Nats sign 5 to minor league deals

The Nationals gave fans an early Christmas present by singing five players with major league potential to minor league contracts. It was a return to normal for the Nats. A response to the New York Yankees swooping in and taking the apple of Jim Bowden’s eye, the free agent many considered out of our league, Mark Teixeira.

The Nats looked long and hard at themselves, their worth, and their plan…and evidently woke up and smelled the f*&%$*#@ coffee. They made some solid deals in the process.

The team inked former Oriole Corey Patterson, RHP Jorge Sosa, LHP Gustavo Chacin, infielder Jose Castillo and wayward Molina son; catcher Gustavo Molina. It was also the first day in MLB history that a team signed two Gustavo’s (not actually sure if that’s true…but its got to be).

Corey Patterson rose through the Cubs system as a future superstar who never quite developed into the promise his athleticism held. He finally put it together in his first season in Baltimore, batting .276 with 16 homers and swiping 46 bases. His second year was rather similar but while his stolen base numbers were high his OBP was abysmal (.314 and .304) so he couldn’t serve as a viable leadoff hitter.

He was traded and played absolutely horrendously for the Reds in 2008, batting .205 with an OBP of .238. The Nats are hoping that he may be able to be a more disciplined hitter as he approaches the age of 30, and may be able to be a true centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the club. Is this a likely outcome? No. But it is worth the risk of a one year deal valued at less than a million dollar.

Gustavo Chachin at one point in his career looked to be one of the better young left -handers in the American League. For Toronto at the age of 25 he posted a 13-9 season with a 3.72 ERA, showing a nasty curveball and good control with 70 walks in 202 innings for a rookie. His arm fell off in 2006 however and has only pitched 104 innings since, including none in 2008. He’s only 28 however, and if he has rebuilt his arm could very well be a starter in the Nationals rotation. The Nats signed him to a minor league deal for 90K, which bumps to 600K if he makes the major league club. Once again, no risk on this deal, potential high reward.

Jorge Sosa and Jose Castillo both have full-season major league experience and could contribute if they come to camp prepared. Both have the potential to be impact players but both have potential to be triple A fixtures. However…like the other signees, low risk, high potential.

Jim Bowden may know what the hell is going on after all.

Tex-Mess comes to an end.

Out of nowhere the New York Yankees swooped in to sign prized free agent Mark Teixeira tuesday afternoon. The deal sent shockwaves through the AL East and the rest of the baseball community as the Yanks not only showed up two division rivals in getting Tex, but also for the first time in MLB history signed their second 100 million + dollar contract in the same season.

Tex will play first base and will add that extra umph the Yankees had missing last year. With a new line up, and a new starting rotation with C.C Sabathia and A.J Burnett, the Yanks have to be the odds on favorite to win it all in 2009.

One Year Solutions

Lets Face it, the Nationals aren't going to compete next year. The Players we need to be targeting are those who are young with great upside, or those who are old who can carry us through next season while the young guns develop. Here are some options.

Ben Sheets: He hasn’t pitched a complete season since 2004 when he posted an incredible 2.70 ERA with 264K’s and only 32 walks. Since 04 when he has been healthy he has been nothing but filthy as well. So why aren’t the big market teams throwing money at him like they did Sabathia? He has to prove to the big boys that he can pitch a full season before they’ll give him a 5 year deal that will support his grandkids grandkids. Often times when pitchers are in this situation, they will get about this far into free agency before they realize they may need one more year to prove themselves. So why don’t the Nats offer him a one year deal, for a solid chunk of money (8-15 million). He has the incentive to stay healthy and perform to try and land a big time deal from a competitor in 2010. Best case scenario; he is the best pitcher in baseball the first half and the Nats trade him for prospects. Worst case scenario? He pitches 12 solid games and gets hurt…and he’s gone next year. No commitment, no problems.

Mark Prior: Was the next Tom Seaver, but last year his numbers weren’t any better than mine. Prior has been about as injury plagued as anyone, no one knows if he still has an arm, or even if he still remembers how to pitch. This means he couldn’t possibly demand much of a contract. He’s your prototypical why not guy, sign him to a low pay one year deal and who knows, you may find yourself an allstar starter. It’s not like having him on the DL will hurt the Nationals chances this season….

Randy Johnson: Are you seeing a trend? We know he wants to pitch another season (5 wins from 300 and 211K’s from 5000), but will he want to go to a competitor? He’s won a World Series already, so that might not be an issue. If he’s willing to pitch for a team without a chance, he will probably be willing to sign a one year deal with D.C. He can still pitch ( 2.41 ERA with 78K’s in the second half last year), and he can defiantly teach a young pitcher with a similar career bath such as Daniel Cabrera a thing or two. We know he likes pitching in small markets; Washington might just be the place for him.

Marcus Giles: Once labeled as the next great second basemen, fell off the table incredibly fast into obscurity. He was Dustin Pedroia and somehow turned into Stubby Clapp. At the age of 30, he’s worth a shot with a minor league deal. He’s a good utility guy and if he refinds his stroke, he could definitely start at second over Ronnie Belliard. We know that his downfall had to do with personal issues, perhaps his maturity will help him regain at least a glimpse of his former allstar self. No real risk here…

The Tex-Mess, what tangled webs we've woven

MASN Online reported today that a source claimed the Nationals have upped their offer to free agent first basemen Mark Teixeira. The Nats are now reportedly are offering somewhere between $178 and $184 Million for 8 years.

If that weren't enough, rumors have reported the Nationals leadership is considering expanding their offer to nine or ten years to accommodate Boras' demands. It's also been rumored that to sweeten the pot, the Nationals may be offering an opt out clause, much like the one C.C Sabathia had included in his deal this offseason. This would serve as an escape hatch for Teixeira after he realizes he signed a deal with a team that is further away from the playoffs than many of us would hope.

While as a whole these possible additions to the contract really don't mean a whole lot in terms of offering too much (whats an extra 8-10 million when you're spending 170 already?). They do however speak worlds about the inexperience and the naivety of the Nationals front office. As we've seen with the moves in the last several days, this part of the negotiation process has become a chess match for the big boys in the talks with Boras. The Redsox have called Boras' bluff and have walked away from the table, where the Angels have just retracted their offer all together. With the anonymity of the offer process, it leaves GM's and agents in a guessing game of who means what they say and say what they mean.

The Nationals are still playing checkers. It appears they are just indulging Boras in a way the bigger and more experienced teams wont.

It's as if Boras' client is the girl who every guy is after. They'll wine and dine her, show her why they're worthy, and show what they'll give to have her. But the older and wiser guys (The Sox and Angels) realize the truth in time...they're just being played. Are the Nats just being led on?

