SB Nation - Wily Mo Pena

Heroes of the Zeros: Third Base

Slyde — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:22 -0000

During the aughts, the Reds had 39 different players play at least one game at 3B, including Javier Valentin, Jason Larue, Dmitri Young, and Wily Mo Pena. There was also a fan favorite, a fan whipping boy, and a guy that is more famous for a single swing on another team than anything he did with the Reds. Who do you think is the starting 3B for the Reds All Decade team? Vote in the poll after the jump.

Other ballots: Starting Rotation | Bullpen | Catcher | First base | Second base

Click header to sort table by column
	Years	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	wOBA	WAR
Aaron Boone	2000-2003	455	1889	1681	242	451	101	7	70	257	144	308	.268	.335	.462	.797	103	.339	8.4
Edwin Encarnacion	2005-2009	514	2000	1764	236	462	109	4	71	263	185	364	.262	.345	.449	.793	103	.344	1.4
Tim Hummel	2003-2004	82	219	194	19	43	9	0	3	17	16	30	.222	.285	.314	.599	58	.258	-0.9
Brandon Larson	2001-2004	109	332	291	29	52	11	0	8	37	35	86	.179	.271	.299	.570	49	.258	-1.4
Andy Phillips	2008	52	80	73	11	17	3	0	3	10	6	14	.233	.300	.397	.697	80	.307	-0.2
Joe Randa	2005	92	368	332	44	96	26	1	13	48	33	52	.289	.356	.491	.847	120	.362	1.3
Scott Rolen	2009	40	162	137	24	37	7	1	3	24	19	20	.270	.364	.401	.766	102	.342	0.9
Adam Rosales	2008-2009	105	296	259	23	55	11	1	4	21	27	50	.212	.296	.309	.605	60	.275	-0.3
Chris Stynes	2000	119	420	380	71	127	24	1	12	40	32	54	.334	.386	.497	.883	120	.378	2.5

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/18/2009.

Analyzing Market Inefficiencies: Players Below Replacement Level

Jack Moore — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:22:16 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

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Sky's Note: I'm psyched to introduce another new BtB writer, Jack Moore. He's a Brewers fan, but we'll deal with that if he continues to write awesome articles like this one and the one below. Be nice to the new guy, and feel free to drop him a tweet at @jh_moore. Ok, enough linkage, read this:

Every year, there are at least a few players that make us scratch our head and say, "Wait, he's still in the Major Leagues?" These are players that are consistently at or below replacement level and yet continue to receive playing time and even occasionally receive contracts above the minimum in lieu of freely available talent. These consistently poor decisions made by front offices across the country beg the question - what are these players doing to earn roster spots? Let's take a look at four categories of players that have performed below replacement level over the past 3 calendar years, with a minimum of 500 plate appearances.

Category 1: One-Tool Sluggers

These guys are good at one thing, and one thing only: hitting home runs. This is the kind of market inefficiency that may be on its way out with the prevalence of defense among front offices now. Included in this category are 8 of the 23 players who have been below replacement level over the last 3 calendar years with at least 500 plate appearances.

Player	Batting	Fielding	Replacement	Positional	Wins	ISO (career)	ISO (last3)	difference	UZR+PosAdj	POS	NOTES
Marcus Thames	0.5	-12.3	21.5	-11.9	-0.2	0.256	0.252	0.004	-24.2	COF	43 HR in 646 PA
Richie Sexson	-11.0	-18.9	27.3	-16.9	-1.9	0.246	0.198	0.048	-35.8	1B	33 HR in 818 PA
Jonny Gomes	0.0	-16.3	19.4	-14.1	-1.1	0.219	0.193	0.026	-30.4	COF	25 HR in 586 PA
Jeff Baker	-11.8	-1.8	17.2	-6.7	-0.3	0.201	0.152	0.049	-8.5	ALL	16 HR in 516 PA
Wily Mo Pena	-18.3	-2.8	17.4	-7.6	-1.1	0.194	0.146	0.048	-10.4	COF	15 HR in 523 PA
Brad Wilkerson	-12.9	-4.0	23.3	-12.2	-0.6	0.193	0.180	0.013	-16.2	ALL OF	24 HR in 698 PA
Craig Monroe	-26.4	-6.1	22.2	-11.5	-2.1	0.191	0.179	0.012	-17.6	COF	23 HR in 668 PA
David Dellucci	-12.5	-7.2	20.6	-12.6	-1.1	0.180	0.148	0.032	-19.8	COF	15 HR in 619 PA

Fantasy players value players like these because they can straight up clobber the baseball out of the ballpark. Looking at other skills necessary to be a major leaguer, however, these seven just come up short. None of these seven play a premium position (Baker did play 76 games at 2B and 3B combined, but never stuck anywhere), and where they do end up fielding they are well below average with the glove. Only Jonny Gomes flashed any legitimate amount of speed on the bases (20 SB to 5 CS). Even with the bat, despite the high power numbers, only two of the seven grade out as average, as their on-base skills simply are not at a major league level. This group overall, for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, got on-base at a .299 clip and had a staggering K/BB ratio of 2.98. Combining poor fielding with the inability to reach base make these players unplayable despite their great power.

Category 2: Aging Veterans

These guys are all at least 30 years old and experiencing a definitely decline in ability with their age. Many of these players not only played well in their 20s but some were even stars (the most notable player on this list, Nomar Garciaparra, put up 41.5 WAR between 1997 and 2003). Instead of focusing on ISO, I'd like to focus on Speed Score with this group.

