDS to eventual World Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies.

While the Brewers learned an important lesson about homegrown talent in 2008, that it needed to be supplemented by outside help, they also found that with Sheets Health, went the season.

Sheets arm troubles came from years of over work in a time when he should have been developing. By the time the Brewers needed him to be the Cy Young caliber pitcher he was, his arm was already on the fritz. The Brewers were in a bind in the early part of the decade and they needed their phenom young stud to pitch in the majors, whether that would result in success or failure.

If the Nationals are lucky, newly introduced pitcher Stephen Strasburg may someday reach the level of Ben Sheets at his best. Like Sheets, Strasburg pitches above 95 miles per hour, has great breaking pitches, and tremendous strikeout potential.

Sheets and Strasburg both hold the distinction of striking out 20 batters in one Division I college baseball game, and of course they both hold the distinction of being anointed the savior of a franchise much in need of saving.

Both young starters pitched for team USA and both were considered at that time, essentially MLB ready.

Today however, the two stand very much apart in their careers, as Strasburg was just introduced into the league, and Sheets is currently on the outside looking in. Yet another shoulder surgery in the 2008 offseason left Sheets without a team for 2009, and while he will likely be back someday, neither he nor the Brewers will find the form they had in 2008 for a while.

The Nationals must learn from the Brewers cautionary tale and protect their investment. While we all may be itching to see number 37 in uniform, lets remember that number 15 no longer is.

Patience; it’s the key to hitting, it’s the key to pitching, and it’s the key to long careers.

Mike Rizzo Gets the Nod as Nationals' GM

William Yoder — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:05:20 -0400

Reports came out earlier this week that Mike Rizzo would lose his position as Interim General Manager by the end of the week. He did. He is now the Washington Nationals official General Manager.

Congrats Mike.

Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday that Mike Rizzo would be replaced by Arizona Diamondbacks Vice President Jerry DiPoto within 24 hours.

Whether this report was true, and that was their plan at the time, will never be known. What is known however is that the Nats received terrible press for being rumored to fire the man who got the draft pick many considered unsignable. Hours later, Mike Rizzo is the Nationals General Manager.

A former Minor League player, Rizzo has been a long time scout. He began by scouting for the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox before moving to the Diamondbacks upon the franchise’s creation in 1998.

In 2000, Rizzo was named the Director of Scouting for the club, and held that position as the Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001, a record three years after the team’s creation.

Players drafted by Rizzo during his tenure in Arizona:

Brandon Webb (Cy Young, Runner up twice)
Justin Upton (All-Star at the age of 21)
Marc Reynolds (second in the majors in HR's)
Stephen Drew (solid young shortstop hit 20 HR's last year)
Conor Jackson (hit .300 last year)

Following the 2005 season Rizzo left Arizona when he was passed over for the General Manager job by Josh Byrnes (Ironically from D.C). Byrnes was a Theo Epstein protégé where Rizzo was considered an older, more traditional thinking baseball man.

In only three years with Washington Rizzo took the club’s minor league organization from being ranked 30th , to ninth .

Ted Keith of Sports Illustrated wrote this summer on Mike Rizzo’s four year plan which went something like this.:

Scouting and Player Development: Develop and gradually promote the talent that Rizzo has already acquired as director of player development. This includes preparing; Ross Detwiler, Jordan Zimmerman, Derek Norris, Dustin Hood, Chris Marrero, and Michael Burgess.
2009 Draft: The Nationals had a tremendous opportunity in 2009 with the first overall pick as well as two top 10 picks. The team capitalized by signing both Stephen Strasburg and No. 10(a) pick Drew Storen.
“Developing the core of young players at the major league level:” The young pitching staff, Martis, Lannan, Detwiler, Zimmermann, and Stammen have all had opportunities to develop and learn at the big league level this year. This is another reason for the change in pitching coach from a man who would be more helpful to a competing team, Randy St. Claire, to a man more designed to develop players, Steve McCatty.
“Add Depth and Inventory at the major league level:” This one will take more time. Rizzo needs to look at the veterans we have in the Majors right now, and decide who will be here for the future. If they won't be here for the future, it is wiser to trade them now and capitalize on their value. This is what the Nationals did with Nick Johnson, and should have considered doing with Cristian Guzman.

News from Nats Town—Wednesday

William Yoder — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:06:26 -0400

While Mike Rizzo may be on his way out, here is possibly his last public interview:

(chilling sign off where the Comcast announcer wishes Rizzo soon loses his 'acting' title)

On the Rizzo Rag, it appears the Nattosphere is sticking up for the acting general manager:

Hire Mike Rizzo (Nats Enquirer)
Acting, Full-Time Or...Fired? What? Seriously?(Federal Baseball)
Thanks for Strasburg, Now Beat it (Nats Triple Play)
A list of Rizzo accomplishments (Half Street Blues)

Because you haven't had enough Strasburg:

Bill Ladson from MLB.COM and All Nats All The Time breaks down the numbers of the Strasburg deal which evidently includes one year of college tuition and these incentives:

$50,000 -- Rookie of the Year
$50,000 -- All-Star Game
$25,000 -- Gold Glove
$25,000 -- League Championship Series
$50,000 -- World Series
$100,000 -- CY Young Award
$80,000 -- For finishing second in the Cy Young award voting.
$60,000 -- For finishing third in the Cy Young award voting.
$40,000 -- For finishing fourth in the Cy Young award voting.
$20,000 -- For finishing fifth in the Cy Young award voting.