I could be wrong. Maybe the Nats do see and understand this. Maybe they just know that they can't afford to call Boras' bluff because they aren't as qualified a suitor as the others. But maybe thats just giving Jim Bowden a little too much credit...

Expect a deal before the new year (No one wants to start the year single after all).  

Say-What Willie?

Nats utility man Willie Harris supports the teams push for Teixeira. Harris played half a season in 2007 with Tex in Atlanta, and has first hand knowledge of his impact in the clubhouse. This is what he had to say.

"I mean, that's a big move, and it definitely shows the rest of the players—everybody else in the clubhouse, everybody else in the organization—that it's time for a change. Whether we get Tex or not, just trying to get him shows everybody else in the clubhouse that it's time to win. ... God knows, I hope Tex comes here."

Nats sign Cabrera

The Nats got tired of waiting around to hear from Agent Boras and made a deal today. They picked up former Orioles young gun Daniel Cabrera for one year with undisclosed terms.

The Orioles had previously considered Cabrera a key to their future but gave up on him this offseason after four consecutive years of regression. The 6 foot 8 righty burst onto the scene in 2004 with his high 90's fastball and strong slider. In 27 starts he posted a 5.00ERA but had a solid 12-8 record. This was enough for the Orioles leadership to decide he was major league ready as he became a staple in the rotation for the next 4 years.

Cabrera just couldn't make that jump that everyone expected him to in Baltimore. His frame, arm strength and youth suggested superstar potential, but his best year saw him go 10-13 with a 4.52 ERA and 157 K's. That was 2005, since then its just gotten worse and worse. While Cabrera will occasionally have games where he flashes brilliance and dominating stuff, more often than not fans will see him walking too many batter and giving up the big hit in the wrong time. It's that dominating stuff that keeps scouts hoping....

The bottom line is the Orioles very likely ruined Cabrera. He was up pitching a full season in the majors for the O's by the age of 23 before even pitching a game in triple A, he clearly wasn't ready. It took Cabrera 2 seasons to get out of rookie ball at the ages of 20-21, and at the age of 22 he didn't improve much in low A ball either. Regardless he was promoted to Bowie the very next season and in his first five starts he dominated, posting a 2.63 ERA with 35 K's in 27 innings.

What did the Orioles do next? Move him up to Baltimore...naturally...the rest was history.

Perhaps he will mature at the age of 28 and figure it out, and end up being a very good starter for the Nationals. If he does what he did last year, it will be a solid contribution as well. Right now all the Nats need are pitchers to fill out their rotation and get them through the next few years until they can compete.

Know Your Nats-John Lannan

John Lannan grew up in Long Island. He attended the prestigious Chaminade, a private all boys high school in New York, where he lettered in Baseball and became the teams captain. Lannan was a standout but not a superstar. It's hard to stand out though when your fellow alumni have names like Bill Oreilly, Bob Mckillop and Al Groh. Continuing the Chaminade tradition of 100% of graduates being accepted to college, and 99% attending, Lannan elected to attend the small Sienna College. As one of the smaller Division 1 schools in the country, Sienna proved to be a perfect place for the crafty6 foot 5 lefty to learn how to become a dominant pitcher.

His freshman year was rocky, but Lannan earned the chance to pitch a lot of innings and learn under fire. His guts and his potential earned him the chance to start against the #1 ranked team in the nation, Florida State. He held is own only allowing five hits and two earn

ed in five innings, causing scouts to start to take notice of Lannan's talents. He finished the season with a 5.44 ERA in 44 innings.

Lannan continued to improve throughout his career at Sienna, culminating with his stellar junior season. Sienna won 29 games and Lannan tossed 10 of them, finishing with an impressive line of 10-2, 2.29 ERA, and 83 strikeouts in 82 innings. He also contributed 8 complete games in 12 starts. Pairing with another stellar junior, Ken Grant, Sienna went on to one of its best seasons and drew many professional scouts.

Lannan was selected in 2005 by the Washington Nationals in the 11^th round, as the 324^th overall pick. He signed and was in the organization in no time, pitching for the Vermont Expos. It was a rough professional debut for Lannan, producing poor numbers for low A Vermont with an ERA of 5.26 in 2005 and a slightly improved 4.46 respectively for high A Savannah in 2006. His poor performance was probably a result of fatigue more than anything else, he jumped directly into professional ball after pitching more innings than he ever had before at Sienna, without much of a break. Lannan was confident about his performance however, telling Scout.com:

“I felt like I did well for my first season. I enjoyed playing in Vermont and I was glad I got as many innings as I did. And, I was able to get a couple of wins for the team. The only thing I wish is that I didn't walk as many batters as I did."

Lannan also said he had trouble adjusting to professional hitters and the tighter professional strike-zone, a common problem for new pitchers. His velocity was still only peaking at 87-89 MPH on his fastball at this point, which is relatively slow for a pitcher with major league aspirations.

2007 was a brand new story for the young lefty. After adjusting his delivery, and working hard in the offseason to boost his velocity, the soutpaw made his move. He opened in Potomac, blazing the competition with a 6-0 record and a 2.13 ERA. He earned a quick promotion to double A Harrisburg where he continued to deal his junk to a 3-2 record with a 3.25 ERA. He earned yet another promotion to triple A columbus where his fast track to the majors continued with a 3-1 record and a 1.75 ERA. With the Nationals going nowhere, and their starting rotation dilapidated, Lannan earned his call up.

Lannan made his MLB debut July 26, 2007, and in stunning fashion. While his start only saw him pitch 5 innings, and allow 3 runs to the Phillies, his antics in the 5^th inning are what made him an immediate impact player. With one out Lannan hit fellow lefty Chase Utley with a fastball, causing him to break his hand and go on the DL. The very next pitch he hit Ryan Howard, forcing him to leave the game as well. Lannan was ejected, becoming the first pitcher to be ejected in his debut in over a decade. More importantly he became the object of much animosity from Philly fans, as a 'John Lannan must die,' movement began.

Lannan couldn't manage to get out of the spotlight in his third career start either. It found him pitching in San Francisco, in front of the national media...against Barry Bonds. Bonds was a homer shy of breaking Aaron's all time home run record, and Lannan was the man standing in his way. Lannan stepped up and preformed, as we would go to see him to many times.

Lannan started 2008 as an inexperienced, but potential filled starter. Expectations were low, but hopes were high that he could develop and be a permanent starter in the Nats rotation. He began the rotation behind Shawn Hill, Tim Redding, and Odalis Perez, but quickly moved up the ranks as he preformed at an ace level.

