SB Nation - Jose Castillo

The Giants have no alibi: He's Uggla

Grant — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:36:20 -0000

The worst thing about the offseason -- other than that minor detail about there not being baseball to watch -- is the amateur general managing. And, yeah, I'm as guilty as the next guy, but if I have to hear or read one more person say something like this...

Nick Johnson? Eight home runs and 62 RBI? Oh, yeah, another Ishikawa. Sabean is such an idiot! Get Jason Bay!!!

...a piston will snap inside my brain, and I'll shoot up a Kinko's or something. I welcome the Sabean-directed anger, but it's for all of the wrong reasons. It's like walking out of Red Planet or Mission to Mars and saying, "Man, that movie sucked! Why did it have to be set on Mars?" Yes, it did suck, but your reasoning is idiotic. And it makes me want to punch things. Excuse me while I punch things.

This isn't to suggest that I'm better than these fans. I'm only suggesting that I'm smarter. Also, better.

So when someone comes up that almost everyone can agree with in theory -- Dan Uggla, a guy who can hit in the middle of the order without the other team giggling -- that should be a good thing, right? If the difference were between a free Uggla and a free Nick Johnson, well, there might be some spirited debates, but everyone can agree that there's a wee difference between a free Uggla and starting Jose Castillo.

Ah, but this Uggla is not free. The Marlins will want some young players in return. So with Pablo Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez able to play a couple different positions, it would make more sense to concentrate on the players who can be obtained through free agency, right? It's the Lenox Financial of roster moves! Keep the minor leaguers, especially considering that either Uggla or Sanchez would have to play out of position.

Then why do I want Uggla?

Everyone has one. Some are better at suppressing it. I thought I was. But I see that Uggla is a perennial 30-homer player, and the gland starts a-pumpin'. Logic is taken over by chemistry. And I want Dan Uggla on the San Francisco Giants as long as it doesn't take a prospect who will eventually be a good, cheap player. I have a secret list of all of the prospects who will turn into good, cheap players, so I reserve the right to be outraged in five years.

There are very good reasons not to acquire Uggla. He's not a good defender at second, and he'd be an unknown at third or, gulp, in left field. He'll cost the Giants a prospect or two. His patience is improving, but his contact skills will keep his production down.

It'd sure be nice, though, if the Giants backed into a lineup with Posey improving on Molina, Uggla improving on Ishikawa, and Sanchez improving on Burriss from last opening day. There's still a chance that the Giants do something stupid even after acquiring Uggla -- "Hey, this team doesn't have a true leadoff hitter with speed! They'll revoke our membership at the Ol' Timey Roster Construction Club! Quick, to the Crappy Transaction Cave!" -- but I'd like a real middle of the order, please. Uggla would be a start.

Could the Pirates Lose 110 Games in 2010?

Charlie — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:50:23 -0000

More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP

A thought experiment: Brandon Moss may be bad, but if he starts the season hitting .100, is he really a .100 hitter?

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That this post even needs to be written speaks volumes about where the Pirates are right now. But despite the Bucs' spectacular collapse since the trades, I think it's far too early to worry, as many of you have, about losing 110 games next year. It's true that the Pirates' play over the last month would put them on pace for far worse than a 110-loss season. But that doesn't mean a 110-loss season will actually happen. A 110-loss team would be among the worst teams in modern baseball history. In the last 40 years, only two teams, the 2003 Tigers and the 2004 Diamondbacks, have lost as many as 110 games in a season, which means that if the Pirates lost 110, they would have to be considered one of the worst teams in modern baseball history. I think there is plenty of evidence that shows that they are bad. I don't think there is nearly enough to show that they are historically bad.