Chico Harlan for the Washington Post writes in the Nationals Journal about the plan for Strasburg:

"Probably when he leaves here he'll go down to Florida [at the Nationals' facilities in Viera] and work out down there," acting GM Mike Rizzo said. "I'm going to have our pitching coordinator, Spin Williams, down there to meet him. We'll get him on a throwing program just to see where he's at in his readiness to pitch. He hasn't pitched competitively since May 28; typically, it's a four- or five-week process to ramp him up to get him ready to competitively pitch. We plan, once he's ramped up and ready to pitch, we'll probably give him a little taste of Florida instructional league and then send him to the Arizona Fall League."

Last, check out Dan Steinberg of D.C Sports Bog who says Boras said Strasburg 'wasn't close to walking.'

Face-off: Negotiations All Come Down to Stephen Strasburg

William Yoder — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:24:08 -0400

It comes down to tomorrow.

Tomorrow is when one of two things will happen. Either Stephen Strasburg signs and the Major League Baseball draft is changed forever, or he doesn’t, and people will be labeled.

Scott Boras will be labeled as the greediest man on earth. Some may say he already has that title secured, but an agent who refuses a contract that is nearly 60 percent larger than the previous record one is unconscionable.

Stephen Strasburg will be labeled as a sell out, a kid with no heart for the game, and will be ostracized by many players for at least a good part of his early career.

Stan Kasten, the Lerners, and the Washington Nationals will be labeled as nearly failures. They will lose as much respect as a last place team can when they blow away a once in a lifetime chance to sign a savior.

The problem is that all sides have a case.

Boras has two main arguments. First, he uses the example of another one of his clients, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Daisuke received a 52 million dollar contract in 2007 after the Red Sox paid $50 million just to have the exclusive rights to simply talk to him.

Daisuke came to the big leagues from Japan, and therefore had no Major League or Minor League experience, which is why Boras compares the two players. Boras’ contention is that high division one college baseball is equivalent to Japanese baseball.

Second, Boras is comparing the change in markets. In 1998 when J.D Drew signed a seven million dollar bonus, baseball’s gross revenues were two billion dollars. In 2001 when Mark Teixeira got a bonus of 10.8 million dollars, baseball’s gross revenues were at three and a half billion dollars. Today, baseball’s gross revenues are six and a half billion dollars.

Therefore according to Boras’s logic, even if he were the same talent as Teixeira he would be worth far more in today’s game. But Boras’ doesn’t just contest that he is as good as Teixeira, Daisuke, or Prior, but better than all of them.

If Boras succeeds in this precedent then it will mean much more money for not only him with this deal, but a huge shift in the market will allow him more money on many other deals.

This solid argument, and the pending deadline, put the Nationals leadership in a seriously tough bind. It’s been a rough year for the Washington Nationals. Scratch that, it’s been a rough four years for the Washington Nationals. There were high hopes for the franchise when it came to the city from Montreal in 2005, but nearly none of those hopes have been met yet.

The brand-new park is empty. The television ratings are pathetic. The play on the field is the worst in baseball, and they failed to sign Mark Teixeira, who was from the area, despite offering him more money than the New York Yankees.

Not signing Steven Strasburg, especially only one year removed from not signing first round pick Aaron Crow, would be utter disaster for the club leadership. It would be an epic failure and perhaps the straw that broke the camels back as because Las Vegas is looking pretty attractive for a new MLB franchise.

Despite all that, Ted Lerner is a Major League Baseball owner, and the owners stick together. Can he afford to go out and completely change the market in order to save his own ball club? Will the other owners even allow it? It would be crazy to think that the collective MLB owners haven’t had conversations on the subject.

Then there is Stephen Strasburg, the one man in all of this who has the wiggle room to compromise.

Strasburg has already been offered a record-shattering contract from the Nationals, so regardless, if he signs he will make history. Regardless, if he signs the contract this instant, he will be set for life with 17 million dollars, and regardless of if he gets more money or not, he will start his career.

Isn’t that the point anyways? The once chubby undrafted high-schooler had a dream to be a Major League baseball player and the only way to delay that for at least another year is by not signing. If he signs, he will be on the path to be a big leaguer, if he doesn’t he wont. It’s that simple.

The Nationals are under tremendous pressure to not bend too far from their 17 million dollar offer, and Boras has no problem letting Strasburg sit out a year if a deal he likes doesn’t come around. It’s up to Strasburg to bend and make sure this thing is done, it’s the best thing for everyone.

Alex Gonzalez Ducks Out On His Duty

William Yoder — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:40:58 -0400

When I played high school baseball, our team would travel down to Florida every spring. Parents often thought this was a nice trip for their sons to enjoy the weather and to fondly look back at after their paying careers were over.