Player	Age	Batting	Fielding	Replacement	Positional	Wins	Spd(career)	Spd(last3)	difference	UZR+PosAdj	POS	NOTES
Nomar Garciaparra	35	-8.6	-13.0	23.3	-4.5	-0.3	5.90	2.23	3.67	-17.5	1B/3B	41.5 WAR 1997-2003
Mike Sweeney	35	-8.5	0.5	16.9	-14.0	-0.5	3.50	1.46	2.04	-13.5	1B	13.6 WAR 2000-2002
Jose Vidro	34	-5.4	-3.9	31.8	-23.1	-0.1	3.20	1.85	1.35	-27	DH	8.0 WAR 2002-2003
Mark Kotsay	33	-18.8	-5.7	22.1	1.0	-0.1	4.80	2.85	1.95	-4.7	CF	12.0 WAR 2002-2004
Frank Catalanotto	35	0.2	-10.8	21.8	-13.1	-0.2	5.00	3.85	1.15	-23.9	1B	3.9 WAR in 2001
Dave Roberts	36	-8.9	-10.1	19.1	-1.9	-0.2	8.60	7.55	1.05	-12	CF/LF	3 seasons above 2.0 WAR
Corey Patterson	30	-36.0	1.1	29.8	4.1	-0.1	7.20	6.50	0.70	5.2	CF	4.9 WAR in 2004
Gary Matthews Jr.	34	-14.9	-28.6	38.8	-4.0	-0.9	5.60	5.09	0.51	-32.6	ALL OF	9.5 WAR 2004-2006

For the most part, this group of players were, at some point in their careers, plus defenders playing at premium positions. Most notably, Roberts was pushed out of CF, Garciaparra lost the ability to play SS, and Vidro was moved from 2B to DH. Similar to the sluggers, the biggest reason these players are below replacement is because of their minimal defensive values, whether it's because they can't play their positions any more (Roberts is +37 runs career by TotalZone, and had a -7 year in 2007) or simpy don't have the bat for the position any more (Sweeney's +0.5 UZR pales when shown next to a -14.0 positional adjustment). Patterson is the anomaly here, as his defensive value including position is a quite respectable +5.2, but his bat died in 2008, posting a ridiculous -26.6 wRAA. An interesting thing to note here is the decline in speed score. Every single one of these players showed a decline of at least .50 with an average decrease of 1.55. A decline of 1.55 is certainly concerning if not alarming in a stat with a range of 0-10, and it likely explains why these players are no longer assets on defense.

Category 3: AAAA Players

This group just plain does not fit on any major league roster. Still, they seem to find work filling benches or even occasionally starting for the lowest of the low. As a fan, if you have to see one of these players getting consistent at bats, you know your team is in trouble. These players excel at nothing, and really never have.

Player	Age	Batting	Fielding	Replacement	Positional	Wins	UZR+PosAdj	POS	NOTES
Jose Castillo	29	-27.1	-4.5	22.8	3.7	-0.5	-0.8	2B/3B	-1.2 career WAR
Ross Gload	33	-15.4	3.2	27.9	-18.9	-0.3	-15.7	1B	-1.2 career WAR
Chris Burke	29	-23.1	1.9	20.7	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	ALL	1.9 career WAR

I really have explanation as to why Ross Gload has ever been on a major league roster. He's a light hitting, average fielding first baseman, which probably has never been in demand. Jose Castillo plays a decent enough 3B but has no bat to back it up. These two players have not only been terrible recently, but have made an entire career out of it. Chris Burke's career, on the other hand, may be salvageable. He does have a positive career WAR, and it is possible that he was simply being used incorrectly. As an outfielder, he has a career UZR/150 of 0.1, but at 2B his UZR/150 is 7.2. With 2B being more valuable than the COF spots that Burke had spent so much time in, it's possible that Burke could become a 1 win player going forward.

Category 4: Hot Prospects

Occasionally, a prospect gets rushed to the big leagues by virtue of injuries or shortages at the ML level or simply an overzealous front office. These three players all have received hype in some way, shape, or form, and were supposed to play like major leaguers at a very young age. Unfortunately for their fans and their front offices, they have not performed to any major leaguer's standards, much less that of a first round pick.

Player	Batting	Fielding	Replacement	Positional	Wins	ISO (career)	UZR+PosAdj	POS	NOTES
Josh Fields	-14.5	-15.6	20.4	0.7	-0.9	0.187	-14.9	3B	18th pick in 2004
Delmon Young	-12.3	-29.8	46.6	-14.4	-1.0	0.117	-44.2	COF	1st pick in 2003
Alexi Casilla	-27.1	-4.1	24.4	2.8	-0.4	0.069	-1.3	2B	Signed out of DR in 2003 at age 19

This group is probably the most unique of them all, each showing different ways to produce at a below-replacement level. Casilla has the glove to potentially be an average player right now, and Young's bat could play at a tougher position. Fields shows the worst of both worlds, showing no indication of major league talent except for the ability to hit for power. These players were likely rushed to the majors too quickly, but who knows if any amount of minor league time could correct their problems. Another problem for these GMs is that these players are too talented to just get rid of, and may clog up roster spots on these teams for years to come.

Finally, let's take a look at the salaries these players received.

Player	Wins	Salary (2007+2008)	Over Minimum	Player	Wins	Salary (2007+2008)	Over Minimum
Jeff Baker	-0.3	0.8	0	Frank Catalanotto	-0.2	7.5	6.7
Josh Fields	-0.9	0.8	0	Craig Monroe	-2.1	7.6	6.8
Alexi Casilla	-0.4	0.8	0	David Dellucci	-1.1	7.6	6.8
Chris Burke	-0.1	1.4	0.6	Brad Wilkerson	-0.6	8.3	7.5
Marcus Thames	-0.2	1.7	0.9	Mike Sweeney	-0.5	11.5	10.7
Jonny Gomes	-1.1	1.7	0.9	Dave Roberts	-0.2	11.5	10.7
Ross Gload	-0.3	1.9	1.1	Mark Kotsay	-0.1	15	14.2
Jose Castillo	-0.5	2.6	1.8	Gary Matthews Jr.	-0.9	15.8	15
Delmon Young	-1.0	2.7	1.9	Jose Vidro	-0.1	16	15.2
Wily Mo Pena	-1.1	3.2	2.4	Nomar Garciaparra	-0.3	18	17.2
Chad Tracy	-0.1	7	6.2	Richie Sexson	-1.9	31	30.2
Corey Patterson	-0.1	7.3	6.5	Average	-0.61	7.9	7.1
--	--	--	--	*TOTAL*	*-14.03*	*181.7*	*163.3*

Between these 23 players, teams have wasted 163.3 million dollars giving them roster spots. Between Jose Videro and Richie Sexson alone, the Mariners wasted 45.4 million dollars in 2007 and 2008. Even a larger market team like Seattle can't handle inexcusable contracts like those two. These are the kind of mistakes that kill small and middle market teams. As the economy worsens, it'll certainly be interesting to see if these inefficiencies remain or if different types of below replacement players surface.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:21:29 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Corey Hart, who has apparently not been photographed since dying his hair over the weekend, is off to a nice start and has some encouraging things to say about his new approach.

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Some things to read while hanging out in Nashville with Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys.

