Watch Zimm, Lannan talk about Tiger envy

Posted by Ian Koski on Jul. 3, 2009 at 3:41 PM
Be the first to comment on this post

Comcast SportsNet's Kelli Johnson caught up with the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman, John Lannan, and Nick Johnson at Congressional Country Club Thursday as they tried to keep up with Tiger Woods at AT&T National.

     

Ranking the Rotation

Posted by Mike Henderson on Jul. 3, 2009 at 9:30 AM
There is 1 comment | Add yours

When so much of the news lately has been mixed (goodbye, LMillz and Hanrahan; see you soon, Elijah, maybe; that's Nyjer with a j, right?) we could stand to be reminded that the Nats are quietly building a serious young staff of starting pitchers.

Not all has gone on the mound this year as might have been hoped -- unless, perhaps, you had it in for Daniel Cabrera, in which case you got your wish and then some.

The rotation right now isn't half bad, though.  Let's try ranking them on a letter scale based on the strength of this year's outings.

1. Jordan Zimmermann (A):  This guy is good and getting better.  How good?  You haven't seen his like under the curly W, is how good.  (Better than even Patterson or Loaiza in 2005?  So far, yes.)  JZ has never walked as many as four batters in a start in 2009, and his ability to spot his fastball has opposing batters swinging and missing with pleasing frequency thus far.
2. Ross Detwiler (B+): His first seven starts made his case for remaining in the rotation upon the return of Scott Olsen; his eighth start, in which he scattered five runs, nine hits and two walks over five-plus innings last Friday, didn't bolster that case.  Barring a persistent backslide, though, he'll be around for a while. It's hard to tell how much better his numbers might look with a decent defense behind him, but he'll help his cause if he can whiff batters consistently as he did on June 9.
3. Scott Olsen (B): Good Scott (late April and June 29) or bad Scott (early April and mid-May)? If that left shoulder tendinitis is behind him, probably good Scott, and if future outings are like this past Monday's, we might soon say "great Scott," but first let's see what July brings.
4. John Lannan (B-): The steady Eddie of the staff. Most of his outings won't be like the one on May 20 (7 IP, 1 R, 5 K, 2 BB), because most of the time he doesn't strike out more than two or three guys per start. For now, he's relying heavily on his defense -- which, improbably, is working in his favor -- but even a competent set of fielders won't save his bacon forever.
5. Craig Stammen (C+): He's having his ups and downs, and opposing hitters are having good at-bats against him. If he struggles in his next outing, it won't surprise us to see offspeed craftsman JD Martin finally get a well-earned look.

     

The Recent Trade: A Hard Deal to Quantify

Posted by Jeff Bergin on Jul. 2, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Be the first to comment on this post

I like this trade today.  I liked it two days ago, yesterday, and I will probably like it tomorrow.   I do not get scared because of the prospect that one day Lastings Milledge will hit .300 with 30 HR and 30 SB's--frankly, I dont care what he can produce any longer, I did grow tired of his lack of maturity. I welcome reliability over promise right now.

On the Nyjer Morgan side, he is everyone's favorite scrapper this year, but forgive me if I dont fall head over heels with his numbers.  At 29 years old, Morgan has moved past prospect status into the status of "what you see is what you get." While I am confident Morgan will  play a good centerield and be a good leadoff hitter, I also see him as a 2 year player for Washington, at maximum.  At the worst, it is Nook Logan II.

What I like about the trade so much, is the part that makes this deal hard so hard to analyze, brilliantly written by Rob Neyer from ESPN:

I wonder, though. When you're trying build an organization, shouldn't character be a significant consideration? I know I've basically dismissed such things for some years now, because I believe in writing about things I can quantify, and I don't have the first idea about how to quantify character and chemistry and all those wonderful things. Still, a lot of baseball executives with a lot of wins under their belts do talk about those things with great passion, and I would be foolish to summarily dismiss that passion.

That line from Neyer sums up the Nationals side of this trade.  Good guy. Good character.  Basically means, good guy to pump up the team when you are losing 3 out of 5 consistently.  Maybe a guy like this turns 3 out of 5 into 2 out of 5 one or two weeks, I dont know, but I guess its worth the move.