That was a ruse.

This trip was a 168-hour opportunity for our coaches to get their hands on us and pound into us the fundamentals and hard work that would come to be the foundation of our season. Bloody hands, dehydration, and yelling—lots of yelling—became our world.

Now I don’t know how they teach it in Maracaibo, but in Virginia, Coach Grove taught us to get the suicide squeeze down at all costs. It’s a curve ball? Get it down. Pitch outside of the strike zone? Get it down. Pitch thrown at your head? GET IT DOWN! GET IT DOWN! GET IT DOWN!

This fundamental was lost on Alberto Gonzalez in the sixth innings of Sunday’s contest. Down 4-3 with one out and a runner on third, skipper Jim Riggleman made a gutsy call to try and squeeze in the tying run with the back of the order coming up.

Willingham stole on the pitcher's first motion and was on an island all by himself, relying on only Alex Gonzalez keep him from being stranded.

Reds starting pitcher Justin Lehr saw Willingham was making his move towards home, and that Gonzalez had squared to bunt, so he did what they’ve taught pitchers to do at a young age since baseball first began; throw at the batter's head.

A ball thrown at your head of course is the hardest location of a pitch to bunt. However anyone who has gotten outside of Little League knows that the batter will not simply avoid the pitch, he’ll just be forced to try his absolute best to not strand his teammate by either staying in on the pitch and laying the bunt down in fair territory or by get hit by it.

This is what happened:

(You may be thinking it looked like he tried to get his bat on the ball, which to be fair he did try. But look where his head is, looking away from the ball. Look where his knees are, on the ground. Look at the angle of his bat. Nothing here implies staying in on the ball.)

I wonder what coach Grove would have done to Gonzalez?

Reds-Nationals: Washington Answers Back With Shutout of Their Own

William Yoder — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:34:32 -0400

While Garret Mock wasn’t perfect Friday night against the Reds, he was damn good.

The rookie righty pitched six strong innings against Cincinnati, leading the charge that led to the eventual team shutout. Mock allowed only six hits and struck out six Reds batters. He also let up an unsettling four walks.

Jorge Sosa, Sean Burnett, Jason Bergmann and Mike MacDougal combined for three innings of two-hit, no-run pitching out of the bullpen. MacDougal earned his 12th save of the year and his MLB leading sixth save of the month.

The Nationals bats combined for only six hits and five walks, but converted two runs on solo shots by unusual suspects Ronnie Belliard and Wil Nieves.

Adam Dunn was 0-1 in the game with three walks against his former team. While a Cincinnati Red, Dunn received much criticism for his high strikeout rate. Dunn has yet to whiff this series.

It appears Josh Willingham has come back down to earth after unbelievable months of June and July, which saw him bat .368/.415/.526 and .330/.415/.648. In August he is batting .286/.400/.524.

Ryan Zimmerman’s hit streak ended as the third baseman went 0-4 with 2 k’s. Cristian Guzman went hitless in his second consecutive game. This marked the first time he had gone hitless in consecutive games since late July where he had a brutal 0-17 slump.

Another Washington Name Gone Wrong: I'd Like to Buy A Vowel

William Yoder — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:02:58 -0400

Perhaps Scripps should rethink the location of their annual National Spelling Bee competition.

The Washington Redskins first pre-season game found starting running back Ladell Betts(due to Clinton Portis not playing) wearing a jersey with his name spelled wrong. Instead, the jersey dawned the name Bettis, the last name of a future hall of fame running back.

This of course marks the second huge blunder for a Washington D.C team regarding misspellings on uniforms. The first came earlier this year when the Washington Nationals misspelled their team name as “Natinals,” back in early April.

The Nationals received a ton of flack for this, but with the Redskins it has just been shrugged off. That just goes to show you the difference between an average team and an awful team.

Are the Nationals Trying to Steal Too Many Bases?

William Yoder — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:28:05 -0400

The Washington Nationals box score tonight was nothing out of the ordinary.

The Nationals had a lot of hits, left a lot of runners on, and quite frankly the team got outscored. Unfortunately another eye-sore which I have seen pop up all too often in the Nats box score showed up yet again today as Nyjer Morgan got caught stealing for the 17th time this season (sixth as a National).

The Nationals have had relatively successful offensive output in some categories this season. They are fifth in the majors in On Base Percentage (.348), and they are tied for sixth in the league in batting average (.268). Yet the Nationals are only 18th in runs, and 30th in wins.

It is clear that the Nationals have been unable to turn their base runners into runs scored and wins.

In fact, the Nationals are arguably the leagues most underperforming team in the standings. The Nationals have a -7.1 Pythagorean O/U, and that’s after an eighth game winning streak. That means that according to the Baseball Pythagorean Theorem the Nats should have seven more wins than they have now.

To put that in perspective, the team with the second worst Pyth O/U are the Blue Jays, almost two wins below us at -5.6. Only three teams have a -5 Pyth O/U, and none have a -4. To put it simply, the Nats are in a class of their own.