If you would have guessed that Todd Coffey would be the Brewer getting the most attention two weeks into the season, you probably could have won a fair amount of money. Coffey is profiled in the JS this morning, in a story that makes it sound like he really needed a change of scenery last fall.

Don't let Coffey's performance trick you into thinking the bullpen is fixed, though: As Chuckie Hacks notes, Brewer bullpen pitchers not named Coffey have combined to post a 6.00 ERA in 30 innings. Take out Mark DiFelice and it jumps to 6.65.

Speaking of problems that aren't resolved yet, Brewed Sports rips a hole in the argument that Jeff Suppan has made a sudden transformation.

On the other side of the coin, we have Corey Hart. The Official Site takes a look at his altered approach in 2009, and his new philosophy on selecting pitches to hit might be the most encouraging thing I've read all spring.

After the always popular road off-day, the Brewers open a three game series with the Phillies tonight. It doesn't sound like weather will delay or postpone any games in the series, but it doesn't sound like it will be pleasant either. Weather.com is predicting on and off showers in the afternoon and evening today and again tomorrow. Perhaps Philadelphia needs a visit from Brick, the bad weather hating bactrian.

Down on the farm:

Mat Gamel and Brett Lawrie are on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet. (h/t FanShot)
Baseball America's Minor League Transactions notes the Brewers signed 26 year old infielder Kevin Melillo to a minor league deal. Melillo has spent five years in the minors and hit .260/.348/.444 in AAA over the last two seasons. He's also among today's top performers in the Minor League Notes.

The Brewers had two rough weeks, so for some it's obviously time to give up on them: The Hardball Times Dartboard has them at 23rd and Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star dropped them from 14th to 26th.

I'm guessing every reader of this site has already heard that Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy dyed their hair black over the weekend. The story is several days old, which makes it even more impressive that the best headline was a late entry: "The Brewers Will Win or Try Dyeing."

Around the league:

Braves: Acquired Brian Barton from the Cardinals for Blaine Boyer. Also, Brian McCann will see an eye doctor today regarding blurred vision that has kept him out of several games.
Marlins: Placed reliever Andrew Miller on the DL with an oblique strain.
Mets: Signed Wily Mo Pena to a minor league deal.
Padres: Reacquired utilityman Chris Burke from the Mariners.
Red Sox: Placed Rocco Baldelli on the DL with a hamstring injury.
Twins: Placed reliever Jesse Crain on the DL with shoulder inflammation.

So, even though it's only been a couple of weeks, there have been several occasions in game threads and elsewhere where Ken Macha's decision making has been called into question. If you're one of those consistently baffled by his moves, Joe Posnanski wants to hear from you.

The sky is still falling: Baseball Digest Daily reports attendance from the first two weeks of 2009 is on pace to be 6.9% lower than last season. Here are the problems with that number:

As Fox Sports notes, attendance is always down in April and September because of weather. They don't mention it, but attendance is also down in April, May, some of June and September because kids are in school.
As noted ad nauseum, two new ballparks opened in baseball's largest market this spring, and they're both smaller than their predecessors.

In a related note, Bleed Cubbie Blue takes a look at the forecast in Chicago today, where rain and snow are expected and the high is only 46, and wonders if baseball could do more to keep early season baseball out of the cold. It's an idea that seems good in concept but will never work: Giving more April home games to teams like the Brewers would give them more low-attendance dates and cost them high-revenue home games later in the season. Warm weather and dome teams wouldn't, and shouldn't have to, agree to that deal.

Sometimes statistical analysis drops to a new low: The Book blog discusses the merits and value of a 3'2" pinch hitter.

Oh, and I'm starting a recipe blog.

Drink up.

Should any of these scraps interest the Braves?

gondeee — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:23:26 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

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There have been a lot of unconditional releases of players with some degree of past talent this spring. Should the Braves pursue any of these guys to bolster their left field ranks or their bench?

Gary Sheffield: He's familiar to the Braves and their fans, after spending one good and another really good year in Atlanta. At 40-years old is he still the power threat he used to be, and is he still a guy who can play without the use of the DH? He was pretty pitiful last year, as all his averages were down, and his strikeouts were up. He hit a weak .178 this spring, but with three homeruns and a lot of walks, while keeping his strikeouts under control.
Geoff Jenkins: Like Sheffield, Jenkins' spring has been pretty anemic, but he has shown some power and ability to hit. Jenkins has never been a prodigious power bat, and he likes the DL as much as anyone, but if we're looking for power he may at least provide more than Garret Anderson.
Dallas McPherson: His major league numbers are pretty awful, but it's hard to ignore two seasons in the minors where he's collected 40 or more homeruns, including last year. It's been suggested that he could backup Chipper and play some outfield, but is he anything more than a Russel Branyan, Mike Hessman, or Wes Helms -type player?
Mike Lamb: If we're considering backup third-baseman who have been recently released, then we have to consider Lamb, who just got dumped by the Brewers. He's a perrinnial backup, but he's shown in the past he can hit for some power and get on base at a decent rate.
Wily Mo Pena: If Jim Bowden were our GM, he's be on our team (but thank God he's not our GM). Pena's got power, but not much plate discipline. He's probably more of a project than we need.

It's my assertion that we don't really need any of these guys, as our bench is pretty solid and salary is already being taken up by exisiting left fielders and backups. What do you guys think?

Poll

Should the Braves pursue any of these recently released players?

Gary Sheffield

390 votes

Geoff Jenkins

29 votes

Dallas McPherson

187 votes

Mike Lamb

82 votes

Wily Mo Pena

45 votes

None, we're set with the guys we have

764 votes

1497 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:44:59 -0000

Some things to read while acknowledging that the world would be better off without some people.

Another sigh of relief is in order this morning, as X-rays on Ryan Braun's thumb came back negative. Braun lost a fly ball in the lights in last night's 6-4 loss to the Padres and, as a baseball tends to do, it found a delicate place to hit him. He suffered a contusion and will likely be off today, but could play again as soon as tomorrow.

Braden Looper continues to work to catch up with his teammates in his preparations for the season. Looper gave up two earned runs (four total) in four innings last night, but gave up two home runs and was hit hard in general. He'll get one more minor league start before the home opener.