He finished the year with a 3.91 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 31 starts. It was an impressive first full season for the Nats lefty and a good foundation to build his career on. When the Nats were in a losing streak, and needed someone to pitch a gem, Lannan more often than not stepped up. His demeanor on the mound has fans excited and hopeful that he can develop into the ace this team needs.

Nats sign two 16 year olds

The Washington Nationals announced today that they signed a pair of 16 year old prospects from the Dominican; left hander Gregory Baez and catcher Bill Pena. After researching for about half an hour about these two I couldn't find much more than what the Nationals said in their press release.

"Pena is a high-energy, two-way catcher with a very strong arm. At 6-foot-2, Baez has good size and has great potential. He throws with an effortless motion and gets outstanding late movement on his pitches."

That's about all we got, which isn't too surprising, they're 16...and from the Dominican. We'll just need to wait and see how they preform in camp and rookie ball, but what we can be sure of is that they are at the very least 2 years from the majors, and probably more like 5 or 6...assuming they even have the talent to get there.

Tex-Mess, The Plot Thickens

My uncle from Boston visited tonight, pulled out his laptop and went straight to his bookmarked Boston Globe sports page.

“Gammons reports Redsox and Teixiera are close to a deal!” He boasted.

It was true. Epstein had flown out to Texas to meet Teixiera at his home in hopes of finalizing a deal that would lock up the slugging first basemen for 8 years for a total of $184 million. It seemed all but eminent, the Yankees were stewing, Sox fans were enjoying an early christmas, and Mike Lowell already had his foot out the door.

However in the blink of a Bill Buckner eye, those hopes vanished faster than the Wilpons' fortune. Right as most Sox fans were tucking their little Pedroia's and Papelbons into bed, a

 new headline came across the ticker.

“Henry: 'We're not going to be a factor' for Teixeira.”

Shocking news to say the least, it had seemed to be all but a done deal. The Sox were going to put Teixeira at first, move Youkalis to third, and ship Lowell elsewhere. It would have bolstered their line up for the next half decade, and more than replace the hole Manny left. Ellsbury, Pedroia, Texierra, Ortiz, Youkalis, Bay and Drew; a true Hank Steinbrenner nightmare.

According to John Henry, the Redsox owner, another club had swooped in with a larger offer the team wasn't willing to match, promising Teixiera more money and for more years. The Redsox have been very firm in the past with the amount of years they have been willing to tack onto a contract, it's one of the main reasons they didn't sign another Boras client, Johnny Damon.

This means one of two things. Either super-agent Scott Boras is bluffing, and the Redsox are trying to call that bluff, or another team truly did sweep in with a bigger offer. With the Dodgers finalizing a deal with Raphael Furcal this afternoon, it would lead me to believe that the only other team in the hunt with the ability, and the brashness to offer a bigger deal would be our own Washington Nationals.

We reported earlier that there were rumors of the Nationals offering as much as 10 years for $200 million. Until now those reports had not been confirmed but it seems that with the Redsox announcing that they were outbid, this may be the very deal we will see signed in the next few days. This story continues to echo the Alex Rodriguez signing with the Texas Rangers several years ago.

Let's just hope again that if the Nationals sign the Tex-Mess, it will pay off for us, not just him.  

Tim Redding to the Mets?

The Nationals non-tendered Tim Redding this offseason allowing him to become a free agent. According to the New York Daily News the Mets have reported they're interested in signing him.

Redding at many points of the season was the best pitcher for Washington. In the first half Redding went 7-3 with a 3.85 ERA and 75 K's, however in the second half he couldn't quite produce at the same level, posting a 3-8 record with a 6.82 ERA.

While Redding certainly wasn't a part of the Nationals future, it would have been nice to see him stick around and eat up some innings for another year or two. New York will be a good place for him however, as he will have a chance to be a 4^th or 5^th starter on a potential playoff team.

Mark Teixeira? Just say NO

I woke up this morning to read this: according to some un-named source in the Nationals front office, they are “99% likely to land Teixeira.”

But wait! There's more; according to sources yahoo.com reports that the Nationals are willing to offer 20 million a year for up to 10 years. 200 million dollars!?!?! You have to be kidding me here Jim.

Don't get me wrong, Mark Teixeira is a great talent, and probably a great guy (even if he was on the Braves). He's a 28 year old, 6 foot 3 inch, 220 pound slugger who can hit for average, gets on base, and doesn't strike out all that much. His fielding ability has been praised by many and he's a local boy, from Annapolis.

It's not as if he came out of nowhere to produce these career numbers either, he's was a top 5 draft pick in 2001, and was a star at Georgia Tech. In fact I remember Baseball America quoting one of his minor league coaches as saying, “The only thing wrong with him is he's not extremely fast, his name is hard to spell, and he can't walk on water.”

Now that I've given him his due, let me explain why this deal would probably end in disaster for the Nats.

This season, splitting between Atlanta and Los Angeles (so hitting behind or in front of Chipper Jones or Vlad Guerrero) Texierra combined to bat .308 with 33 homers and 121 RBI. Compared to other first basemen in the league he ranked fourth in batting average, 8^th in homers, and fourth in RBI. Therefor it's safe to say he was probably the fourth or fifth best first basemen in the majors behind Pujols, Berkman, Howard, and Miguel Cabrerra (Maybe even Kevin Youkalis?). You can argue the order, but you can't argue that he's certainly better than any of these guys.

Lets also not forget about Prince Fielder, David Ortiz, Justin Morneau, Adrian Gonzalez....

So why do the Nationals want to pay him like he's Alex Rodriguez?

Miguel Cabrera contract- 8 Years/$152.3 million

Albert Pujols contract- 7 years/$100 million

Ryan Howard contract- 1 year/$10 million

Lance Berkman contract- 6 years/$85 million

Supposed Teixeira contract with the Nats- 7 years/$150 million – 10 years/$200 million

Let's not forget that the market, and the economy, is much more bear than they were when all those contracts were signed. More recently guys like reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia signed a 6 year/$40.5 million deal, and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria inked a 6 year/$17.5 million deal.

Economic disaster aside, the Nationals are very very far away from competing in any division, much less the National League East. They lost a league leading 102 games this season with poor pitching, poor hitting, poor fielding, and poor baseball intelligence. How far are they from turning this team into a playoff team? There's no clear answer for sure. They need their young talent who are a ways from the majors to develop, and they probably need to acquire a pitching prospect or two...then they need to wait about two or three years.

Quite frankly there aren't enough free agents out there for them to buy up and become a playoff team. So what impact could Teixeira have?