That number might be even higher however if the Nationals just scored runs at the rate they get on base.

This brings me back to the box score.

The Nationals have been caught stealing 32 times this season. That number is good for eighth in the league, however every team that has more runners caught stealing than the Nationals have significantly more successful steals than the Nats. This is the case for the Tampa Rays, who have 156 steals to 37 failed attempts, and the L.A. Angels who have 114 steals to 44 failed attempts. The Nationals only have 56 stolen bases.

That number, 56, is 24th in the league, and their stolen base percentage is second to last at 63.4 percent. The Cubs, the only team with a worse stolen base percentage, have a 63.1 mark, but they have 23 less attempts.

Those stolen base numbers get even worse when you realize that Nyjer Morgan has considerably raised them in the 36 games he’s been a National. Without Morgan’s 20 steals to six failed attempts, the Nationals would have 36 stolen bases to 31 times caught stealing. That’s an abysmal 54 percent.

That success rate is abnormally high for Morgan as well. In his career before Washington he only stole bases at a 63 percent success rate, as opposed to the 77 percent rate he has stolen with the Nationals during a hot streak that has seen him bat 63 points above his career average.

Sabermatricians have long claimed the stolen base and other small ball tactics aren’t efficient means of scoring runs, and that teams that rely on them will never be successful. Essentially they’ve argued that an unsuccessful steal is more discouraging to scoring a run than a successful steal is to promote it.

Essentially, stealing bases help, but getting caught stealing is way worse.

Bill James (the man who invented Sabermetrics) went as far to say in his 1983 Baseball Abstract, “Nobody ever has (won a pennant), nobody ever will. It cannot be done. It is an argument that cannot be won, a position that cannot be defended.”

He made this argument after looking back at teams from 1969 to the date of the books publication and compared them head to head. Teams that had a better slugging percentage vs. teams that had more stolen bases won time after time.

He also found that teams finishing higher in steals had an average worse finish than teams finishing higher in any other major offensive category.

These findings of course weren’t necessarily because steals hurt he ball club, but teams that steal many bases, attempt to steal many bases, stripping them of chances to earn a run.

A perfect example of this phenomenon is Rickey Henderson. Baseball Prospectus took a look at the career of the all time leading base stealer in their book, Baseball Between the Numbers, and found that the stolen base king’s steal total did not significantly contribute more wins for his team than any other player in history. This is because the base stealer also holds the record for most times caught stealing.

It seems then that the Nationals are doing themselves a disservice by attempting to swipe so many bags, especially if they are not being successful. The club is built to be successful based on major sabermetric principles. They have a strong on base percentage as a club (.348), and they have players who can slug for power in Willingham (1.009 OPS), Zimmerman (.906 OPS), and Dunn (.975).

Prediction on Strasburg

William Yoder — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:16:19 -0400

Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports said today in his article, “Several Unsigned players still on table,” that nine first-round picks, including Stephen Strasburg have yet to sign:

“San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg was the first pick of the MLB draft and has yet to sign. However, all indications point to the stud right-hander either signing a pro contract or pulling an Aaron Crow and heading to the Independent League to prepare for another draft next summer….”

“Prediction: Strasburg reportedly is asking for one of the largest signing bonuses in professional history, but if he signs, there’s a good chance he’ll agree to much less than his original demands….For now, I’ll say Strasburg signs by the deadline.”

While Rogers doesn’t really say what basis he has for his prediction, it is reasonable. I would assume that not even Boras expected to get $50 million for Strasburg, just as he probably didn’t expect Manny Ramirez to get the contract he was demanding this summer either. If you set the bar really high, however, then the club will be forced to meet you somewhere in the middle. That middle number may be what Boras was actually expecting when demanding the outrageous first number.

I really expect the Nationals to sign Strasburg.

The Streak Ends, Nats Fall

William Yoder — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:14:29 -0400

The Nationals came back down to earth Tuesday night as they lost their first game in their last nine contests, falling to the Braves 8-1.

John Lannan has seen better outings. The lefty only survived 4.2 innings while giving up six runs on six hits. The usually in control Lannan allowed four walks to only one strikeout.

The Nats' starter earned his ninth loss of the season.

During the club's eight-game win streak there was a clear re-commitment to defense. In fact, as Chico Harlan pointed out recently, the Nationals turnaround in the standings can be traced to their turn around in defensive consistency.

The errors, however, returned tonight. Both Cristian Guzman and Josh Willingham made errors with their gloves and the Nats as a result allowed two unearned runs.

Those two unearned runs however, do not account for all eight the Braves scored. The Atlanta club recorded 10 hits, with all eight position players contributing to that total.

Ryan Church contributed two hits and two runs for the Braves while reaching base four times. Chipper Jones also added two hits and two runs, as well as chipping in with his 15th home run of the year.

Nats sweep the Fish

William Yoder — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:44:15 -0400

The Nationals flexed some muscle this week as their 12-8 victory over the Marlins capped their first sweep of the season.

With the win the Nationals have now won a season-high five games in a row to bring their overall record to 37-72.