Tony Gwynn Jr. was given another opportunity to prove he belongs in the field last night, and was not impressive. In fact, "not impressive" might be understating it a bit, so Chuckie Hacks took it to the next level. Tuesday's JS Camp Report had this to say about Gwynn's chances of making the team:

Asked if Brad Nelson (.370, 3 HRs, 15 RBI) and Chris Duffy (.313, 8 doubles, 11 RBI) deserved to claim the reserve outfield jobs over Tony Gwynn Jr. (.167) for the same reason, Macha said, "I'd probably say that's the case but they're not on yet. We'll have to see. You'll have to ask me that question in a couple of days."

Brewed Sports has a familiar name in mind to fill Gwynn's roster spot. Geoff Jenkins was cut loose by the Phillies yesterday, and could be available for next to nothing. It's important to remember, though, that the Brewers would likely have to DFA Brad Nelson to make room for him. Nelson will likely produce at a similar level for the Brewers this season, and when he's done he'll still be under team control for five more years.

A side note on Jenkins: Gary Sheffield was also let go yesterday, but FanGraphs compared the two former Brewers and thinks Jenkins has more to offer a team at this point.

While nothing is official yet, it appears Casey McGehee has made the team, as Mike Lamb will not. Lamb has until 11 am today to decide if he would like to become a free agent or go to the minors. If he decides to stay with the Brewer organization, he'll have to clear waivers to be sent down. He'll make $3 million (from the Twins) to be a below average corner infielder this season anyway, so it's hard to feel too bad for him.

Ken Macha tried out a new lineup wrinkle yesterday, batting Corey Hart second and J.J. Hardy fifth. It's an interesting concept: putting Hart in front of Braun and Fielder could force pitchers to throw him more strikes. It will only work, though, if Hart learns to take a pitch from time to time. If pitchers know they can get him out with junk out of the zone, there's no reason to change their approach to him at all.

Barring something unforeseen, Mark DiFelice will be on an Opening Day roster for the first time in his 12 year professional career. Tom H. has a profile that talks about DiFelice's long road to the majors.

By the way, if you're headed out to Miller Park to catch DiFelice and the rest of the Brewers on Opening Day, Miller Park Drunk wants you to dress for success.

If you've already purchased tickets for a Brewer game this season, you're one of 1.75 million fans who have done so, which means you'll also probably be one of 1.75 million fans waiting in line at the new discount concession stand.

You probably won't see these guys, though: The Brewers are suing another suite holder for failure to pay. This time, it's Big League Promotions and Marketing of Waukesha. Apparently they weren't Big League enough.

Brian Anderson posted a new blog before last night's FS Wisconsin telecast and has a preview of some of the upcoming interviews Brewer fans can expect to see as part of the telecasts.

Peter Gammons says 2009 is the year for Rickie Weeks, but if you don't believe him, The Grand National Championships is making a case for it too.

On Rankings/Previews/Predictions and whatnot:

Bucs Dugout has the Brewers finishing second in the Central.
Sports Illustrated also has the Brewers second in the division, but says they could make a run at the Cubs by trading Prince Fielder for pitching and replacing him with Mat Gamel, who still has not played one inning at first base.
Lukekohler.com also has the Brewers finishing second.
Desipio.com predicts the Brewers will win 81 games and tie with the Reds for third place.
Sharapova's Thigh thinks the Brewers will finish right around .500.
Wheelhouse Radio has the Brewers finishing fifth.
Canada Free Press also has the Brewers fifth, along with a bandwidth-sucking website that made this morning's Mug five minutes later all by itself.
Sixty Feet, Six Inches has the Brewers fourth in the Central.
C70 at the Bat also has the Brewers fourth.
MLB Playoff Odds simulated the season 10,000 times using CHONE projections and predicts the Brewers will win about 79.8 games.
Stan Musial's Stance has the Brewers fourth in the division.
The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog simulated the season 6000 times, with 1000 simulations each for six projection systems. The Brewers averaged 81.9 wins and finished in second more often than any other position.
Vigilante Sports has the Brewers finishing second.
The Sports Guys rank the Brewers 26th in their preseason power rankings. I've started a petition to get them to become "The Fashion Guys."

Around the minors today, there are a couple of stories of note: Vinny Rottino is headed to Huntsville to play every day at third base. Also, Keith Law watched a Brewer minor league game this week and was impressed by the velocity of Brewer farmhand Pedro Lambertus, who could spend 2009 in Brevard County or Huntsville.

Meanwhile, in other camps:

Astros: Acquired Jeff Keppinger from the Reds for a player to be named later.
Braves: Signed Chipper Jones to a three year extension, keeping him in Atlanta through 2012.
Giants: Jonathan Sanchez will miss his final Cactus League start and could miss his first start of the regular season after burning his right index finger "cooking."
Marlins: Released Dallas McPherson.
Mets: Released Jose Valentin, Tony Armas Jr. and Junior Spivey.
Nationals: Released Wily Mo Pena.
Padres: The team is still looking to add relievers and could make a move for a player who's out of options.
Rays: Jason Isringhausen may not make the team and is not willing to accept a minor league assignment.
Tigers: Jeremy Bonderman will open the season on the DL with tightness in his shoulder.

Another day, another economic story: An AP poll showed 45% of baseball fans think baseball's biggest problem is its price tag. To a point they're right. Take another look at the note above about the Brewers reducing concession prices: the reduced price for soft serve ice cream is $3.50. That's after you spend $10 to park your car and pay "convenience fees" for the right to pay $30-$100 to watch a game.

With that said, the wording of the poll is problematic for me. The poll asked baseball fans for their opinion on the biggest problem facing the game, and they named a problem. If I handed you a $100 bill and asked you to name the biggest problem with it, you'd probably be able to find one. But all the game's problems put together weren't enough to keep participants from telling a pollster they were "interested" or "very interested" in baseball.

Of course, cool giveaways can help raise fan morale too. Giving a cardboard model of your team's new stadium to season ticket holders, however, may be too small of a gesture.

Are the rules somehow different in spring training? Dusty Baker was ejected from yesterday's Reds game, but instead of leaving the field, he remained in the dugout.

Statheads rejoice, you're about to have another new toy: two sources are going to start measuring the hang time of fly balls.

Oh, and if you'd like to make the trip to Davenport, Iowa this season, you could watch the Timber Rattlers play the Quad Cities River Bandits from a van down by the river.

Drink up.

The Washington Nationals' '09 Roster: Can Dmitri Young Do It? Is Scott Boras Serious About Stephen Strasburg?

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:28:08 -0000

Dmitri Young...