Positive impact: His WARP is listed as 10 wins above replacement player, which means based on his performance he would give his team an estimated extra 10 wins over a guy like Aaron Boone or whoever the Nats had filling in for injuries at first last year. That gives brings the team down to 92 losses...excellent. One could also argue that having his bat in the line up may give more protection to other batters, making their WARP slightly increase as well.

Negative impact: When Alex Rodriguez signed a mega-deal to a last place team in Texas, it crippled them financially. Sure, they did have the best player in baseball, but it didn't take them out of last place. It financially constricted them from getting good young free agents, and caused tension between a star who wanted to win, and a team that couldn't get out of his shadow.

Signing Teixeira would put the Nationals in a very similar situation. However a key difference is, Teixiera isn't the best player in baseball, he's three years older than Rodriguez at the time and most importantly, The Nationals already have the most money on the team invested into his position. Let's also not forget the Nats top prospect last year, Chris Morrero, plays first base.

So what would giving this contract to Teixeira do? It would lock up for 10 years a guy who will only be in his prime another 4 or 5, a time frame when the Nationals wont need a star because they probably wont be competing. It will restrict the team from getting better free agents over the next several years like Tim Lincecum, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and others. Let's also not forget we havn't even given team cornerstones John Lannan or Ryan Zimmerman a long term deal yet.

Let's rethink this Mr. Bowden.

The number one reward for last place

 Well the Nationals really dropped the ball with Aaron Crow. The Nats first round pick last year who was just shy of major league ready, chock full of talent, and was easily the best pitcher in college baseball, evidently wasn't worth the the extra Hendricks tax to sign him to the club. Instead of signing a below value contract, Crow elected to take the year off and re-enter the draft in the summer of 2009, where he is still projected to be a top 10 pick.

The good news for the club however is that their 102 loss season left them with the worst record in baseball, and as a result the Nats will have the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft. It seems the consensus top pick on everyones draft board is right handed pitcher Steven Strasburg, and he may very well be the savior of the Washington Nationals franchise. Many are already comparing him to previous top college pitchers David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Mark Prior, and Tim Lincecum.

A right-handed starter from San Diego State University, Strasburg has risen to the top of the college pitching ranks with authority both on the mound and with his reputation. At six foot four inches, 220 pounds, he stands as your prototypical power pitcher, but with the stuff to put him on the next level. His fastball sits in the high 90's, and he has been known to record 96 on the last pitch of a complete game. He has a plus-plus slider with two break planes and a developing change-up. His mechanics are smooth and he has a good head on his shoulders (turned down scholarships to Harvard and Yale).

Strasburg two biggest accomplishments came last year when first he struck out 23 Utah University batters en route to a complete game one hitter (he happened to be sick that day). And second, as the sole college player on the U.S Olympic baseball team, Strasburg pitched a one hitter sending his team to the medal rounds. Netherlands manager Jim Lefeabvre later said had they known about Strasburg, “They might not have shown up (New York Times).”

Video of Strasburgs 23 K game

 

Video of Strasburg in the pen

 

Bottom line: The Nats are lucky to have a shot at this once in a generation talent. While he certainly makes up for missing out on Crow, it sure would have been nice to have both of them in the mix, as they could be at the top of the rotation by 2011. The Nats should not hesitate to draft, sign, and coddle Strasburg at all cost.

Nats attempt to get Young in Rule-5 Draft

In the first pick in the Rule-5 Draft the Nationals selected right handed reliever Terrell Young from Cincinnati. The 23 year old reliever will be asked to contribute right away to the Nationals bullpen with his 93-96 MPH fastball and an improving slider.

Young split time between low A Dayton and high A Sarasota last season. In 25 games for Sarasota he struck out 26 in 33 innings. He allowed 31 hits and 13 walks and recorded a 2.41 ERA, proving that he probably deserved another promotion before seasons end.Do to Rule-5 Draft stipulations Young will have to make the Nationals club out of spring training and stay with the team the entire year. If he does not he will be automatically shipped back to Cincinnati. This is often the problem with players selected in the Rule-5 Draft, espessially for players with Young’s experience (or lack there of).

He is probably not ready for the bigs yet, and barring a great showing in spring training, he will most likely get sent back to Cinci. This is no guarantee however. Let us not forget that Jesus Flores was a Rule-5 selection for the Nats from the Mets several years ago and was in a similar situation as Young.

For only more proof that experience isn’t everything one must only look to Josh Hamilton. The 26 year old outfielder was selected in the Rule-5 draft by the Reds after having been out of professional baseball for half a decade…we all see where his career has gone since.

A look at the Nats second and third round picks, Destin Hood and Danny Espinosa

With their second pick in the 2008 draft, the Washington Nationals selected Destin Hood. Hood is a tremendous athlete who prior to the draft had committed to play both football (3 star wide receiver recruit) and baseball at Alabama. His tremendous natural power and athleticism reminds you of a Mike Cameron or a Torri Hunter, but his raw skills make you realize that he will have to work hard to achieve Major League readiness.

Hood played shortstop for his high school, but he will likely be converted to an outfielder by the Nats. He has poor hands and his height and speed really convert perfectly to the outfield. The only thing he will need to do is improve his arm. His power in batting practice is incredible but it has yet to translate to in game success. This isn’t uncommon for pure athletes. Once he better understands the game and how to approach pitch counts, he will start turning on, and driving balls out of the park.

The biggest question is whether or not the Nats will offer enough money to Hood to keep him from going to Alabama and not the Nats minor leagues. Hood Claims to love baseball the most, and a million dollar contract is hard for anyone to turn down. Still, Hood wouldn’t be the first person to turn down a big contract to play in college.

Here’s hood talking about his future after being taken 55th overall in the 2008 draft.

Destin Hood on draft

Destin Hood's football highlights, check out the athleticism.





Danny Espinosa is a good fielding shortstop from the shortstop factory of Long Beach State University. His predecessors; Bobby Crosby, Troy Tulowitzki, and Evan Longoria, have all made the conversion to the Major Leagues very quickly and effectively. While Espinosa does not have the flair from the plate that these hitters had coming out of college, he is more then competent from both sides and his glove is already major league ready.

Espinosa is another college player who is very polished. He has experience of three years in college, as well as participating for Team USA baseball and he became one of the only freshman to compete in the Cape Cod league back in 2006. While he still needs to improve his consistency from the left side, Espinosa’s instincts make him a very solid line drive hitter who can someday be a very solid major league shortstop. His plus arm and smart positioning in the field will make his transition that much easier, as he will only need to focus on improving his bat in the minors.