The Marlins came into the game with a 55-52 record as while as a shot at the wild card and a chip on their shoulder. The Fish figured this series to be a walk through against the Nats, however, the D.C. club spoiled the party for Florida, and maybe destroyed their post season hopes in one week.

The Marlins busted out to an early lead Thursday night. The club went up 6-0 before the Nats could blink an eye, as Craig Stammen pitched yet another awful start. The right-handed rookie had looked very good in the first half of the season, going 2-4 with a 4.45 earned run average, including a 3.18 ERA in July.

The young twirler has struggled since the break, however, posting an abysmal 7.94 ERA in the second half, and a terrifying 21.21 ERA in the month of August.

Luckily for the Nationals, the bullpen only allowed two earned runs in the remaining seven innings.

A 6-0 deficit would be an opportunity to roll over for the Manny Acta Nationals of the first half, however, this club has made battling back an art form.

The new slugging nationals posted three runs in the fourth inning, and four runs in the fifth.

With the game tied going into the bottom of the eighth, the Nationals didn’t just take the lead, they ran away with hit. The club scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth, slamming the door on the series sweep.

Ryan Zimmerman ignited the spark, going 4-for-4 on Thursday night. The hot corner was a double away from the cycle, and knocked in his 23^rd homer of the season. He is now only one homer shy of his career high.

Also contributing offensively was Elijah Dukes, who went 3-for-4 while hitting his seventh homer of the year.

In total the Nationals had 12 runs on 14 hits and seven walks.

Josh Willingham powers the Nats to a win

William Yoder — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:57:00 -0400

Josh Willingham was excited about being scheduled to get his first career start at first base Sunday before Austin Kearns was scratched due to illness. Instead, Willingham would have to settle for going 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI, leading the Nationals to a 5-3 victory over the Pirates.

Willingham executed the cleanup spot perfectly. The left fielder twice came to the plate after Ryan Zimmerman had reached base before him, and both times drove the All-Star third baseman in.

The first came in the seventh when Willingham hit a two-run homer to give the Nationals a 4-2 lead, and the second when he doubled Zimmerman home in the eighth to give them the go-ahead run.

With Willingham’s three RBI and two runs scored, he accounted for all but one of the Nationals' runs last night.

Collin Balester took the hill for the Nats and provided a very quality start.

Balester pitched five-and-two-thirds innings allowing only five hits, two earned runs, a walk, and three strikeouts. The righty’s start kept the Nationals in the game allowing them to come from behind in the seventh.

The Nationals' bullpen continued to do their job Sunday as they have over the last month.

Burnett, Bergmann, Villone and MacDougal all provided scoreless outings. The only man in the bullpen to allow an earned run last night was recently called-up middle reliever Jorge Sosa, who allowed two hits and one run.

This series also saw Lastings Milledge’s return to the majors, this time of course not with the Nationals, but with the Pirates.

The former future of the Nationals has gone 5-for-12 in the series, with one double and four RBI.

Will the Nationals regret letting Milledge go the way they did? I think so.

Whether or not he will ever be that projected All-Star that we believed he would be for all those years is unclear.

However, I think based on his 2008 season in Washington, it’s clear that he at least has the talent and ability to be a starting outfielder on most Major League teams for the next 10 years.

Willingham Hits Two Slams: BOOOOOOMM!!!

William Yoder — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:14:47 -0400

Josh Willingham became the thirteenth man in MLB history last night to launch two grand slams in the same game, helping power the Nationals to a 14-6 victory.

Willingham was not alone as the Nationals bats sparked the team's win. Njyer Morgan, Cristian Guzman, Adam Dunn, and Josh Willingham all had multi-hit nights. Guzman, Dunn, Willingham, Gonzalez and even Craig Stammen contributed doubles and Ryan Zimmerman smacked his 18^th homer.

The hit parade was needed as it bailed out Craig Stammen from his worst start in over a month. The young righty hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start since June 24^th in Boston when he gave up six, he gave up five last night in only 4.1 innings pitched.

Stammen’s poor outing isn’t anything to fret about for Nationals fans. The young starter has been more consistent than most his age, and he was bound to hit a road bump here and there. The good news was it happened against one of the best offenses in the National League. The righty also still had strong control last night, walking none; he simply was just getting hit around.

More surprising than the offensive output for the Nats was their defensive play last night. The club again committed no errors but also had outfield assists from Adam Dunn and Nyjer Morgan.

The power surge from the Nats marks back-to-back nights with exciting Nationals games, last nights excitement coming from Austin Kearns walk off. This is good news for the Nationals and their fans… excitement is desperately needed.

Willingham's two grand slams were part of four that thrilled Major League Baseball last night. The Mets Fernando Tatis hit a grand slam to give his team the lead last night in the eighth, and former National Alfonso Soriano hit a walk off grand slam last night for the cubs.

Notes: former National Felipe Lopez went 3/5 in the contest last night, he is currently batting .305 for the Brewers, and playing a very good defensive second base.