It was reported that the normally affable Dmitri Young met with the DC media earlier this Spring and politely informed each of them that he wouldn't be speaking to them while he worked his way back onto the Washington Nationals' roster. DY knows adversity, in his personal, and in what concerns us here, his professional life, having worked his way back to baseball once before, with the assistance of the Former DC GM Jim Bowden, who extended a hand to Young late in the '07 offseason after he'd been released by the playoff-bound Detroit Tigers the previous September.

It was another handshake that the Former DC GM and DY shared that came out in the papers and caused a minor uproar in the Natosphere once it was announced that Dmitri would be added to the Nationals' 40-Man Roster last week. Apparently, the Former DC GM had promised DY that he would bring him back from Triple-A, (where Young had been placed just before the last Rule 5 Draft, ostensibly, so that someone else could be protected), if Young accepted the temporary demotion.

Washington Post writer Chico Harlan reported, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Nats Win, Astronauts Return, Dmitri Speaks", that, (in Mr. Harlan's words), DY, "...was thankful that Mike Rizzo and Stan Kasten were treating him with the same respect that Jim Bowden always had," and when asked if he thought he could make it as a bat off the bench, DY responded simply, "...the career that I've had, I can hit -- flat-out hit."

DY started his MLB career playing 1st with the Cardinals back in 1996, he's played the outfield, hit as high as .320 in a full campaign just two years ago, collected 301 doubles and 171 HR's in 1,364 games over 13 seasons in the Majors, and come back time and time again, overcoming any obstacles that have kept him off the field, and even managing to win the Comeback Player of the Year award while earning his second All-Star appearance as the Nationals' lone representative in 2007, in what was arguably the second-best season of his career...Can DY do it? Can Dmitri Young make the Nationals' roster? Do you dare doubt DY?

Wagner...

Washington Times' writer Mark Zuckerman counted the Nationals' roster down to 36 as he reported, in an article entitled, "Wagner re-assigned to minors", on DC reliever Ryan Wagner's being re-assigned, "most likely" Mr. Zuckerman writes, "...to Class AAA Syracuse." (ed. note - "Mr. Zuckerman with the old-school 'AAA', nice, no 'Triple-A'...") Wagner, acquired by the Former DC GM along with Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez in a July'06 deal that sent Gary Majewski, Brendan Harris, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton and Daryl Thompson to the Reds, was attempting to win a spot as he worked his way back from shoulder surgery, but Wagner allowed 6 hits, 4 runs and 2 walks in 7.0 IP this Spring before receiving the news. Felipe Lopez is long gone. Austin Kearns is on the market. Wily Mo Pena's been placed on waivers...Just sayin'...

GAME THREAD...

It's the Tigers again today, but this time it's in Detroit's Florida home, Joker Marchant Stadium in sunny Lakeland, Florida, and the Washington Nationals are throwing '05 12th Round pick, 25-year-old right-hander Craig Stammen, who played at three-levels of the Nationals' system last season, though he struggled at Triple AAA Columbus giving up 35 runs in 43.0 innings with the Clippers. Stammen is set to face the Tigers' prize prospect Rick Porcell--...speaking of pitching prospects...

STRASBURG FILES...

Sports Illustrated writer Jon Heyman, at SI.com, goes with the title, "THE $50 Million Man?" (ed. note - "At least he made it interrogative...") and then starts his article on the projected #1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft by writing:

"That $50 million figure that's being attached to ballyhooed college-pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg is no joke. Baseball people who have spoken to Strasburg's adviser Scott Boras say they believe that's the figure Boras has in mind for Strasburg, the San Diego State pitcher some are calling a once-in-a-decade talent."

That number isn't inventing itself, that's for sure. The 6-year/$50M dollar Daisuke Matsuzaka-like contract was first mentioned by ESPN's Peter Gammons in a 3/21/09 article at Mr. Gammons' ESPN.com blog, entitled, "Trade to A's was best thing for Holliday", in which he wrote:

"'...some club officials think that if Washington takes San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick, Boras will ask for Daisuke Matsuzaka money (six years, approximately $50 million) or take him to Japan for a year, a threat that may scare Stan Kasten into selecting a lesser prospect."

Mr. Heyman mentions Mr. Gammons article, and notes that the 6Yr./$50M dollar price tag, "...seemed fanciful when it was first thrown out there. But apparently it's deadly serious," and while Mr. Heyman points to contentious negotiations in the past between Nationals' team President Stan Kasten and Scott Boras, he also mentions:

"...Mike Rizzo, who's now handling interim GM duties for Washington and personally has experienced success drafting Boras clients as Arizona's scouting director (Stephen Drew, Max Scherzer)."

Strasburg's next start comes in Petco Park, this Friday, April 3rd, as sdsuaztec4 wrote and reported in ending his last Strasburg report here at federalbaseball.com entitled, "The Strasburg Files: Episode 4- The dreaded BS, ND", "Next Game Stephen will pitch is April 3rd at PETCO park versus UC Davis. Be there or be from the East Coast!"

Game Time 1:05 pm EST from Joker Marchant. Stammen vs Porcello? Who's Following The Nationals?

Spring Training - Game Thread: Houston At Washington. Nationals Make Cuts, Set '09 Starting Rotation.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:09:10 -0000

A Tale Of Three Starters...

Last night, at Port St. Lucie, Florida's Tradition Field, New York Mets' ace Johan Santana threw 7.0 innings against the Washington Nationals in which he allowed just 4 hits and 1 ER, going up against the Nationals' Opening Day starter John Lannan, who held it close at 2-1 NY through five, but got in trouble the sixth when he issued a leadoff walk to Luis Castillo:

"Luis Castillo takes a high 3-1 pitch for a leadoff walk in the sixth. Castillo’s running as David Wright lines a single to left. Carlos Delgado flies to Josh Willingham in left, who starts back and charges in to make the grab. Carlos Beltran skies a fly ball to Lastings Milledge in center. Two down, Fernando Tatis takes a fastball back up the middle for a two-out RBI single. 3-1 Mets..."

Lannan was out after the sixth, giving up 7 hits,1 BB and 3 ER, with 2 K's, 12 ground ball outs, and 4 fly outs from the 26 batters he faced. Santana, in only his third start of the Spring, retired the last 10 batters he faced and probably could've pitched a complete game, but Francisco Rodriguez and Pedro Feliciano needed some work...

Meanwhile...

