With the All-Star Game coming up and voting in full force, the Nationals are a first place team. For the first time since 2005, they are a first place team during All-Star balloting. Still, who could they get in the Mid-Summer Classic?
While they are in first in the NL East, it is difficult to think about who is worthy of being an All-Star. No one on the squad has remained super consistent in 2012. Many started hot, then cooled off. Some are recently returning from injury, not putting in enough work to be considered a true All-Star.
Ryan Zimmerman, who was always considered one of the best shots for the Nats at making the game, has had a disappointing season. There is no outstanding player at the plate or in the field who is the best at his position in the National League.
This is why, for the last two years, the sole Nats representatives have been pitchers. It could very well be the same this season, with the performances the starting pitchers have put in in 2012.
Most off days mean there won’t be much news. But today’s off day isn’t like other off days. Today, hundreds of prospects will desperately refresh their browsers and watch on television as they wait for their name to be called, making their life long dream come true.
That’s right, today is the MLB draft.
This organization built a team the old fashioned way. They got draft picks, a lot of them, and developed the players within their own system. They brought up their own players to improve the team long term, from the core, instead of getting veterans to put a band aid over the wound.
Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Drew Storen, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper…they were all drafted and developed by the franchise. All are now playing key roles on the team on a regular basis.
We’ve mentioned the offensive struggles that this team has faced time and time again. They can’t get runs home. They can’t get on base. They need someone with consistency to put them over the edge.
The funny thing is, they had that guy on their roster all along: Michael Morse. And with his rehab stint in Potomac almost over, the Nats will get their best slugger from 2011 back in the lineup soon.
Morse hasn’t blown anyone away in his rehab games, but most importantly he hasn’t suffered any set backs. When he does inevitably return to the Nationals (and this could be sooner rather than later) he will be 100% healthy and ready to go.
Last season, Morse batted .303 and hit 31 home runs for the Nationals. There had been some concerns about the hole that the departure of Adam Dunn created, but Morse was given an opportunity through various injuries and blew everyone away. He was easily the breakout star of the season, almost making it to the All-Star game.
Despite the hype and high expectations from them every night, the Nationals pitchers are not infallible. It is a very solid five-man rotation that gives the Nats a chance to win each and every game, but there is more to a baseball team than their pitching.
Last night, Edwin Jackson pitched a fine game. He allowed 5 hits, just one earned run, walked three and struck out three. Allowing 2 runs would normally be enough for a team to win, but instead Jackson gets hung with the blame after an errant throw. The Nats went on to lose 3-1.
The reality of the Nationals’ season so far is that the pitching has to be perfect in order for the team to get it done. It may be the reality, but it is far from fair, as is the criticism many of the pitchers get after less-than-flawless outings.
The pitching is rarely (if ever) the reason the Nats lose a game. An MLB team should be able to score 3-4 runs more often than not. They should be able to build off of the chance the man on the mound has given them. Time and time again, the Nats fail to do that.
Corey Brown has been off to a hot start in Syracuse this season. Normally, hot starts like his get a lot of attention in the world of the organization. Brown was cursed with playing at the same time as Bryce Harper, but with Chad Tracy on the DL, he will get a well-deserved shot.
Brown was hitting .297 with a .399 on base percentage in AAA ball. He also has hit 12 home runs with 30 RBI and 6 stolen bases. He has a similar maturity to Harper at the plate (though no one should be expected to be that calm in their first major league season).
Another plus with Brown is the chemistry he has with Harper. The two worked together extensively in the outfield before Harper’s call-up. They communicate well, and having each other there will only make each feel more comfortable.
Speaking of comfort, the Nats also called up Carlos Maldonado at catcher, since apparently no one on the team can manage to stay healthy. Maldonado’s line isn’t nearly as impressive: .211 average with 20 strikeouts this year.
…yeah. That title pretty much says it all. It’s hard to imagine, but rookie Bryce Harper feels he still has a lot to give and a lot to prove to the Nationals and the baseball world. And he thinks that is going to come soon.
Things to keep in mind:
Harper said this following a 2-4 game that included a walk and an RBI.
Since being called up, Harper is hitting .278 with a .366 OPB and a .861 OPS.
Harper has hit 12 extra-base hits including 3 home runs.
In 26 games, Harper has 27 hits and an impressively mature 13 walks with only 2 strike outs.
For a 19 year-old, this apparently ISN’T “getting going.” And that is a terrifying thought for the rest of major league baseball who doesn’t wear a curly W on their hat.
The Nats’ pitching rotation was a whole lot of confusing heading into the 2012 season. There appeared to be no room for players the Nats had been developing in Ross Detwiler and John Lannan. Then, Chien-Ming Wang got hurt.
Once Wang was injured, a new storyline emerged: who would take his place in the rotation? Would it be Lannan, who had been the Nats’ go-to guy (and an Opening Day guy) for the last couple of years? Or would it be Detwiler, who had been refining his stuff for the last year?
Even Davey Johnson was a little confused, first naming Lannan the 5th starter until changing his mind a week later to Detwiler. The ensuing drama ended with Lannan struggling in Syracuse while Detwiler continues to hold his own in D.C.
There was a time when you had to be in DC to watch the Nationals play, whether you had a ticket or not. It was considered a small baseball market, and one that the national media didn’t feel was worth mentioning. Today, I will be able to watch the Nats/Phillies finale on the West Coast.
The Nats have been on ESPN multiple times this season. Their national audiences have seen them take on the Phillies and the Orioles, who are a surprising number 1 team in their own right.
Remember when we said that once the Nats started winning, the people would come? Well, it’s happening. The problem was never that the Nation’s Capital wasn’t a baseball town, it’s that it is a winning town. It is a city that continues to profusely support a team that hasn’t won in 20 years. Once it gets a winner, it hangs on tight.
With young stars in Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez, Bryce Harper, Danny Espinosa…ok you get the point. This city has embraced the team while they continue to march through first place in the NL East. Who woulda thunk it…winning changes everything!
So the Nats lost this season’s first installment of the Battle of the Beltways, but they cleaned up yesterday in a 9-3 win to avoid the sweep. They’ll now look to carry that momentum into tonight’s match-up with the Phillies as rivalry week continues. Here’s what’s up.
-Two phenoms for the Nats broke the losing skid, and it’s a sign of good things to come. [Snyder]
-Did we mention Strasburg hit a home run? Yeah, that happened. [Wash Times]
-With Wang’s impending return, what will happen to Detwiler? Johnson addresses it. [Federal Baseball]
-Strasburg had some tightness toward the end of his start, but no one is too concerned about it. Hey, a HR can take a lot out of a kid. [Nats Blog]
-Bryce Harper is pretty stoked to get in on the Nats/Phillies action this week. [CSN Washington]
-Ryan Zimmerman is starting to really help the Nats offense come around. [Nats Journal]
With the All-Star Game coming up and voting in full force, the Nationals are a first place team. For the first time since 2005, they are a first place team during All-Star balloting. Still, who could they get in the Mid-Summer Classic?
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