Nationals Win with Austin Kearns Walk Off

William Yoder — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:06:10 -0400

John Lannan pitched yet another gem Sunday afternoon as he took the Nationals into the top of the ninth with a 2-1 lead.

The Nats brought in MacDougal to slam the door on the Padres and take their second series in a row.

MacDougal looked unhittable. Hitting as high as 97 MPH on the gun, with great movement, he soon fanned Padres number three hitter Chase Headly. Then he made third basemen Kevin Kouzmanoff look awful as he forced him to pop it up to right. The smoke MacDougal was dealing was so nasty that Nationals' broadcasters could hardly believe he had experienced so many troubles in the past.

Then, with their praise, came their jinx. On the first pitch to the next Brewers' batter, Kyle Blanks launched a bomb to left, tying up the game in the wink of an eye.

The game stayed tied until the bottom of the tenth. With two runners on, and two outs, Austin Kearns stepped to the plate. Kearns wasted no time, as he smacked the ball into the gap in right center, scoring Nyjer Morgan and winning the game for the Nationals with a walk off.

John Lannan pitched yet again another masterful performance. The lenky lefty pitched eight strong innings, allowing only one earned run off of a Kouzmanoff double. The ace threw only 81 pitches in eight innings, which makes one wonder why Riggleman didn’t leave him in the game to go the distance.

The outcome of taking him out? An extra inning, a little more excitement, and no win for Lannan.

The Meat Hook likely to hang it up

William Yoder — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:01:40 -0400

Bill Ladson reports “Dimitri Young is out for the season because of a torn left quad….(he) hurt the quad running out a single for Double-A Harrisburg on July 19^th.”

The idea of Dimitri Young running out anything almost makes me injure myself just imagining it.

This is probably the end of the road for Dimitri. The Nationals signed him out of obscurity when he was forced from the league due to personal problems. He surprised the entire league in 2007 when he played 136 games and batted .320 with 13 home runs.

The performance won Young the comeback player of the year award.

Instead of trading the over reforming, over-the-hill batter, in his round mound of rebound season, the Nats opted to keep him and resign him.

It was a typical move for the Jim Bowden era, unfortunately it was also a stupid move. Young only played 50 games again for the Nationals as he was old and could not battle his weight problems due to diabetes.

Us Nats fans will never blame the meat-hook however, and we will always look back fondly of how he carried the Nationals in 2007.

Nationals-Padres: Rain Doesn't Send the Nats Bats Away, Win 13-1

William Yoder — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:40:31 -0400

Not even the rain could cool off Ryan Zimmerman as he helped bash the Nats past the Padres for the win, 13-1.

Zimmerman got things going with a monster bomb to center in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Guzman and giving the Nationals the early 2-0 lead.

Then the rain came. The Nationals waited…and waited…and waited. It started to look as if their early offensive output would be for nothing as the game may be rained out.

Finally, 3 hours and 11 minutes later, the teams took the field again.

The startup would be even more power-packed for the Nats than their first inning. With two outs, the young pitcher, J.D Martin, started things off with a walk. Nyjer Morgan singled him to third, and Guzman singled him in. Then the Padres walked the red hot Zimmerman, opting to face the big donkey, Adam Dunn.

Mistake.

Dunn launched a grand slam to deep center, giving the club a 5-0 lead. After Willingham made the last out, Martin took a seat and Tyler Clippard came in for some long relief.

He dominated. In four innings he struck out seven, walked one, and allowed only one hit. More amazing is that with those seven strikeouts, Clippard only pitched 56 pitches in four innings; 37 of them strikes.

The Nationals bats provided the rest of the run support:

Njyer Morgan- 4/5, 2 runs scored
Cristian Guzman- 3/5, 4 runs scored, 1 RBI
Ryan Zimmerman- 3/4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 BB (only out came on a ball hit to center that missed being a bomb by 1 foot).
Adam Dunn-2/3, Grand Slam, 1 R, 5 RBI,
Josh Willingham- 2/4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Ridiculous, it was as if their offensive prowess had been built up for the last week and unleashed last night.

Why Adam Should be Dunn in DC

William Yoder — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:58:21 -0400

Chico Harlin reports in today’s Washington Post:

“Contrary to what Rizzo said in a radio interview earlier this month, the Nationals are willing to trade cleanup hitter Adam Dunn before the July 31 trade deadline.”

Whether this is a change in policy or strategy since the Manny Acta firing or just a simple mistake by Rizzo at the beginning of the month is unclear, however what is clear is that the Nationals are willing to trade Dunn and have taken several offers into consideration.

This decision may finally mean the Nationals are willing to move in the right direction.

The honest truth is the Nationals signed Adam Dunn so they could trade him. The same way they signed Dmitri Young or traded for Alfonso Soriano. The two-year length of his contract was a clear indicator that this wasn’t a permanent solution for either side, only a quick fix for both.

Through 95 games Dunn is batting .274/.404/.548, he has 24 home runs, 65 RBI and has drawn 73 walks. Never mind the fact that he should have been an All-Star this season, Dunn is on pace to have the best year of his career.

