SB Nation - Ricardo Nanita

The Washington Nationals And The MLB Hot Stove...Week-Ending Edition...

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:21:41 -0000

No Love From Loverro...

Washington Times' writer Thom Loverro let loose on the Washington Nationals in a recent article entitled, "As spring nears, joke's on the Nats", where Mr. Loverro wrote that the Nationals should have signed "Everyday" Eddie Guardado, who was famously apoplectic when jokingly told by the Texas Rangers that he had been traded to DC last season, because the signing, Mr. Loverro writes:

"...would have been nice comic relief for the Nationals, who might as well roll with their reputation as the laughingstocks of baseball."

DC GM Jim Bowden, in Mr. Loverro's words, "...seems intent on running a welfare hotel for Cincinnati rejects and refugees", but the Times' writer has no problem with adding another player from Mr. Bowden's Red past, recommending that one way to, "...help change the image of the Nationals as baseball's whoopee cushion", would be to sign free agent outfielder (1B?) Adam Dunn, who remains available on the free agent market in spite of his having hit for 40 HR's and anywhere from 92-106 RBI's in each of the last five seasons.

As the founding (and only?) member of the Fans For A Dunn-Free DC, I can't agree with Mr. Loverro's assessment of the remedy for the Nationals' woes, but if they had $160M or more to offer Mark Te - - - - ra, who is admittedly, a rare combination of size, power and skill that every team in baseball without an All-Star first baseman should have made a run at, the fact that Washington so publicly and aggressively pursued a big name free agent and came up empty, only to settle for one good solid trade and a series of high-upside and Minor-League-deal-w/-an-Invitation-to-Spring-Training signings is bound to disappoint the increasingly impatient DC fanbase.

Speaking Of High-Upside Signings...

Baseball Prospectus' writer Eric Seidman* takes a look at just such a player, DC's own DC, Daniel Cabrera, in an article entitled, "Risking Daniel: The New Nat, Hot or Not", where Mr. Seidman suggests that the point of signing pitchers to "low-risk, high-reward deals", is to attempt to catch lighting in a bottle from a player with something to prove, "...who may have underperformed in recent seasons," thus lowering their value in the eyes of the baseball cognoscenti. Daniel Cabrera, however, Mr. Seidman ominously warns, "actually carries more risk than meets the eye," arguing that Cabrera's decreased velocity, inability to locate any pitch other than his fastball and reportedly injured elbow, (which, Mr. Seidman writes, "The Nationals are hoping will hold up all season"), combine to make it unlikely that Cabrera will experience the kind of "career renaissance" one hopes for with these signings.

(ed. note - " * = I'm doing this article no justice in this synopsis, because it really is a well-argued, stat-based, excellent article, that you'll unfortunately need a subscription to Baseball Prospectus to read in its entirety, but it's also the kind of article that makes a subscription worthwhile.")

Glavine? Even After Odalis?

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal wrote today, in an article entitled, "Will Glavine return to the Braves? Nothing's certain", that the, "Nationals would represent an obvious possibilty if Glavine were to leave the Braves," since, "...he is close with Nats president Stan Kasten, a former Braves executive," but I really have to wonder if Glavine makes any sense in DC after the Nationals brought back another veteran lefty, Odalis Perez, just yesterday? And I REALLY have to wonder what Mr. Rosenthal has against possessive apostrophes?

O-Dog in DC?

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark still thinks so, speculating that free agent second baseman, Orlando Hudson, will most likely end up signing, "...a one-year deal with either the Nationals or Dodgers," in spite of his public pleas for interest from either of the New York teams. While I kinda want to see what Anderson Hernandez is capable of, you won't hear one complaint out of me if the Nationals add Hudson, unless of course, he ends up performing like "F-Lop" aka Felipe Lopez, who, Mr. Stark also mentions, has signed on with the D-Backs for the '09 campaign.

Federalbaseball.com At The SBN Headquarters...

HERE's some photographic evidence from the recent SB Nation Meetup in the nation's capital, as well as a good luck at the SBN's base of operations in DC courtesy of mlovitt...and yes, I'm captured in a few for anyone who wants to know which direction to lob tomatoes or unleash invectives next time I'm in DC...

Caribbean Series Update...

The Tigres del Licey, the Dominican representatives in the Caribbean Series, dropped another game today, this one to the Puerto Rican team, the Leones de Ponce, who were able to claim their first win of the Series with a 3-0 shutout, as the Tigres dropped to 1-4 overall. Anderson Hernandez, did, however connect on his first hit of the Series, finishing the game 1 for 4. Ricardo Nanita was 1 for 3 with a walk, as was Ronnie Belliard. Tomorrow, the Tigres play the final game of the 1st Round against Mexico.

Shawn Hill Arbitration Poll

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Hill first player to arbitration in '09", DC righty Shawn Hill will be the first player in the Major Leagues to take part in an arbitration hearing this winter. The first Arbitration Poll we did here at federalbaseball.com looked at Ryan Zimmerman's case, and you, the readers, voted overwhelmingly in favor of giving the "Face of the Franchise" a long-term deal, and also sided with Zimmerman's evaluation of his own worth as opposed to the DC Front Office's view, though I was surprised that 28 of the 191 votes cast favored the Nationals' estimation...

