Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Why Matt Stairs?
During the past couple of days, I have heard a lot of people demanding the release of Matt Stairs. Why? Stairs receives a very small amount of AB's, so he has had very little impact on this season. I understand that he often enters into the game during crucial situations, and yes he has done a less than stellar job as the designated pinch hitter, but I think that more fingers should be pointed at the bullpen (or more specifically, Sean Burnett). Can somebody please tell me why Burnett is still pitching in the 8th and 9th innings? He has a 5.59 ERA and hitters have an average of .270 against him (very bad for a late inning reliever). If anyone is to blame for the Nats' recent slide, it's Burnett, not Stairs.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Calling all Nats fans
Watching Monday's game vs. the Phillies was frustrating for two reasons. One, the Nats failed to hold onto a lead once again, and two, Phillies fans far outnumbered Nats fans. I understand that the Phillies are a popular team because they are recent World Series champs and they are a NL East powerhouse, but time after time, they invade Nationals Park and take away much of the home field advantage that should be enjoyed by the Nats and transfer it to the Phillies. The Phils had the momentum for most of the game and took full advantage of it.
We can't sit at home as Nationals fans and complain about the team's poor performance when we won't do our part. I know that not everyone has the time to go to every single game, but all Nats fans should make an effort to go to at least two or three games every year. Today was a perfect opportunity to bring the family out to the ballpark and watch a baseball game. Try and make it a family tradition to go to a couple of Sunday day games each year. Trust me, with increased fan support, our boys will be able to carry some momentum, and maybe they will even start getting some hits with runners in scoring position. Here's to being the best fans in baseball....go Nats.
We can't sit at home as Nationals fans and complain about the team's poor performance when we won't do our part. I know that not everyone has the time to go to every single game, but all Nats fans should make an effort to go to at least two or three games every year. Today was a perfect opportunity to bring the family out to the ballpark and watch a baseball game. Try and make it a family tradition to go to a couple of Sunday day games each year. Trust me, with increased fan support, our boys will be able to carry some momentum, and maybe they will even start getting some hits with runners in scoring position. Here's to being the best fans in baseball....go Nats.
Minor league update
With the MLB draft quickly approaching, let's take a look at some of last year's draft picks (other than Bryce Harper) and how they are faring:
2nd Rnd. Sammy Solis LHP- Has been slowed by injury but hasn't given up any runs in his two starts this season.
3rd Rnd. Rick Hague SS- Hitting .357 at Class A Potomac.
4th Rnd. A.J. Cole RHP- Has a record of 0-3 but has a 3.86 ERA while striking out 17 in 16.1 IP.
5th Rnd. Jason Martinson SS- Hitting .265 with 3 HR and 14 RBI. Also has 15 SB and a .378 OBP.
6th Rnd. Cole Leonida C- Hitting .204 with 3 RBI.
7th Rnd. Kevin Keyes RF- Somewhat of a project...hitting only .107 with 1 HR and 5 RBI.
8th Rnd. Matthew Grace LHP- 5-4 with a 4.44 ERA and 30 SO in 50.2 IP.
10th Rnd. Blake Kelso 3B- Hitting .337 with 1 HR, 26 RBI, and 8 SB.
2nd Rnd. Sammy Solis LHP- Has been slowed by injury but hasn't given up any runs in his two starts this season.
3rd Rnd. Rick Hague SS- Hitting .357 at Class A Potomac.
4th Rnd. A.J. Cole RHP- Has a record of 0-3 but has a 3.86 ERA while striking out 17 in 16.1 IP.
5th Rnd. Jason Martinson SS- Hitting .265 with 3 HR and 14 RBI. Also has 15 SB and a .378 OBP.
6th Rnd. Cole Leonida C- Hitting .204 with 3 RBI.
7th Rnd. Kevin Keyes RF- Somewhat of a project...hitting only .107 with 1 HR and 5 RBI.
8th Rnd. Matthew Grace LHP- 5-4 with a 4.44 ERA and 30 SO in 50.2 IP.
10th Rnd. Blake Kelso 3B- Hitting .337 with 1 HR, 26 RBI, and 8 SB.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Morse continues hot streak
Michael Morse continued his May tear in today's loss against the Brewers, hitting a three run shot off of Zack Greinke in the 4th inning. This comes a day after a game in which Morse went 3 for 5 with a double and a grand slam. In the month of May, he is 16 for 39 (good for a .410 BA) with 4 runs scored, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI.
Morse's turnaround brings up an interesting situation. If Adam LaRoche is indeed out for the remainder of the season, do the Nationals keep Morse at 1B and Laynce Nix in LF? Or should the Nats bring up Chris Marrero (currently hitting .275 with 4 home runs, 19 RBI, and a .333 OBP while committing only 1 error for AAA Syracuse this season) from the minors and see what he can do at 1B?