A look at the Nats first pick, Aaron Crow

Aaron Crow came into his freshman year at Missouri as a scrawny right hander who could barley top out at 88 on the radar gun. The young faced teen would join the back end of a solid Tigers rotation that was headed by Max Scherzer, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft. While Crow had a pitchers build (6-3, 195) and solid form and movement, he was your typical work in progress college pitcher. He would be no Francisco Liriano or Felix Hernandez; Crow would have to work for his success.
His first year at Missouri was disappointing. Crow showed excellent control, allowing only 20 walks in 70 innings pitched. However despite his accuracy, his slower fastball and underdeveloped change allowed Big 12 hitters to hit him around for 94 hits. His ERA suffered and he only recorded a 1-4 record on a very good team.

It became apparent that at his current state, he would never be a top of the rotation starter, and it was most likely the best thing to ever happen to him.
Crow decided to learn how to become a pitcher. His stepped his training up to a Major League level. His fastballs velocity skyrocketed from peaking at 88, to peaking at 98, constantly landing between 94 and 96 on the radar. Crow polished his mechanics, endurance and changed his curveball to a pin-point slider. He learned to stop throwing hard, and to start throwing well. With this philosophy his fastball maintained speed but became less flat, and harder to hit.
His sophomore year went way better than his freshman. He lowered his ERA under 4; he improved his strikeout rate and lowered his hit rate. Crow was starting to get noticed to have MLB potential. His improvement rate was very impressive and his work ethic impressed scouts. He finished his season 9-3 with a 3.59 ERA earning first team all Big-12 honors.
The fallowing summer would be the most important of his life. Aaron Crow participated in the famous Cape Cod summer league which has traditionally been a launching pad for successful Major League careers. Scouts love the Cape Cod league because it brings the top talent in the country together in one place, and forces them to use wood bats on an even playing field. Crow propelled himself to the top pitching prospect in college baseball by absolutely dominating this difficult league. In 8 games Crow put up an unthinkable 0.67 ERA. He had 36 strikeouts to 9 walks, and made top college batters look silly.
Crow somehow again managed to improve coming into his junior year at Mizzou. In 15 starts in 2008 he went 13-0 with 4 complete games. In 107 innings pitched he struck out 127 batters while only walking 38. He was flat out the best pitcher in college baseball and even had a 42 inning shut out streak coming close to the college record of 47 (Held by Todd Helton). With Crow’s improvement and performance, he became one of the top pitchers ranked going into the draft, and was selected 9th by the Washington Nationals.

Analysis.

With Aaron Crow the Nationals have a pitcher that has the potential to be a frontline starter without a mountain of work. He is very polished and has shown that he has the work ethic to improve and take his abilities to the next level. While he may not have quite Cy Young potential, he certainly has fringe ace ability and certainly could develop into a top number 2 starter. Most importantly for the Nats however, Crow is almost Major League ready as is. It would not be outlandish to see him making starts in Washington in 2009. To put it simply, the Nats may have drafted the pitching version of Ryan Zimmerman. A great college player ready to help the big league club after just a little bit of development.

HallELIJAH!

Sometimes even on a night when only one player has it going, the team can come out on top. On a night where the teams leading hitter, Cristian Guzman, went 0-7, and the teams number 3 hitter, Lastings Milledge, went 0-5, it was the man in the two slot who put his team on his shoulders and carried them to victory. That man, Elijah Dukes, had himself a career night going 5-6. He stole two bases, scored two runs, hit the game tying homer in the 8th, and the game winning single in the 14th.

Dukes of Hazard

Dukes has come alive, and is showing Nats fans the potential that Bowden and Acta see In him. His season started so abysmally. Dukes hit below the .100 mark for most of the month of May, it wasn’t just frustrating, it was down right embarrassing. The month of June has been much, much kinder to Dukes however. In this month he is batting .347 with a .437 OBP. He has recorded eight extra base hits and swiped five bags.

Austin Kearns, remember him? Dukes took over for him officially after Kearns went on the DL with ‘loose bodies’ in his elbow on May 22nd. On May 21st Dukes’ batting average was a lowly .067, he finished the last week of May with a more then doubled .160 batting average. Coincidence? You tell me. The bottom line though is that since Kearns has gone to the DL, Elijah Dukes has played at an All-Star level.

The bullpen, thank god for the bullpen

The Nats bullpen got destroyed in Minnesota, to the tune of an above 12 ERA. The Rangers are one of the best hitting teams in baseball, so the prospect of a game in which the bullpen had to pitch 8 innings would in most cases look disastrous for the Nats. The pitching staff stepped up however, pitching 12 shutout innings after allowing 3 runs in the second. This is a good and bad thing. Good, because it was an excellent performance all around. Bad, because the Nats now have a tired bullpen and two more games this series.

Game Notes:

Jesus Flores busted out of a mini slump going 3-6 tonight with 2 RBI. He has continued to show good 2 strike, and 2 out hitting. If he can improve his plate patience there is a very real chance that he could be a .300 hitter in the major leagues, smacking 20 homers a year and driving in close to 100 runs.

Josh Hamilton and the Rangers are comming to town

This makes me down right giddy. I will say it right now, Josh Hamilton is by far my favorite player in the Major Leagues. What makes sports so special is the stories. The ability of men to overcome adversity despite all odds. Capitalizing on second chances that regular people might not get in actual life, and the overall chance of redemption. Josh Hamilton epitomizes all these values as he has not only incredibly made it to the Majors despite EVERY odd, he is now arguably the best player in all of baseball.

Everyone should not only make the attempt to go to a game this weekend, they should give him a standing ovation when he comes to the plate.

Here is a story I wrote for ‘The Transcript,’ about his incredible journey.


A year ago this month(March) Josh Hamilton arrived in Florida for spring training to a feeling he hadn’t experienced since he was 17; he was wanted. Now 26, Hamilton had seen nothing but confused and disappointed stares for nearly the last decade, and even now at the glance of his 26 tattoo’s he still gets this look from many a fan. He had learned over time to look passed the glares and that the only eyes he had to be able to look into were his own at the mirror. Hamilton knew where he had come from, where he had been, and what he had the power to do.

Five years earlier Hamilton had woken up in the back of a Box Car. He had hoped he wouldn’t. He had been tripping on drugs for the last week and thought he had gone to sleep for the last time. He pulled himself off the steel floor and looked into his reflection in a broken mirror on the other side of the car. What he saw was a once chiseled frame worn down into skin and bones. He saw one of the top baseball prospects in history turned into an anonymous drifter. He saw tattoos he couldn’t remember getting. He couldn’t look into his own eyes in the mirror, he couldn’t even see himself.