NEW POLL... Shawn Hill, the Nationals' oft-injured right-hander. Hill wants $775,000, the Nationals countered with $500,000. You be the judge...

Poll

Arbitration $'s...Shawn Hill vs The Washington Nationals...Whose Side Are You On?

Shawn Hill at $775,000?

15 votes

The Nationals at $500,000?

35 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

The Washington Nationals Are Just Staring At The MLB Hot Stove...Adam Dunn Wants What? Seriously?

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:15:20 -0000

The Flat-Brimmed Closer...

I always thought it would be the Mets...

Chad Cordero is back throwing off flat ground, not yet the mound, and already, "...at least a dozen teams," including two NL East rivals, are interested in acquiring his services according to Cordero's agent Larry Reynolds, who is quoted, in a post at the MLB Hot Stove blog by MLB.com writer Alden Gonzalez entitled, "Marlins intrigued by Cordero", as stating:

"'I think [the Marlins] are interested in watching him,' Reynolds said. 'A lot of teams have shown interest. But when it's time to make an offer, that's yet to be seen.'"

Washington Post writer Chico Harlan listed the Nationals, as well as, "The D-Backs, Angels, Mets, Rangers and Tigers," last week in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Right Off The Stove", as the teams with an interest in signing the free agent closer, so along with the Marlins that's seven of the twelve teams Cordero's agent claims, and in the collected articles of an mlbtraderumors.com post under the banner, "Chad Cordero To Audition Friday" by Tim Dierkes, there are also articles that mention the Brewers and Twins, so it's safe to say Chad Cordero will be employed when the '09 season begins...

Why wouldn't Washington just give Cordero $1M and an incentive-laden contract... out of loyalty to a former first-round pick if for no other reason?...Have a heart, Mr. Bowden? Mr. Kasten? Mr. Rizzo?...and bring the Flat-Brimmed Closer back into the fold...That is, if he'd even accept the Nationals' advances at this point?

Would You Pay $56 Million For Adam Dunn?

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick is quoted in a January 13, 2009 post at ESPN.com's MLB Rumor Central (sorry, Insiders only), entitled, "Price too high for Dunn", reporting that "an official from one club with an interest in Dunn", says the free agent outfielder is seeking a $4-year/$56M dollar deal in return for what is statistically guaranteed, (if there's no falloff in production over the course of the contract), to be 160 HR's and 400 RBI's over the length of the deal for whichever team will meet his demands.

At least he's not asking for 5 years? Dunn's apparently not willing to take a pay cut like Pat Burrell did when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays recently, and according to published reports, Dunn doesn't think he's, uh, done playing the outfield either, which is probably yet another strike against Dunn eventually signing with DC as I've been predicting for months now...

...as a result of Mr. Dunn's demands, the uncredited writer in this ESPN.com blurb determined that, "Washington and Atlanta, two clubs that have some interest in Dunn, have turned their attention to trade possibilities," before mentioning the same Nick Swisher/Xavier Nady to the Nationals rumors that have been floating around all week.

Is Washington finally past the point of believing that Dunn's nostalgic attachment to DC GM Jim Bowden from when they were both with the Reds will bring him to the nation's capital?

WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE...

Tuesday night in the Dominican Winter League Playoffs, the Tigres del Licey shut out Aguilas Cibaenas, 5-0, with DC and Licey right-hander Daniel Cabrera (W, 2-1) earning his second win of the postseason by throwing 5.0 scoreless innings over which he allowed just 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out...9? 9 K's in 5.0 innings is actually pretty impressive. Cabrera struck out 9 of the 21 batters he faced, and he lowered his DWL Postseason ERA to 0.64...Tigres' second baseman Anderson Hernandez was 1 for 5 with a run scored, Jesus Flores, who started behind the plate for Licey, was 1 for 4 with his first RBI for the Tigres...and third baseman Ronnie Belliard ended up 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored for the (10-5) Tigres.

Wednesday night in the Dominican Winter League Playoffs, the Azucareros del Este broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Tigres del Licey, who fell to (10-6), still good enough for 1st in the DWL Playoffs. Anderson Hernandez was 1 for 4 with a run scored, and he's hitting .318 in the Playoffs. Ronnie Belliard was 1 for 3 with a walk and a K. Jorge Sosa, yes, he signed with DC too, pitched 6.0 innings in the loss, receiving no decision after allowing 4 hits, 2 runs and 2 walks. (Azucareros' right fielder Ricardo Nanita, DC's Rule 5 pick from the White Sox organization was 1 for 4 with a double, and he's got 5 doubles and 12 RBI's in the Postseason, though he's identified as a White Sox' prosect in MLB.com's, "Wednesday Carribean League roundup: Lobos dispatch Cangrejeros in five."

STRASBURG FILES...

Eric SanInocencio, host of Baseball Digest Daily Live, (whose interview with Aaron Crow I wrote about back in late August), emailed me recently about an interview he was set to conduct with 2009's prospective #1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg for a College Preview podcast set to air in the coming weeks. The interview took place today, and I'll let you know when it's going to air...