If Marrero is called up, I would expect the front office to trade either Nix or Morse for a good SP to bolster the rotation. Expect Morse to get the majority of the AB's at 1B until Mike Rizzo gets a feel for Morse's defensive ability at the position.
Morse's turnaround brings up an interesting situation. If Adam LaRoche is indeed out for the remainder of the season, do the Nationals keep Morse at 1B and Laynce Nix in LF? Or should the Nats bring up Chris Marrero (currently hitting .275 with 4 home runs, 19 RBI, and a .333 OBP while committing only 1 error for AAA Syracuse this season) from the minors and see what he can do at 1B?
If Marrero is called up, I would expect the front office to trade either Nix or Morse for a good SP to bolster the rotation. Expect Morse to get the majority of the AB's at 1B until Mike Rizzo gets a feel for Morse's defensive ability at the position.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
LaRoche's injury worse than we thought
MLB.com's Bill Ladson says Adam LaRoche has discovered that he not only has a large tear in his labrum but also a small tear in his rotator cuff...not good news. From the looks of it, the injury will require pretty significant surgery and he may be out for the rest of the year.
LaRoche said that if he were to try and play through it, he may injure it further, to the point that he could possibly miss some or all of the 2012 season. LaRoche said of rehab: "If this doesn't work, I'm pretty sure I'll make the decision to get it fixed."
LaRoche said that if he were to try and play through it, he may injure it further, to the point that he could possibly miss some or all of the 2012 season. LaRoche said of rehab: "If this doesn't work, I'm pretty sure I'll make the decision to get it fixed."
Crunch Time for Bernadina
Rick Ankiel has begun his rehab assignment after spending some time on the 15-day disabled list. This news is quite significant to one person in particular: Roger Bernadina. In the 17 games since taking over CF for the injured Ankiel, Bernadina has hit .266 while obtaining a .329 OBP, in addition to stealing 4 bases.
Once Ankiel finishes his rehab assignment, Mike Rizzo and Jim Riggleman will be left to decide which player to keep on the team, and which to demote.
Bernadina's stats may seem unspectacular, and indeed they are somewhat average, but Bernadina has been able to provide some kind of stability at the leadoff position, which had been a very large problem for the Nationals before Ankiel's injury.
The Nats have the worst team BA in the NL and are near the bottom of the league in total runs scored as well. Just imagine if the team was still experimenting with players like Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa at the leadoff spot. Yes, I know that it's hard to imagine, but the Nats' offensive numbers would be even worse. The only reason that Bernadina's value as a decent leadoff hitter isn't getting more attention is that the Nats have zero confidence at the plate, so even though he gets on base and is active on the basepaths, his efforts are often times fruitless.
About a week ago, some might have argued that Bernadina is a defensive downgrade from Ankiel. Obviously if you have watched any highlight shows at all in the past week, you know that Bernadina made what will probably end up being the catch of the year. What that catch made evident to me is that, though Ankiel is a very good outfielder, Bernadina's range is far greater. He can get to balls that Ankiel won't dream of catching.
The last reason that Bernadina should remain the starting CF for the Nationals? Just look at Ankiel's numbers this season: .221 AVG, .302 OBP, and 4 SB in 28 games. No one with a .302 OBP will be hitting leadoff. Enough said.
If Bernadina is better at offense, defense, and he has the capability of hitting leadoff, then, Mr. Rizzo, what reason is there to send him down?
Once Ankiel finishes his rehab assignment, Mike Rizzo and Jim Riggleman will be left to decide which player to keep on the team, and which to demote.
Bernadina's stats may seem unspectacular, and indeed they are somewhat average, but Bernadina has been able to provide some kind of stability at the leadoff position, which had been a very large problem for the Nationals before Ankiel's injury.
The Nats have the worst team BA in the NL and are near the bottom of the league in total runs scored as well. Just imagine if the team was still experimenting with players like Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa at the leadoff spot. Yes, I know that it's hard to imagine, but the Nats' offensive numbers would be even worse. The only reason that Bernadina's value as a decent leadoff hitter isn't getting more attention is that the Nats have zero confidence at the plate, so even though he gets on base and is active on the basepaths, his efforts are often times fruitless.
About a week ago, some might have argued that Bernadina is a defensive downgrade from Ankiel. Obviously if you have watched any highlight shows at all in the past week, you know that Bernadina made what will probably end up being the catch of the year. What that catch made evident to me is that, though Ankiel is a very good outfielder, Bernadina's range is far greater. He can get to balls that Ankiel won't dream of catching.
The last reason that Bernadina should remain the starting CF for the Nationals? Just look at Ankiel's numbers this season: .221 AVG, .302 OBP, and 4 SB in 28 games. No one with a .302 OBP will be hitting leadoff. Enough said.
If Bernadina is better at offense, defense, and he has the capability of hitting leadoff, then, Mr. Rizzo, what reason is there to send him down?
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