In Fort Worth, Texas' Fulton Stadium, San Diego State University starter Stephen Strasburg surrendered 2 ER on 3 H, (1 a HR) in 8.0 IP against the nationally ranked TCU Horned Frogs. Strasburg struck out 14 Horned Frogs in his fifth win, and is now (5-0) in six starts and 42.1 IP this season, over which he's now allowed 24 hits, 9 R, 8 earned and 8 walks while collecting 88 K's and posting a 1.70 ERA, holding opponents to a .161 AVG. (ed. note - "I'll not mention who else is pitching in Ft. Worth these days, for those of you who don't remember or have chosen to forget...")

John Lannan Learns Who His Opening Day Opponent On The Mound Will Be...

Florida Marlins' Manager Fredi Gonzalez announced Friday that Ricky Nolasco would take the mound in Dolphin Stadium next Monday, April the 6th, to face John Lannan and the Washington Nationals in the first game of each team's 2009 season. According to MLB.com writer Joe Frisaro's article entitled, "Marlins give Nolasco nod in opener", the Marlins' Manager saw the start as a way to repay Nolasco, who, "...was outstanding for us last year, 200-something innings...He earned that, for me."

When the Washington Nationals announced that John Lannan would get the Opening Day start, it was the "Acting" GM Mike Rizzo who explained the decision to MLB.com's Bill Ladson in an article entitled, "Nats tap Lannan for Opening Day start", in which Mr. Rizzo praised Lannan's:

"...command of all his pitches, the poise on the mound beyond his years and his competitiveness of the mound."

Lannan told Washington Post writer Chico Harlan last night, in a post game Nationals Journal post entitled, "The Mets Feel Like The Mets", that he was ready for Opening Day, which is now just over a week away, and the 24-year-old lefty, thinks he's peaking at just the right time:

"All my pitches were working. I only threw one curveball, but change-up felt good, fastball, I was able to locate it, and -- did I say change-up already? My slider was working, too."

But before Lannan and Nolasco and the Nationals and Marlins meet on April 6th...

Stephen Strasburg's next start...is April 3rd at Petco Park...

But Before Any of That...

The Washington National welcome the Houston Astros to Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida for a 1:05 pm EST start this afternoon. DC lefty Scott Olsen is expected to pitch for the home team against the Astros' Jose Capellan.

Breaking News: Nationals Make Cuts...

According to Washington Post writer Chico Harlan, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Martis, Zimmerman Make Rotation, Pena Place On Waivers", the Washington Nationals have officially announced that Shairon Martis and Jordan Zimmermann will fill in the fourth and fifth spots in the Nationals' '09 rotation, with Zimmermann to start the season in Triple-A and return when the 5th starter is needed in several weeks.

The Nationals also announced that they had placed Wily Mo Pena on waivers, and assigned Collin Balester to Triple-A Syracuse. Jose Castillo and Corey Patterson were assigned to Minor League camp, while one of the three catchers who was battling for a backup spot behind Jesus Flores (who is scheduled to return today), Javier Valentin opted for free agency rather that accept his demotion.

Is The Washington Nationals' Injury Bug Back?

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:50:30 -0000

It's Happening Again...

First it was Wily Mo Pena, who came up with a strained right shoulder. Jesus Flores was next with a strained right elbow...and now Shawn Hill, who was being talked about as a starter again in the last few days, fails to make his scheduled appearance this afternoon with the all-too-familiar right forearm discomfort. Hill must be the most frustrated of all, as he's simply been unable to ever really start a career that stretches back to his MLB debut on June 29th 2004 with Montreal, through his last start of 2008 on June 24th and includes only 37 starts and 206.1 IP, in which he's gone (7-15) with a 4.93 ERA and 130 K's...

Back in October, I took a look at The Bill James Handbook's Pitcher Projections, for the Nationals, and for Shawn Hill, in particular:

Shawn Hill '09 Projections
Player	Age	GS	IP	K	HR	W	L	ERA
Shawn Hill	28	15	75.0	115	24	4	5	4.12

Hill might very well still meet those projections, but a trip to Dr. Andrews is never a good thing...and I was even skeptical at the time I posted the projections, before any of today's news, as I wrote:

" • - 15 starts from Shawn Hill? That would be the second highest total of his career...and Mr. James has '09 Hill pitching like the '06 Hill, who had enough potential to keep the Nationals interested in having him in the starting rotation to this day in spite of the constant arm issues...but 15 starts?"

MLB.com's Bill Ladson went so far as to place Hill in the Nationals' starting rotation recently, in an article entitled, "Nationals rotation looks to be a strength", where Mr. Ladson wrote:

"The Nationals now have to find a fourth and fifth starter, and the choices they have are not bad. While they are cautious, the club really wants right-hander Shawn Hill to be that fourth guy."

Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's Nationals Journal post this morning entitled, "Uh-Oh. Shawn Hill. James Andrews", brought all the same questions back up again...Will Shawn Hill be able to pitch? What exactly is wrong with Hill's forearm/elbow? Will Shawn Hill ever get a chance to show the baseball world what Washington and Montreal fans know he's capable of doing on the mound? Mr. Harlan quotes a saddened DC Manager Manny Acta, who sympathized with Hill's situation, stating:

"'Obviously I feel bad for the kid, because he's been going through it for a while now,' Manager Manny Acta said. 'Hopefully he comes back with good news from Dr. Andrews. But you know, we kind of prepared ourselves for something like this.'"

For those of you who follow the FEDERALBASEBALL.COM TWITTERFEED...You'll know that I was wary and waiting to see if Hill could make it to Opening Day as part of the Nationals' starting rotation, as I wrote at 9:00 am this morning:

"Shawn Hill on the mound @ 1:05pm against Detroit. Can the old Expos' draft pick make it to Opening Day injury free?"

And just over three hours later:

"Uh, Yeah...Looks like Shawn Hill won't make it to Opening Day...pulled from start, headed to Dr. Andrews."

Now of course, Hill didn't ever start, and he may indeed come back, but the Nationals are not going to be able to count on it...and another spot in the rotation just opened up...

Federal Baseball.com: An Unofficial Washington Nationals Blog: ReIntroduction and Primer...

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:55:49 -0000

"While you others represent, I present my rep." - Posdnous (Plug One)

"Let's Go Nats Go!!" - Official Team Cheer

(ed. note - "Before beginning a sort of reintroduction, I just wanted to point all federalbaseball.com readers, new and old, to the post the SB Nation's Chairman and CEO Jim Bankoff put up the other day entitled, "Welcome Yahoo Users", which explains the recent distribution agreement the SB Nation reached with Yahoo Sports, then the fun starts..."):

Federal Baseball.com: Staff Positions and Bios...