If the slugger stays on current pace he will finish batting .274, a career high, get on base at .404, a career high, and drive in 110 runs, yet again a career high.

Dunn is currently tied for fifth in the NL in homers. He is sixth in the NL in RBI and he is third in walks. He is having a far better year than such prized sluggers as Adrian Gonzalez and Ryan Howard.

Dunn’s value is as high as it will ever be right now. There are plenty of American League team’s who are in the fight right now who could use a hitter that will give them 40 home runs and get on base at over .400.

The Red Sox hitting has been atrocious, and they could desperately use a bat in either the outfield or first base.

The Tampa Rays offseason acquisition of Pat Burrell has been a disaster with the imported slugger batting below .230 with less than 10 homers, they would love to replace him with the bat of Dunn.

There is a demand and the Nationals have the supply. Dunn has another year on his contract which only means that his value will go down this time next year. The trend in the MLB is to trade for players who have another year or two on their contract so they aren’t simply trading their future to rent a player for a few months.

On the Nationals side, it will save them a great deal of money to trade Dunn now instead of later. Dunn is only making $8 million this season, a steal for the numbers he is putting up, however in 2010 he is slotted to make $12 million, a significant raise for a team that is going to finish in last place.

Reports are that the Nationals asking price for Dunn has been high, as it should be. But the Nationals will be better off if they trade Dunn now, not later.

Nats Lose Make Up Game in a Washout

William Yoder — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:09:35 -0400

A game over two months in the making took forever to finish last night.

The Nationals made up their rainout from May 3 against the Cardinals last night. Filled with hour-long rain delays and very few fans, the game eventually was stopped in the top of the seventh, with the Cardinals winning 4-1.

Right-hander Collin Balester got his first start of the season, but it would only last three innings. The twirler allowed two earned runs with two strikeouts and one walk. Balester could only throw 53 pitches before the rain delay.

On the other side of the hill Adam Wainwright got the start for the Cards, earning his first complete game of the year, albeit only six innings. Through six he struck out seven, allowed eight hits, and only allowed one earned run.

At the plate both Nyjer Morgan and Adam Dunn had themselves a day. Morgan went 2-for-3, and Dunn went 3-for-4 with a double and the Nationals only run.

The Nationals could not take advantage of a Cardinals line up that for the first time all season did not have Albert Pujols in the lineup.

Washington Nationals: The Trade Deadline Looms

William Yoder — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:42:08 -0400

For the last several years the Washington Nationals have been in a position to sell at the trade deadline, and have held firm.

Some may say this decision was admirable, some may say it was stupid.

Regardless of your belief on the matter, the possibility remains that the Nationals will be dealing several key players in their roster to prepare the future.

Who may be dealt?

Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson is in the last year of a three-year, $16.5 million contract.

At the age of 30, going on 31, Johnson is probably at the peak of his career and has a lot to offer competing Major League teams. Most notably, Johnson can provide solid defense and a very strong bat at first base.

The lefty is batting .305 this season but more importantly is getting on base at .415.

The Nationals should trade Johnson because it makes no sense for them to resign him at the end of the year. As a solid Major League veteran he has value and the Nationals would be wise to get something for that value rather than lose it at the end of the year.

Furthermore, the Nationals have been extremely lucky as Nick Johnson has been unusually healthy this year. The Nats should move Johnson, get prospects, and clear the path at first base for either Chris Marrero or Derek Norris.

Teams who may target him: Mets, Phillies, Giants, Red Sox

Willie Harris

Willie Harris is a versatile and consistent player that can help any team at the Major League level.

At the age of 31 his speed for base stealing is essentially gone and his best asset is his glove that he can provide both in the outfield and in the infield.

The Nationals should trade Harris because his value will only go down between now and when his contract runs up at the end of 2010. With the edition of Morgan in center field, Harris is essentially useless to the Nationals and they could trade him to a club that could benefit from his versatility and veteran presence.

Teams who may target him: Phillies, Twins, Angels

Josh Willingham

Willingham was put in a situation to fail when he came to Washington. He joined an outfield that already had Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Wily Mo Pena, and Adam Dunn. Willingham wasn’t happy, and found it hard to find playing time early.

However, as the mirage prospect status of Dukes and Milledge wore off, and the 2008 batting woes of Mo Pena and Kearns continued, Willingham soon found himself in the everyday lineup.

After sticking it out Willingham is now one of the Nationals top hitters, batting .297/.415/.569 with 13 home runs and 18 doubles in only 71 games.

The Nationals should trade Willingham because at the age of 30 he will be a free agent this offseason. If he continues this streak he will be a very high priced free agent, and if he doesn’t than there is no point in having him on the team anyways.

The best value the Nationals can get out of Willingham this season is to trade him and capitalize on his hot hitting. If they really want him next year, they can resign him in the offseason.

Teams who may target him: Cardinals, Giants, Red Sox, Phillies

Jordan Zimmermann Down with Elbow Pain, Collin Ballester Called up

William Yoder — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:34:40 -0400

Jordan Zimmermann has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 19 (his last start), with right elbow pain.