Other Nats OF news.  Okay. So Dukes is in AAA. WOW.  Dukes in AAA, Milledge gone.  I do not know what this means, other than that the Nationals may have the worst crop of outfielders in the minor leagues. I mean Justin Maxwell, Roger Bernadina, Marvin Lowrance, Leonard Davis, Michael Burgess (and his .244 batting average in A ball) is pretty awful. 

     

I-81 Paradise: July Edition

Posted by Mike Henderson on Jul. 1, 2009 at 7:40 PM
There are 6 comments | Add yours

While the major-league Nationals continued to plumb new depths of futility, it was Hardware Month in the Nats' minor-league system in June, with award-winning performances at three levels.

Here's what's on the calendar for July.  (Records shown in parentheses are as of the end of play on June 30.)

• Vermont Lake Monsters (short-season single-A, 5-6): Treading water with a near-.500 record in the first eleven games of New York-Penn League action in 2009, over the next few weeks the Vermonters should be introducing a number of this year's Nats draftees into their roster, including their second-round pick, infielder Jeff Kobernus, and their third-round pick, right-handed pitcher Trevor Holder. Meanwhile, 2007 sixth-round pick Jack McGeary is back in Vermont trying to up the strikeouts and whittle down the bases on balls. In addition to their 14 home dates in July, the Monsters will be visiting Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen from July 17-19; get your tickets now, because they're apt to be snapped up fast.
• Hagerstown Suns (low single-A, 1-5 second half): Matt LeCroy's crew was largely a one-trick pony in the first half of the 2009 South Atlantic League season. Unfortunately, Derek Norris' 14 home runs weren't enough by themselves to propel the Suns past a first-half sixth-place finish in the Sally League's Northern Division. Norris' considerable exploits notwithstanding, Hagerstown's strength in the second half of the season may actually be in its pitching: left-handed swingman Patrick McCoy was named the South Atlantic League's Pitcher of the Week for the period June 8-14, while the bullpen has been enriched by the addition of Nats number-two 2009 draft pick Drew Storen. Hagerstown Municipal Stadium will host 13 Suns contests in July.
• Potomac Nationals (high single-A, 3-3 second half): The Nats' entry in the Carolina League finished seven games back of division champion Lynchburg in the first-half Northern Division standings. We are planning to point the Hutchmobile toward Woodbridge some time this holiday weekend to try to catch a glimpse of Brad Meyers -- whose scorching 1.53 ERA is setting the league pace -- before his inevitable and justly deserved promotion to double-A. (Our guess is that Meyers will get the Independence Day start, but keep in mind that minor-league rotations tend to be more fluid than those in the majors.) The P-Nats host division rival Frederick this Thursday, July 2, through Sunday, July 5; published game start times are 7:05 on Thursday and Friday, 6:35 on Saturday and 1:05 on Sunday. Potomac will also be hosting twelve other July contests at Pfitzner Stadium.
• Harrisburg Senators (double-A, 33-42): It took them two months to gain traction, but John Stearns' crew scorched the Eastern League in June -- often powered in the late innings by the lights-out relief pitching of left-hander Jack Spradlin, who earned the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week award for the period June 22-28 -- and regained a measure of respectability by accruing a 21-9 record for the month. They'll make their final visit to Bowie next week: Tuesday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 8, are 7:05 starts on the schedule, while game time is set for 12:05 on Thursday, July 9.
• Syracuse Chiefs (triple-A, 41-35): Don't look now, but the Chiefs are just three games back in the International League's Northern Division. Give credit both to Syracuse manager Tim Foli and to guys like starting pitcher Garrett Mock, who just took home the IL's Pitcher of the Week award for June 22-28.  (And whom we confidently expect to see in the rotation at Nats Park some time this summer.  Note that Mock hurled a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out ten, at home against Columbus on June 22.)  Syracuse's Alliance Bank Stadium -- from which our colleague Jeff Bergin has just returned from a scouting trip -- will be the venue for 15 Chiefs tilts in July.

     

Early trade reviews can be laughable

Posted by Michael Kanick on Jul. 1, 2009 at 1:50 PM
There are 2 comments | Add yours

It's certainly the norm to expect online media professionals like ourselves (or others in the Natmosphere) to provide instant analysis of moves, and to expect that the traditional media do it as well.  However, in the light of the recent trade between the Nats and the Pirates, I wanted to highlight this process a bit.