MInistry of Peace: e chigliak - (ed. note - "I'm sticking with my original bio...")

About DCDaily: Federalbaseball.com: Expos' fan since birth. Raines, Dawson and Carter to blame. Followed to DC. Still waiting for Playoffs. '81 was half a season, and I was 6.
Interests: Marcel Proust, Jack Kerouac, Wong Kar Wai, Alain Resnais, Alan Moore and baseball.

My old photo gallery...

Ministry of Truth: Records Department (Editor): Winston Smith

(ed. note - "Winston Smith: No bio available...")

Ministry of Plenty: Doghouse - W.A.R. Effort

Bio:

Doghouse is an escaped physicist who compulsively posts half-understood statistics and attempts to see the bright side of every Nats-related situation. He is seriously worried about Screech's grimy condition, and is not at all rational about the possibility of Nick Johnson being injured. If encountered in the wild, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REASON WITH HIM. Instead, apply beer until the subject agrees that Ronnie Belliard may have lost a step since his All Star season. Under no circumstances ask him about the time he spent "coaching" Alfonso Soriano from his CF seats in RFK during the 2006 season.

Ministry of Plenty: Nationals News Network

via cdn3.sbnation.com

In addition to his duties with Federal Baseball, Dave Nichols is the proprietor of Nationals News Network and Capitals News Network, an official "Hockey Friendly Blog" to the Washington Capitals. He covers the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals for DC Sports Box.com and is a contributing columnist for Bleacher Report.com. Early in his career he spent four years in radio, working for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Redskins and University of Maryland radio networks. He prefers to take a constructive, critical look at the dealings of the teams he covers, which sometimes leaves him as the voice of doom and gloom. You can reach Dave directly at natsnewsnetwork@gmail.com.

Ministry of Plenty: Scout

Bio:

(My Brother, Braves' Fan and Source For All Things Baseball)

(ed. note - "You may have noticed the first post of what I hope will be many from sdsuaztec4, who lives in San Diego and has the "Strasburg Package", and so has offered to cover the projected #1 pick in the '09 Draft, and future Nationals' Ace?, San Diego State University starter Stephen Strasburg. If the first post is any indication, sdsuaztec will be providing the best coverage of Strasburg's starts in the blogosphere...Why not one more time with this video?")...

(another ed. note - Coming Soon...I reached out to all the Nationals' minor league affiliates, asking if anyone at any level of their respective organizations would like to contribute weekly/bi-weekly posts about the goings-on down on the farm, and so far I've received positive responses from four of the five, expressing interest in keeping you, the federalbaseball.com readers, up-to-date on every level of the DC system. (ed. note in an ed. note - "C'mon Syracuse?"))

(ed. note - "For Any New Visitors To Federalbaseball.com or any of the other blogs in the SB Nation...These are the best tutorials I've found for navigating the comments, FANPOSTS, FANSHOTS, and just about everything else you could hope to know about the ridiculous platform the SB Nation's crack tech team has devised to make the bloggers look good...and I was going to make my own tutorials, but these embarrassed mine...totally was...")

Slyde at Red Reporter (SBN's Cincy Reds blog) put together a post entitled, "RR Tech Tips: Enhancing Your Reading Experience", which offers particularly good information about navigating the sites.

The Cheat at South Side Sox (SBN's CWS blog) posted a guide entitled, "Make South Side Sox Better: A Guide To Better Posting" which has info on FANPOSTS, FANSHOTS, Tagging, Headline Writing, etc.

Nationals Blogs We Dig, Other Than Our Own...(in no particular order).

Nationals Pride.com

Fire Jim Bowden

Nationals Farm Authority

We've Got Heart

Bad Nats - (ed. note - "Doghouse once swore this was the best Nationals blog on the intertubes...I'm paraphrasing, of course. We eagerly await their next post...")

Bally's Blog

PRESIDENTS RACE: LET TEDDY WIN

Nationals Journal

Chatter- (now with more posts)

FEDERALBASEBALL.COM GLOSSARY (ed. note - "So some of this makes sense...")

1 - Player Names, Nicknames, (Explanations): (In Alphabetical Order) (ed. note - "Trust me, these make a lot more sense if you follow the Gamethreads...")

- Luis Atilano - Nickname Pending (let's wait and see if he makes the Opening Day roster).

- Collin Balester - Bally, Ballystar, Battlestar.

- Ronnie Belliard - Ronnie B., Belli, Belli-YARD(upon homering), "Old Drop and Throw" (because he drops every grounder then throws to first)

- Roger Bernadina - Bernie? I got nothing...

- Jason Bergmann - Neptune NJ's Finest, Rutgers' Finest, The Bergmann of Alcatraz, "Not A Fly Ball Pitcher." (At least Bergmann doesn't think so.)

- Daniel Cabrera - The Project, DC's Own DC Daniel Cabrera, The Closer In Training.

- Kory Casto - Kasto, Casto!!(clapclap) Casto!!(clapclap)

- Matt Chico - Slowhand...

- Elijah Dukes - Elijah "Super" Dukes, SooperDukes

- Adam Dunn - The Big Donkey, Dunn-K, The Bigger Wilkerson, or Big Wilky for short.

- Jesus Flores - The Jesus, WWJD?

- Alberto Gonzalez - The General

- Cristian Guzman - The Guzzzzz

- Joel Hanrahan - "Wild" Joel Hanrahan

- Willie Harris - Thrillie Harris, WILLIE HARRIS WANTS TO PLAY!!, (Doghouse says, "TAWH = The Amazing Willie Harris, a magical force capable of playing any position and fielding any batted ball.")

- Anderson Hernandez - A-Hands, Acta's Favorite Infielder

- Shawn Hill - "The Oft-Injured Shawn Hill", Hill on the Mound, The Pride Of Mississauga, Ontario.

- Nick Johnson - Nicky J., Babe Ruth the 3rd, Nick Nick, Johnson Johnson, The Semi-Mythical Healthy Nick Johnson, Nick "When Healthy" Johnson, Trade Bait.

- Austin Kearns - AK, Kearnsie, Bluegrass, Mr. Kentucky, Bowden's Favorite Outfielder, Doghouse's Favorite.