In the course of our email correspondence, Eric SanInoncencio made a point about the Washington Nationals' compensatory pick in the first round of the upcoming '09 draft which I hadn't considered...

DC's second 1st round pick, (in addition to the #1 overall selection), was given to the Nationals as compensation after they failed to sign Aaron Crow. To paraphrase Mr. SanInocencio's insight, (since I didn't ask if I could quote him), the Nationals have very little leverage with this compensation pick, because Washington won't receive anything if they fail to reach an agreement here, so the players DC chooses will have a tremendous advantage heading into negotiations...

Will Washington be able to sign two 1st Round picks, especially considering how much Strasburg is expected to command? Can't wait to hear the Strasburg interview...

Washington Nationals In The Winter Leagues...And The Baseball Version Of The "Gordie Howe Hat Trick"...

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:06:36 -0000

WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES...

Anderson Hernandez doesn't want the Washington Nationals thinking about any other second baseman, not Ronnie Belliard or Orlando Hudson, no one but him for the starting spot in '09, and that's why Hernandez tore up the Dominican Winter League, finishing the season with a .365 AVG, which was good enough for second in the League, 20 doubles (1st), 6 triples (1st), 1 HR and 29 RBI's in 50 games and 211 AB's, over which he posted a .406 OBP, .531 SLG and .937 OPS...

...After going 0 for 2 this afternoon in a 3-2 Dominican Winter League Playoff win over the Azucareros del Este, Hernandez was hitting .393 in 7 Postseason games for the Tigres del Licey, who are 4-3 after Sunday. (Belliard was 0 for 3 Sunday starting at 3rd for the Tigres).

(ed. note - "Before you, uh, hand?...Anderson Hernandez the starting job at second with DC, just remember, this isn't the first time the second baseman destroyed the DWL...back in 2007, Hernandez, then with the NY Mets, and still playing for the Tigres del Licey, led the DWL Playoffs with a .402 AVG in 23 games according to MLB.com writer Eric Justic's article entitled, "Hernandez wins postseason batting title", and Hernandez's '07 stats with the Mets...according to baseball-reference.com's A. Hernandez stat page...4 G, 3 AB's, 1 H...

MLB.com's Sunday Caribbean Leagues Roundup, entitled, "Aybar, Tigres edge Azucareros", (my favorite title of '09!), singles out the performance of Azucareros' right fielder, and, "Nationals prospect Ricardo Nanita, (who) went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Azucareros."

--(ed. note - "...and I'll forgive the fact that the MLB.com article doesn't use a possessive apostrophe with "Nationals prospect", since I didn't recognize Nanita's name until I pulled up the results of the '08 Rule 5 Draft at Baseball America.com and realized the Nationals had selected the OF from the White Sox with the first pick in the 1st Round of the Triple A Phase of the R5D back on December 18, 2008.")

Nanita's 3 for 4 performance Sunday gave the 6'0'', 195lb, left-handed hitting outfielder, (a 14th Round White Sox' selection in 2003), a .447 AVG with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's in 8 DWL Playoff games. After hitting .286 with 22 doubles, 9 HR's and 51 RBI's in 111 games and 412 AB's with the ChiSox' Double-AA affiliate in Birmingham, Nanita hit .313 in the DWL Regular season with the Azucareros, collecting 10 doubles, 4 HR's and 26 RBI's in 47 games and 160 AB's...

...and speaking of Nationals' Prospects, I apparently overlooked Alberto Gonzalez all winter, who's been plying his trade with the Venezuelan WInter League's Aguilas de Zulia, and today, according to the same MLB.com article referenced above, Gonzalez, who started at short and was 2 for 4, "...singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Aguilas squared their record at 1-1 in the round robin playoffs." You'll remember that Alberto "The General" Gonzalez was acquired by DC in a trade with the NY Yankees in late July '08, in exchange for Jhonny Nunez, and he hit .347 with 6 doubles, 1 HR and 9 RBI's over 17 games with Washington. This winter with Aguilas, Gonzalez hit .303 with 2 doubles and 14 RBI's in 38 games and 142 AB's.

...In the last game of the Puerto Rican Winter League's regular season, outfielder Jorge Padilla, one of the 13 Minor League free agents the Nationals signed back on 12/13/08, according to MLB.com writer Bill Ladson's report entitled, "Nationals sign 13 to Minors deals", started in right for the Lobos de Arecibo, and according, (again to the uncredited MLB.com article entitled, "Aybar, Tigres edge Azucareros"), the, "...Nationals farmhand Jorge Padilla homered and drove in three runs for Arecibo before he was ejected in the ninth." Way to go Padilla, that's like the baseball version of hockey's Gordie Howe Hat Trick...

...and lest we forget, the Criollos de Caguas dropped a 4-3 decision Sunday to the Gigantes de Carolina, in spite of the two runs, 1 each, by both Nationals' prospects playing for Caguas, Garrett Guzman and Justin Maxwell, both of whom were 0 for 2 with 2 walks, while Criollos' and Nationals' reliever Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera completed a scoreless inning of work while allowing just one hit.

end transmission...