Examples of instant analysis of the recent Milledge/Hanrahan for Morgan/Burnett can be found here (NY Post's Sherman), here (Pirates blogger), here (MLB Trade Rumors), and here (ESPN's Rob Neyer). They are fairly universal in their praise for the Pirates in making a good deal and "winning".

However, let's step in the way back machine and dial up the summer of 2006.  On July 14th, Trader Jim Bowden dealt pitchers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, infielders Royce Clayton, Brendan Harris, and prospect Daryl Thompson for Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Wagner.  Instant analysis here, here, and here all declared the Nats "winners".  Yes, even I did - though I did qualify it.

What's my point?  Instant analysis can't totally be relied upon.  Sure, if it's obvious - like if the Nats were to acquire Mark Teixiera from the Yankees for Elijah Dukes (I'm laughing maniacally at the thought).  That would be an easy one to assess.  Look at 2006 however - Lopez was a disaster here, but is playing decently for Arizona now.  Kearns has been a disappointment, and Wagner is retired.  Did the Nats really win?

In the end, this is a break even deal - potential for production, plus giving Hanrahan a new shot elsewhere while acquiring a solid lefty to replace him (who has an easy contract and is locked until 2012).  The only thing to change the equation would be Milledge finally getting that together.

Do any of us see that happening anytime soon?

     

First Thoughts on the Dukes Demotion

Posted by Mike Henderson on Jul. 1, 2009 at 12:25 PM
There are 5 comments | Add yours

We're far from being able to draw any satisfactory conclusions, but here are some of the things we're thinking about in reaction to the announcement that Elijah Dukes has been optioned to triple-A Syracuse to make room for new trade acquisition Nyjer Morgan...

• The month of June saw Dukes spiral into near-oblivion at the plate, logging an un-Dukesian batting line of .198 / .253 / .333. That might well have got him sent down whether or not the Nats had ever made another personnel move this week.
• When polled overnight -- and thanks to all who responded! -- fans seemed to favor having Austin Kearns or Ronnie Belliard step aside. Unlike Dukes, though, either Belliard or Kearns would probably have had to be waived or designated for assignment, potentially leaving the Nats on the hook for a big chunk of salary with not even a warm body to show for it.
• Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham are arguably more tradable than Belliard or Kearns, and all their names (as well as Nick Johnson's) have popped up in rumors. As Buster Olney reminds us, though, it's a buyer's market.
• Character matters, per Nats acting GM Mike Rizzo, and Dukes might not be Rizzo's poster child for good makeup.  Since Dukes was a candidate for demotion anyway, Rizzo -- whether or not such was actually his intention -- had an easy opportunity to distinguish his approach from the "we'll work with anybody!" style of predecessor Jim Bowden.

     

Adam Dunn to blog for MASN

Posted by Ian Koski on Jul. 1, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Be the first to comment on this post

Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, whose social media highlight to this point was his declaration last month that he didn't know what a blog was, has signed with MASN to blog on their web site.

Seriously.

He'll publish a written post once a month, and sit for what is being described as a video blog once a week. According to a statement from the network, Dunn will use the video segments to respond to fan-submitted questions directly.

So... a little like Facebook, yeah.

"To talk to fans directly, answer their questions and be able to explain what we do out here every night -- that's a pretty unique opportunity," Dunn said in the MASN statement. "I'm obviously new to blogging, but I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

The last line is a nod to his now-well-publicized statement at an on-the-record press conference to a dozen or so Nationals bloggers, including this one. Asked what the players do during rain delays, Dunn tried kicking the question to Nick Johnson, but not before another blogger interjected to sarcastically ask, "you don't read blogs?"

Dunn, straight-faced, replied, "I'm not gonna lie, I don't even know what a blog is."

The rapt audience of bloggers laughed. Dunn did not. "I'm serious," he said. "Is that like Facebook?"

So, good for Adam Dunn for making an attempt to embrace the interwebs here. The truth is, his market potential is extremely high and the Nationals have done almost nothing to promote him (and his 20 home runs) here in Washington.