- John Lannan - John "Cool Hand" Lannan, "Ace"

- Lastings Milledge - Lasto, L-Millz, "Deep Center" Milledge

- Garrett Mock - MOCK'd (as in, "You just got...")

- Scott Olsen - Nickname Pending

- Wily Mo Pena - WMP, WMPe, Bender©

- Saul Rivera - Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera, Sa-Oool!!, The Hardest Working Reliever in Baseball

- Steven Shell - Nickname Pending

- Ryan Zimmerman - THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!©, Zim(n), The Face of the Franchise©, The Nationals' #1 Pick in '05, The Best Defensive 3rd Baseman in Baseball. (ed. note - "Don't ever talk bad about Zimmerman, seriously...")

Addendum...(Nats News Network adds to the Nickname Madness...)

some nicknames i've used in the past...

—Wee Willie Harris
—The Man With Two Last Names (Anderson Hernandez)
—"Oh Danny Boy" Cabrera or "The Enigma"
—Scott Olsen is either "Alien" or "Peanut-Head"
—and when we’re referring to our two Zimmerman(n)’s, i think we should make a pact to refer to the 3B as Zim and the pitcher as Zimm (altho i realize the pitcher has two "n"s and one "m", i just think it’s funny and a way to distinguish them)
—Blastings Thrilledge
—William Moses Pena the Third
—Jesus Colome is the "The Other Jesus" or "The Second Coming" or "Slow", as in "Slow" Jesus Colome
—Wil "Prettyboy" Nieves

TERMS -

The Plan - The 5? Year Plan For Rebuilding The Franchise From The Bottom Up. (ed. note - "No one really knows when The Plan started...The Nationals have always been at war with the Hated Mets.")

The Hated Mets - (ed. note - "That's what me and Stan Kasten call them...though I don't know Mr. Kasten...I just read that he did, uh, call them, that, and I always have...Uh, ok.")

NatsTown© - Dave from Nats News Network explains...

The W.A.R. Effort - Check Out One Of Doghouse's Latest posts and SEE...

(ed. note - "Where I (e chigliak) comment on my own commentary.")

The DC Closer Tradition = Making It Interesting.

OPS+ = A stat that compares a batter's overall ability (on-base plus slugging) to league average. 100 is exactly league average, greater than 100 is better, and less than 100 is worse.

ERA+ = Just like OPS+, except for pitchers.

Oh, and this is what you'll see every time the Washington Nationals sweep some poor MLB opponent...

That's, uh, just about it...

?'s For The DC Faithful...

(ed. note - "Did you actually read this far? Thanks. If there are any questions, my email is on the masthead at the bottom of the page, or there's this thing called the Comments Section, where comments can be left...and I love answering questions, and there was no sarcasm in that last statement...")

Spring Training: Game 2 Game Thread: Detroit Tigers at Washington Nationals.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:42:45 -0000

What's Going On...?

Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Nationals have not contacted Selig", seems to be a direct response to Baseball Prospectus' writer John Perrotto's blog entry, "Nats strongly considering change", in which Mr. Perrotto confirmed the fact (at least according to his sources) that the Washington Nationals are indeed interested in bringing in current Toronto Blue Jays' Assistant GM Tony LaCava should the "bonus skimming scandal" take down DC GM Jim Bowden. Mr Perrotto also claims that Major League Baseball's:

"Commissioner Bud Selig has given Nationals President Stan Kasten permission to hire LaCava without interviewing minority candidates because of a change of GMs being necessitated after spring training has started."

Mr. Harlan's post entitled, "Nats have not contacted Selig" went up on the Nationals Journal several hours after Mr. Perrotto published on Baseball Prospectus, and in it Mr. Harlan reports that, "The Washington Nationals, contrary to a published report, have neither requested nor been granted," an exemption from the rules regarding MLB's established hiring practices. (ed. note - "Is it me, or do they just deny having made the request for exemption from the rules, so they have talked about a change?")

A "league source" Mr. Harlan quotes tells him the Nationals "...would be expected to adhere to established guidelines" if they hired someone from outside the organization, but were they to promote from within instead, on an interim basis, the source says they could do so, "without following the guidelines," which would seem to favor perhaps promoting Assistant GM Mike Rizzo? MLB Trade Rumors.com's Tim Dierkes throws the name Daric Ladnier into the mix as well in a post entitled, "Nationals considering GM change". Ladnier, who started his career as a scout for the Braves, was brought to DC after being dismissed from his post as Kansas City's senior director of scouting, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, who writes, in his article, "Nats add Ladnier to front office mix", that DC GM Jim Bowden considered Ladnier, "one of the best scouting directors in the game." Bowden? The embattled DC GM hasn't been heard from much recently...

Game One Recap...

Nothing better than having baseball back on the radio this afternoon, except maybe if the Nationals had prevailed over the Astros, but things picked up pretty much where they left off with Washington failing to generate much offense while left-handed starter John Lannan impressed on the mound. Lannan threw 2.0 scoreless and hitless, retiring all 6 batters he faced, and Shairon Martis followed with 2.0 of his own scoreless frames, but Washington didn't put a run on the board until the 8th when Javier Valentin singled one in. The Nationals rallied for two runs late against 'Stros' reliever Danny Graves, but couldn't complete the comeback, dropping the Spring Opener to Houston by a 6-3 score.

Game Two Preview...

Collin Balester gets the start today at home in Viera, Florida's Space Coast Stadium. MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote yesterday, in an article entitled, "Nats' opener is first test for Milledge", about DC Manager Manny Acta's plan to only use, "players such as outfielder/first baseman (1B?) Adam Dunn and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman," in home games for the near future, so this afternoon's game could be Adam Dunn's competitive debut as a Washington National...How long before Adam Dunn hits his first HR under a curly-W cap? How many AB's into his DC tenure? Predictions? Get on the record?

?'s For the DC Faithful?

Is Austin Kearns gonna make it?

Where's Elijah Dukes going to bat? Second? Sixth?

Who had the better offseason beard, Balester or Hinckley?

Who's your "longshot" to make the Nationals' roster? Luke Montz? Ian Desmond? Wily Mo Pena? (ed. note - "Sorry, I'll stop. WMP, Yeah!") Does Alberto Gonzalez have a shot? Roger Bernadina? Terrell Young...The Rule 5 pick?

Game Time 1:05 pm EST...WHO'S WATCHING THE NATIONALS?