Morganmania a Little Premature for the Washington Nationals

Nyger Morgan.

When I hear the name, I picture a lieutenant in the British army running over a hill in the Transvaal Republic during the Boer War.

I never picture a small, scrawny, scrappy man who hits baseballs like cue shots and tracks down long drives as if he was wearing in-line skating shoes.

And now, about a month into his career with his new team, he is god.

Well, he's not the God, you understand, but he is a god. At least, so say many in the Nationals’ nation.

In a Wednesday post on his blog, Chico Harlan of the Washington Post posed some pretty startling numbers to his readers. Since joining the team, Morgan is fourth in the National League in hitting (.389) and first in stolen bases (13).

And his defense is even better than hoped. Said last night's pitcher Colin Balester, "Morgan is unbelievable. Like I told him, 'They've got to hit it over the fence to get it by you.' He runs down everything, and it really, as a pitcher, makes you feel more comfortable to let them hit the ball in play."

There is little doubt that the Nationals have been a much better team in July, so it’s a reasonable assertion that Morgan is the reason.

But before the Nationals commission a new statue in his honor, we need to slow down and think this through.

He was a 33rd round draft pick back in 2002, selected after almost a thousand other players. Though he had a career .300 batting average in the minor leagues, it took him five seasons before making it to the major leagues in 2007, batting .299 in 107 at-bats.

That earned him a trip back to "AAA" Indianapolis in 2008.

When he returned to the Pirates the following year, he continued to hit well, batting .294 in 160 at-bats. So, prior to this season, the then 28-year-old's entire major league career consisted of 267 at-bats, a .295 batting average, one home run, 14 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

Now, Pittsburgh has been chronically bad for more than a decade. If his success at the major league level didn't win him increased playing time and a faster trip to PNC Park, one has to wonder why.

It’s not like Ralph Kiner was still playing left for Pittsburgh.

With the Pirates this season, Morgan batted .277-2-27 with 18 steals and a .359 on-base percentage, numbers you’d associate with a complementary player.

Not exactly god-like numbers.

In 543 major league at-bats prior to joining the Nationals, Morgan hit .284-3-48 with 35 steals and 100 strikeouts. With the Nationals, he's hitting 105 points higher, running the bases better and striking out less.

How’s that possible?

Anyone remember Cristian Guzman earlier this year?

Guzman got off to a hot start and was batting .373 at the end of May. Since then he’s been a liability at the plate. His batting average dropped down to .290 before a recent surge brought it back to the .300 mark.

I think Morgan is a very good, very capable, serviceable major league outfielder who simply got hot at the time of his trade to the Nationals. Morgan said his increased performance was simply his "getting the opportunity to show what I can do," but really, at 29, he is past the age to explode onto the scene with some kind of baseball epiphany.

Nyjer Morgan is a talented center fielder whose defense and speed is changing the way the Washington Nationals play. With him they are a better team. With him, they have one more part of the puzzle that will lead the team to respectability.

But Morgan is not a god. He is not Moses, ready to lead the Nationals out of their self-generated purgatory and into the Promised Land of baseball respectability.

He will make a difference, but he will not be a difference maker.

He'll be Nyjer Morgan, a hard-nosed former hockey player who beat the odds. And that’s a very good thing for the Washington Nationals.