That's why it's even more important for players to bypass the club's filter and engage fans directly. They can exert considerable influence on the management of their reputation with really very little effort. I'm not sure MASNsports.com is the place I'd go to do that, but c'est la vie. Good for him for giving it a shot.

     

Pirates blogs react to Milledge, Hanrahan

Posted by Ian Koski on Jul. 1, 2009 at 1:04 AM
Be the first to comment on this post

Pirates' fan blogs seem to agree that Pittsburgh got the better end of Tuesday's four-player deal. Not surprisingly, neither Joel Hanrahan nor Sean Burnett emerge as factors in most of their assessments, which tend to look at Lastings Milledge as a big-hitting player with lots of potential versus Nyjer Morgan as a mediocre speed player past his prime.

Dave Harrison at Bucs Trade Winds writes:

These trades are more about the future than 2009.  Milledge is coming of the disabled list due to a broken hand, which could affect his power this year dramatically. Milledge has far more potential than Morgan who is about all he will ever be.  The Pirates are in need of power bats, and Milledge should fill that role in the future. While I was dead wrong about Morgan this year, I still hate to see him go.  It could have been fun to see what kind of havoc he and McCutchen could have caused at the top of the lineup. As for the rest of the trades, Hinske and Burnett won’t be missed much if at all.

Pat Lackey at Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke, writes:

What this trade comes down to is this: a rebuilding team can never turn down a trade that offers a net talent gain as big as this one does for the Pirates. I'm not trying to knock Nyjer Morgan here, either, but Morgan is what he is; he's a great defensive player that doesn't offer much at the plate. In left field, that's not really an option for any team. Some people will try to spin this trade as speed for power, but Morgan's speed on offense is incredibly overrated. His OBP hovers around .350 and he's been thrown out in 10 of his 28 stealing attempts. Lastings Milledge is a risk for any team at this point. He's hit OK in his Major League career, but questions about his attitude have overwhelmed everything. The thing to remember is that if he turns out to be a bust and we give up on him in two years, we still ventured very little to get him here in the first place. Morgan isn't a long-term starter in left field; he was fun to watch, he was funny, and he probably would've been awesome to grab a beer with, but he wasn't a long-term answer. Milledge, quite simply, might be, and that's a risk that we have to take.

You can keep tabs on the Pirates and the fallout from this week's trade on the Pirates page here on NationalsPride.com.  It is constantly updated with news from the Post-Gazette and Pirates.com, as well as with fan posts from eight fan blogs.

Nyjer Morgan at bat against the Cubs in April. (Flickr photo by David Watson)

     

Flash Poll: Who Should Go Down?

Posted by Mike Henderson on Jun. 30, 2009 at 8:18 PM
There are 12 comments | Add yours

Irrespective of the merits, or lack thereof, of the Nats' recent four-player trade with Pittsburgh, consider that the Nats have just picked up two major-leaguers (Sean Burnett and Nyjer Morgan) for a major-leaguer (Joel Hanrahan) and a minor-leaguer (Lastings Milledge).

That means that somebody needs to be demoted from the Nats' 25-man major-league roster.  Who should it be (or have been, if the deed has been done by the time you read this)?

     

Caving in to MLB Extra Innings

Posted by Jon Desenberg on Jun. 30, 2009 at 8:17 PM
Be the first to comment on this post

I gave it three months.  The bullpen.  The throwing errors.  The season ending injury to Flores.  The empty stadium.  The poor coaching decisions.  I gave it three months and over the weekend I caved in, I bought MLB Extra Innings.  

Yeah, it’s a little expensive.  But its really about the price of four tickets to a game.   If you have an original home town team somewhere, and many of us Nats fans do, and if that team is leading their division, and mine is, you just might want to purchase it yourself.

I’ll still watch the Nats.  I’m watching Emilio Bonifacio burn us yet again at the empty Marlins stadium now (by the way, Land Shark stadium?  Are they kidding with that?)

As I’ve said in this space before, appreciate and enjoy your team if they’re doing well, it might not happen again for a long, long time.   You’re not turning your back on the Nats by buying MLB Extra Innings; you’re just willing to pay to enjoy quality baseball.  Maybe the Lerners can take a note on that.