This is quite a little scare for the Nationals, as Zimmermann was the club's top prospect going into 2009 and has proven to have the talent to soon be the Nationals best pitcher.

Elbow pain is tricky. It can sometimes be nothing, or as we have seen with Shawn Hill, it can sometimes mean the absolute end of a career.

The good news for the Nationals, and for Zimmermann, is that this problem was caught early. Zimmermann had struggled in his last three starts, allowing 13 runs in his last 16 innings pitched. This of course, is a much higher rate than the amount of runs he was giving up in the middle of the season, proof that the elbow problem was effecting his delivery.

Hopefully this is nothing rest can’t fix.

It is not likely that this injury is the cause of overwork. In 2007 and 2008, he pitched 134 innings in both seasons between single, double, and triple A. This year he has only pitched 96 innings between Triple-A and the majors.

The Nationals have not set a timetable for his return.

Taking Zimmerman’s spot in the rotation will be starting pitcher Collin Ballester. Ballester had 15 starts for the Nationals last season where he posted a 3-7 record and a 5.51 ERA. Through 19 starts in Syracuse this year he is 7-9 with a 4.35 ERA.

Many had expected Ballester to make the big league club out of spring training this year, and there were high hopes for his development. He quickly squashed those dreams with a poor camp, and an even more disappointing performance in Syracuse.

The big righty will get his chance now, however, as injuries have limited the options of the Nationals front office. This very well may be Ballester’s last real shot at maintaining his prospect status.

Washington Nationals Win, Snag Series From The New York Mets

William Yoder — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:12:49 -0400

The Washington Nationals pitching staff came to play Wednesday night as they kept an injured but powerful Mets line up to four hits, winning 3-1.

Craig Stammen started the game for the Nats trying to match his teammate, John Lannan, who completed the shutout the night before. Stammen would not get a shutout but would record yet another quality start as he pitched seven and one-third strong innings, allowing only four hits and one run.

This start was Stammen’s fifth consecutive quality start, hopefully a sign for Nationals fans that their young rookie has turned the corner. In the month of July, Stammen is 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP and only three walks.

The bullpen came in as Bergmann and Beimel recorded the last two outs of the eighth inning. Mike MacDougal came in to slam the door on the Mets for his sixth consecutive save.

At the plate, the Nationals managed to convert three runs out of eight hits.

Josh Willingham played up his trade value as he went 4-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and a run scored. The home run, Willingham’s 13th, was his first non-solo shot of the year.

The Nationals will go head-to-head today with the St. Louis Cardinals in a one-game make up for a rain out earlier in the year.

Nats Lose To Mets, Drop Sixth In a Row

William Yoder — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:31:52 -0400

After a stellar 2009 in Syracuse, J.D. Martin finally made his Major League debut—but it did not go as he had hoped.

The young righty pitched four innings Monday night, giving up eight hits and five earned runs to a previously struggling Mets line-up. Martin earned the loss, as the Nationals dropped the game 6-2.

Martin’s first and second innings were far worse than his third and fourth. The young starter allowed two runs in the first off of Daniel Murphy and Jeff Francoeur doubles, and three runs in the second off of singles from Pagan, Castillo and Murphy.

The Nationals bats did not help the rookies’ cause.

The Nats batters combined for six hits and two runs against their former ace Livan Hernandez. It was the sixth win for Hernandez and his third against Washington.

In fact, his last three victories have come against Washington, dating back to his May 26 complete game.

While the two teams' starters had opposite nights, both bullpens excelled.

The Nats bullpen went five strong innings allowing only one hit and no walks. Unfortunately for the Nats that one hit was a solo bomb from Francoeur in the ninth.

Nats reliever Tyler Clippard did a great job in long relief out of the pen. The former starter pitched three no-hit innings while striking out five Mets batters and walking none.

The smartest move Rizzo/Kasten have made yet

William Yoder — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:01:02 -0400

If you go to spring training you are likely to see a man being chauffeured around in a golf cart, passing from field to field, barking advice from his throne that fall on young ears.

That man is Pat Corrales.

Pat Corrales is old school. Real old school.

He’s not a man for numbers, or newfound stats, he’s a man of action.

He knows baseball, and no one will tell him otherwise, and he’ll be damned to learn something new.

There are a lot of questions about whether or not a man with this type of mentality still has a place in baseball. Does he know a tremendous amount about the game, of course, but can he effectively evaluate talent a 2009 level? Debatable.

One thing is for sure however; the one position in an organization where the skills Corrales possesses are at a premium is the position he was named to this week, bench coach.

Bench coaches have long been seen as more of an honorary role than anything else but they do serve and important role.

Bench coaches complain, bark out their old school philosophy, keep track of the little things managers lose in the shuffle. Most importantly bench coaches bend and mold young people who play baseball into professional baseball players.

A serious problem the Nationals have had in the last two years is a lack of professionalism, I couldn’t think of a better way to fix that than to bring in Corrales as the bench coach.

The 68-year-old will be our Don Zimmer. He will be our player’s godfather.

Welcome Pat Corrales, let your old-school wisdom benefit us all.