Now in Florida he had inexplicably made it back from the darkness. He hadn’t played in a real baseball game since being suspended by the sport years before for drug abuse. He was making up for missed time now. 26 is old for any prospect, much less one who hasn’t played Double or Triple A, and even older for a player who hadn’t swung a bat in five years.The comeback started after the last person in Hamilton’s world had given up on him. Long after he had gone through several failed rehab stints, long after his fortune was squandered, and long after his wife had left him; his grandmother took in her grandson that she didn’t recognize. After a couple of weeks of convincing his grandmother he was clean when he wasn’t, he saw the familiar disappointed look in her eyes. She knew he was using, she was crushed.

Hamilton decided that the only way to get better was to get back to what he loved, baseball. He didn’t do it to make a comeback professionally, but to get his life back together. He began working at a baseball camp, not as a counselor, but as a janitor. He cleaned the bathrooms and the cafeteria and after his work was done he was allowed to work out with the camps equipment. In his time at this Texas purgatory he found God, he found reason, love and baseball.

With only limited preparation and years away from the game, no one could believe that after the third week of spring training he was leading the Reds in batting with an average well over .500. People started to believe in the unbelievable, the infamous Josh Hamilton who’s only shot to play baseball again was to make the Major League club, could possibly actually do it..

He did, and one year later he is now on the Texas Rangers and battling for a starting position. His smile is back, and with it his game. His struggle personifies the never give up attitude of sports, which gives us sports fans the right to hope against odds. While spring is a universal symbol of rebirth, for Josh Hamilton, spring training represents the ultimate second chance story in baseball.

Fast forward to the end of June, Hamilton not only won his starting position but is currently leading the American League in homers and Rbi’s. He has finally fulfilled his potential despite the most unthinkable route to get there. He is currently batting .321 with 19 homers and 74 RBI’s. His play evokes thoughts of Micky Mantle, and his heart thoughts of all the other all time greats. Do your best to make it to the park, and pay adage to the greatest story in recent baseball memory.

After sweeping Seattle, the Nats get swept by the Twins

One thing you can say about Interleague play is it’s unpredictable, as is the Nats 2008 season. Injuries have truly derailed what was a solid streak for the Nationals in May and mid early June. The pitching staff has disintegrated and the leadership, bat, and swagger in the field Ryan Zimmerman provides has left a hole in this young team. Let’s take a look at who’s playing well, who’s playing worse, and who is making no progress what so ever.

Over the last 6 games

Jesus Flores-COLD- Flores has only gone 5/22 in the last two series which comes out to a .227 batting average. One worry with Flores’ early success was that it was just a fluke in a small sample size, and with his struggles recently this may be coming true. Other explanations for his lack of success recently could be as simple as him just being a young hitter who doesn’t know why he is in a slump. He may also be having trouble facing pitchers he’s never seen before in the American League. It’s a little too early to panic, but Flores bat is a key to the Nats success.

Ronnie Belliard-cool-Belliard has produced better then his pre disabled list self, however in the last six games he has stalled a bit. He is only 5/20 (.250) in the last two series, however he does have three extra base hits. His return to adequacy is good news for the Nats as it ads depth and options to an otherwise depleted line up.

Cristian Guzman-HOT!- Good news, Guzman is playing his best baseball as the trading season approaches. In the last six games Guzman is 10/27 (.370) with yes, ONE WALK. Disregarding the poor defense and relatively empty batting average, Guzman is looking real good right now for a team like the Red Sox, Rays(who have prospects up the Wazoo), or Angels.

Elijah Dukes-Hot- In the last two series he is 9/25(.360) with four runs scored. It was not long ago when Dukes was batting below .100, and he has battled his batting average to be back at .241 with an OBP of .353, one of the best on the team. He is really coming into his own, and if he keeps his attitude straight, may soon be a star in the District.

Shawn Hill-COLDEST, or maybe just inured- He just flat out should not be pitching. In his last two starts he has let up 22 hits, 10 earned runs, and four walks. This is our, “Ace.” What are the Nationals thinking? His arm is not fully healed, and at this point in the season, 12.5 games back, after several managers have already been fired, its pretty much time to start packing it in for the season. Hill should rest.

Nats lose series to Pirates despite good individual play

With a rough stretch over the last few weeks, the Nats more then welcome interleague play. The Nationals spend the last three games in Pittsburgh not doing really anything very well. The first game was an anomaly, the Nats somehow managed to slug five home runs. The team won only 7-6 however as Tim Redding’s poor start and Luis Ayala’s poor relief appearance put the team’s chances in jeopardy. The next two games didn’t go nearly as well.
Box Score

The Nats wasted a good start from John Lannan again in the second game of the series. Six strong innings with only two earned runs somehow found him with his seventh loss. The Nats had the base runners in this game but no one could convert with runners in scoring position. The team left 20 runners on base combined and only Elijah Dukes recorded an RBI. The Nats fell 3-1 despite great pitching and a team effort on hitting.
Box Score

The third game of the series saw Jason Bergmann record his second consecutive poor start. He only pitched 4.2 innings allowing 8 hits and 6 runs. This is disappointing as in his four previous starts he had pitched 28 innings allowing only 4 runs and 30 K’s. Despite good hitting from the top of the order the Nats didn’t have the bats or the gloves to overtake the Pirates and fell 7-5.
Box Score

While I was away...

I apologize for my hiatus, but I have been in Ohio for the weekend without any connection to internet, baseball games, or most importantly, air conditioning. I have made my triumphant return to the district however, and The Nats Blog will return to full operation immediately.

The Nats have taken a turn for the worse in my absence. They have lost 8 of their last 9, they are hitting even worse then before, and the once stellar pitching has become banged up and inefficient.

Here is the write up that was not able to be published for the day night double header by lucky jarmes:

Cardinals Pitchers must have fathered an Elijah Dukes baby:

As he beat the hell out of them. Elijah Dukes, following an impressive day over all at the plate, managed to secure a split of yesterday's doubleheader with St. Louis by blasting a two run homer in the tenth inning of the nightcap.

The Nats bats were active most of the day, though in the day game, runs simply were unable to be knocked in. The Nationals had men on base constantly, and managed to strand 11 runners on base. Things turned around as the sun went down, however.

The Nationals got off to a hot start on a muggy evening last night, scoreing at least 2 runs in each of the first three innings, and one more in the fourth. Though the entire lineup produced, securing 16 hits to knock in 10 runs, Dukes was the stand out last night. Elijah had been pushed up to hte second spot in the order for yesterday's two games, in the hope that he would see more pitches to hit. He did, and proceeded to punish Cardinals pitching all evening. Often early in the count, Dukes went 4-6 on the night, with 4 RBIs. He even recorded a solid non-hit, with a drive to centerfield, which was dropped, opening the door to a three run inning.

Pitching yesterday, however, left little to be desired. After being handed a 7 run lead, Tim Redding went on to allow 5 RBIs to Cardinals pitchers Mike Parisi(2), and Mark Worrell(3). The lead was held at 8-6 through the ninth, setting up a save situation for Jon Rauch. Rauch, after securing the first two outs, allowed a double, triple and single to allow the Cards to tie it up. In the tenth, Brian Sanches allowed a two out home run, to give the Cards the lead.

Guzman answered the lead with a single, followed by Elijah's first homer as a National. The Nats will go on to face the Giants over the weekend. Wave your phones for Elijah, everybody.

2008 MLB Draft

The 2008 Major League Baseball draft will be held tomorrow and with the decisions made in it the future of the league will be molded. The Washington Nationals thus far have been very successful in the draft in their young history. Two of their cornerstones, Ryan Zimmerman and Chad Cordero, were a result of smart drafting that allowed them to pick Major League ready players that still had room to grow. The Nats will pick 9th overall in the first round tomorrow, which puts them in good but confusing position.

The Nationals will need to take a look at their strengths and determine their needs. They already have a franchise player at third base, and have two strong veterans at the other corner in Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young. They have a great young pitching staff with 4 or 5 pitchers with serious major league ability coming up in the minors, so it would seem drafting another pitcher wouldn’t be wise. They are blessed to have an extremely young talented catcher in Jesus Flores, so wasting a pick on a catcher isn’t going to happen here, and we all know they have more young outfielders then they know what to do with. To me it seems clear the Nationals need to find a middle infield prospect who can be major league ready in two or three years when this team is ready to compete. Felipe Lopez is still young, and if this team is serious about competing in the future they will not resign Cristian Guman at the end of this season. So it would seem the need is obvious, the Nats need a future shortstop.

It seems though that the Nats late surge last year was a curse in disguise. While it improved their record and showed that Many Acta could rally a inexperienced team to victory it also left them with the 9th overall pick as opposed to a lower one. In this particular draft there are two great shortstop prospects projected to go in the top 10 of the draft; Tim Beckham (Griffen HS), and Gordan Beckham (Georgia University). No, they’re not related, except that they’re from the family of shortstops with future major league ability. Unfortunately for the Nats however both are expected to be picked in the top 5, making them likely off the board when Washington picks at the 9 spot.

So where does this leave the Nationals? Many are projecting now that they will select the best power hitting prospect in the minors, first baseman Eric Hosmer (Heritage HS). Hosmer has number 1 overall pick talent, but Scott Boras as an agent, which often scares teams away. According to Baseball Prospectus Hosmer projects to have an 80/80 power rating and could very likely be one of the top power hitters in baseball in a few years. BP lists his best case scenario as, “A monster left handed bat in the majors.”
This pick confuses me though. The Nats are currently clogged at first at the major league level and their number one prospect, Chris Marrero, is a first basemen as well. The Major nack on Hosmer is his lack of real athleticism, it’s rare to have a first basemen drafted out of high school but its really the only position he can play (other then his 90 mph fast ball). It will be exciting if they pick this player who may be the next Ryan Howard…but it will be even more interesting to see how the Nationals mold their player development to accommodate to it.

Other Options:
-Casey Kelly, SS/RHP, Sarasota HS
-Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami
-Brett Lawrie, IF, Brookswood

Note: Nationals did sign a 16 year old SS prospect, Esmailyn Gonzalez, out of the Dominican over a year ago. However he is still very young and isn’t even in the Nats minor league system yet in a full season format. He does however project at this point to be a very promising player, but a long ways away.

Nuts about the Nats

You would think with a nickname like the Nats, the Nationals would stay as far away as any other euphemism for the male anatomy as possible. But no, not our team, not only did we create a slogan called, “Nuts for the Nats,” we put it to song!

Not only is this song just lame, it’s also a blatant rip off of the division rival New York Mets’tune, “Meet the Mets.” According to the Nationals website, the lyrics were written by former Washington Senators public address announcer, Charlie Brotman, and the music was composed by Kalehoff productions.

"The lyrics for the song are meant to capture the fans' excitement, the rush of emotion and the fun and good times they are experiencing," said Charlie Brotman, the writer of the song.

Excitement? Rush of emotion? Sorry Charlie, but I think it falls a bit short. Baseball fans love their hokie tunes more then most sports fans. This is demonstrated with stadiums nation wide playing “take me out to the ball game,” “YMCA,” “Sweet Caroline,” and yes, “Who let the Dogs Out.” But this is just bad, no one can fall in love with this tune for its merits or tradition. This is just another example of the Nationals trying to pump false tradition into a new franchise, as opposed to building it.

Zimmerman bites the dust, gets put on DL

The Nationals finally bit the bullet today and put Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list after he had missed the last seven games with a “sore shoulder.” Zimmerman says he hurt the shoulder on a head first slide in the Orioles series, and says it has been sore ever since.

An MRI Monday revealed that Zimmerman in fact had a small tear in his non throwing arm, which was the cause of his discomfort. This is not an uncommon injury for infielders and can sometimes be played through. Zimmerman, however, has made it clear that is not something he is comfortable doing, so for now he will rest and Nats fans will wait.

A player with a similar career and similar talent set, Scott Rolen, suffered the same injury in 2002 and again in 2003. He attempted to play through it two separate times and eventually had to get season ending shoulder surgery, he has never been the same since. Rolens injury however was much more violent. In the 2002 playoffs he collided with the Diamondbacks’ Alex Cintron on a ground ball, and immediately felt a tear. Because it was the playoffs, Rolen stayed in the game and may have severely done further damage.

So basically, this could be bad, but it also could not be. Because it is not in his throwing shoulder his future at the hot corner is secure but if the Nationals are not careful he could go the route of Scott Rolen and never fully regain his hitting ability. The left shoulder is rather important for a right handed hitter. It pulls the guide hand (left hand) through the zone and its mobility is critical for bat control. With a stiff, sore, or weak left shoulder, a batter is more likely to swing and miss, get worse contact, and lose significant power to the left side of the field.

In response the Nats called up Kory Casto. Casto only a year ago was one of the Nats top prospects but he struggled throughout all of 2007 at every level. The now 26 year old will get his second chance to try make an impression in the majors as many scouts have already given up on him. This season in Columbus Casto has bounced back, batting .315/.390/.461 (BA/OBP/SLUG), but has played right field all season. It’s not clear how Acta will use him, but my guess is he will be an emergency third basemen behind Aaron Boone, and will probably see some time in the outfield.

Nats shut out again, lose 5-0

The Arizona Diamondbacks showed in this series why they are a serious force to be reckoned with come playoff time. The D-Backs very easily have the best starting pitching rotation in all of baseball. With back to back shut outs in the tail end of the Nats visit to the desert, they saw this first hand.

Dan Haren punished the Nationals Sunday night. He used good accuracy one his fastball and smart put away pitches to keep Washington hitters off balance all night. Through seven solid innings he only allowed four hits, three walks, and fanned five Nats. With a little help from the bullpen the D-Backs shut the door on another shut out, making it over 18 innings since the last Nationals run.

Shawn Hill may need to go on the DL. This isn’t from any suggestion from the ball club, merely my own opinion. Since his return he hasn’t looked healthy, hasn’t played as if her were healthy, and has said that he is in fact, not healthy. The only thing the Nats are doing by letting him play is risking the future of his career. He isn’t throwing strikes (only 44 on 70 pitches Sunday) and now he isn’t making outs. The only question is who do the Nats replace him with?

Aside from the poor performance of Shawn Hill and the Nats line up, the rest of the game went relatively well. The Nats recorded no errors, and the new guys Brian Sanches and Charlie Manning threw four shut out innings after Hill left the game. It was all for nothing however, as the Nats lost 5-0.

Stat Standout

Arizona scored 13 runs in three games against Washington this series. 10 of these runs came at the hands of home runs.

Webb blanks the Nationals, 4-0

Last night Brandon Webb showed the Nationals exactly what makes him arguably the best pitcher in the National League; he’s nearly impossible to hit. Webb went the distance and finished a complete game shut out of the Washington Nationals, completely slowing any offensive firepower they may have showed days before.

The Nats Banged up line up again featured many players not in the opening day batting order. They weren’t quite as successful this time. While the team is slightly banged up, it’s not clear why Manny Acta went with an alternate line up two nights in a row. The order tonight saw both Wily Mo Pena and Elijah Dukes out of the order, which leaves it with just about no potential pop. With no runs scored, and only six hits, the Nats fell to Arizona 4-0.

This game was just odd

Abnormalities Saturday in the desert:
-Zero substitutions the entire game. Not a pitcher or a position player was take out for any reason whatsoever, only 18 men stepped on the field.

-Two complete games pitched on the same night, both threw under 115 pitches.

-Four of Bergmann’s seven hits allowed were solo home runs. This means he allowed more home runs then any other sort of hit, and he still managed to pitch a complete game.

-Zero walks the entire game for both teams

-A UVA alumni third basemen was the best player in a Nats game, and it wasn’t Ryan Zimmerman. It was Mark Reynolds

Injuries frustrate the Nats

Saturday night saw Ryan Zimmerman out with a sore shoulder, and Jesus Flores out with dizziness. The Nats obviously need these two to get healthy, Zimmerman is the backbone of the young franchise and Flores has the hottest bat. Both are listed as day to day which is certainly troubling for the immediate plans of Manny Acta. Not knowing who will be slotted where until they get to the ball park can be stressful to everyone on the team. Players can’t prepare mentally for their role on a given day if they don’t know who will be healthy or not. The Nats need to get better quick because the seasons only gong to get longer and harder.

Notes:

Jason Bergmann’s scoreless streak ended, but aside from the 4 solo homers (which really means he made 4 mistakes the whole game), he pitched very well en route to the complete game finish. His eight innings of work also allowed a tired bullpen to get some rest. Most importantly he showed a lot of heart going head to head with one of the games best pitchers.

Lastings had himself a day. He went 2-3 against one of the best pitchers in baseball and snagged two bases. In his last 10 games Milledge is batting .300 with two homers and six RBI. He has also stolen seven bases in that time.

Say hey Willie, Nats win 7-4

Despite an off night for Tim Redding the Nats used their bats to take out one of the best teams in baseball. The Diamondbacks Micah Owings had no answer for the Nats line up as they sprayed nine hits and converted seven runs. The Nats bats topped off by Willie Harris’s three run homer was the deciding factor, as Washington won 7-4.

Put me in coach

The Nationals had five players in their starting line up Friday night that were not in the opening day starting nine. Maybe Barack Obama is right, change is good. The Nats reserves who started last night batted only 5/21 on the night, they scored four of the Nationals seven runs and recorded the only two extra base hits of the night. Willie Harris became the latest Washington National to bust out of a season long slum. Harris took over for Felipe Lopez at second base and hit the all important three run homer that decided the game in the seventh.

Last night was the first time Harris had played second base since 2006 when he played two innings there for the Red Sox. Harris’s versatility has been incredibly valuable for the Nats this season despite his poor hitting. He has already played second base, shortstop, and third base, as well as left and center field in 2008.

Elijah Dukes turns a 180

On May 23rd, the Nationals put right fielder Austin Kearns on the disabled list with Loose Bodies in his right arm. Since that time young Elijah Dukes has been given the starting position and with it has received a bid of confidence from manager Manny Acta. In the last eight games following the Kearns Injury Dukes is batting .333 (6/18), with an on base percentage of .500 (12/24) with five runs scored.

Last night Dukes produced in one of the hardest roles in baseball, as a pinch hitter and then a sub. In two plate appearances he reached base both times recording a walk and a single. Dukes reaching base allowed Willie Harris to hit the three run homer that put the Nats on top.

GUZMAN WATCH

Christian Guzmans box score looks pretty good, which is something we like seeing here at The Nats Blog. He went 3/5 with one run scored, drove in none and saw probably nine pitches. He has only one walk in his last 22 plate appearances.

Game Day: Arizona Diamondbacks 30-24 vs. Washington Nationals 23-32

Gam Cast

Line ups

Washington
-Willie Harris
-Cristian Guzman
-Aaron Boone
-Dmitri Young
-Lastings Milledge
-Ryan Langerhans
-Jesus Flores
-Rob Mackowiak
-Tim Redding

Arizona
-Chris Young
-Stephen Drew
-Orlando Hudson
-Conor Jackson
-Chad Tracy
-Justin Upton
-Jeff Zalazar
-Chris Snyder
-Micah Owings

The Story:

The Nats try to rebound against one of the best teams in baseball, The Arizona Diamondbacks, after losing two of three to one of the worst, The Padres. Tim Redding will pitch against his former club and try to keep up his reputation as the readers of The Nats Blog have named him the Nationals Player of the Month.

Stat of the night:
Last season Diamondbacks pitcher Micah Owings hit .333 with 12 extra base hits.

LETS GO NATS!