The irony here is that, way back in 2007, I myself was pointing out that the 2010 Pirates were going to be spectacularly bad. I even suggested what some of you are now saying--that they could lose 110 games. Most of the core players on that 2007 team--Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jose Castillo, Xavier Nady, Salomon Torres--were scheduled to become free agents after 2009, and Jack Wilson had an expensive 2010 option. In addition, they had one of the worst general managers in the history of baseball at the helm and next to nothing in the farm system. That the Bucs would be quite awful in 2010 has been obvious for a long time now, and frankly Neal Huntington bears very little responsibility for it. In 2007, it looked like a perfect storm of a terrible big-league team, no prospects and inept management was brewing, and I think it was maybe only a little hyperbolic to write that a 110-loss campaign in 2010 was likely.

The reason I don't think it's likely now is that Huntington has taken enough steps to improve the 2010 situation that I think we can remove "historically bad" from the set of likely possibilities for now.

I realize that's a counterintuitive conclusion, since clearly Huntington's eyes are set at a point well beyond 2010 and the Bucs aren't playing very well right now. But without Huntington there would be no Ross Ohlendorf or Daniel McCutchen, who were acquired in the Nady deal. There would be no Charlie Morton, since the Pirates under Littlefield would not allow Nate McLouth to start and therefore to acquire value on the trade market. It's quite possible Littlefield would have started Nyjer Morgan in 2009, but back in mid-2007 his breakout would have been extremely hard to foresee (since Morgan hadn't even made his major league debut at that point), and trading him for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan would have been even harder to foresee. Without Huntington the Pirates probably still would have had Ian Snell, but they wouldn't have Ronny Cedeno or Jeff Clement. Those guys--Ohlendorf, Morton, Milledge, Hanrahan, Cedeno, Clement--are all major league players. Maybe not great ones, in some cases, but certainly useful ones, and one characteristic of 110-loss teams is that they have very few useful players.

Also, a number of decent prospects--Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Brad Lincoln, Chase D'Arnaud, Rudy Owens, Ron Uviedo, Jeff Locke, Tim Alderson--will be either in the high minors or on the verge of arriving there. That may sound like a trivial point, but actually it isn't. 110-loss seasons can be avoided simply by having a storehouse of players who might be able to fill in competently.

Now, maybe Littlefield would have traded Bay and some of the other core players, too. I doubted that at the time, though, because doing so would have meant admitting that he basically had nothing after five or six years on the job, and because he was basically acting like 2010 did not exist, as if the Pirates would be contracted before the season started. That was my reason for thinking 110 losses was possible then. Now it appears that Huntington is at least aware that the Pirates will be playing baseball next season. That might not mean much, but it's something.

The most critical point here, though, is that losing 110 games is spectacularly difficult to do. It requires either extreme negligence or a combination of negligence and bad luck. Merely being a very poor team, which I agree the Pirates probably will be, simply does not get the job done. Let's take the two teams that lost 110, for example.

The 2004 Diamondbacks reached 110 losses through both negligence and luck. Not only did they have the worst offense in the league--an outcome that is surely also a possibility for the 2010 Pirates--but they really had no starting rotation after Randy Johnson (who was brilliant) and Brandon Webb. The five pitchers who had the most starts for them were Casey Fossum, Steve Sparks, Casey Daigle, Edgar Gonzalez, and Lance Cormier, and all of those guys had ERAs over six. Arizona finished 27th in the majors in ERA, and one of the three teams that fared worse was the Rockies. And the Diamondbacks still only got to 110 through bad luck--their Pythagorean record was "only" 54-108.

The 2010 Bucs really don't even belong in the same conversation with the '03 Tigers, who lost 119 games. The Tigers only had one pitcher throw more than 20 innings with an ERA below 4.50; the '09 Pirates, by comparison, have seven pitchers currently in their organization who have done that this year. The Tigers basically had one good hitter (Dmitri Young), and the lower part of their lineup and their bench were filled with guys (Brandon Inge, Warren Morris, Ramon Santiago, Shane Halter, Gene Kingsale, Omar Infante, Matt Walbeck, Andres Torres) who just didn't belong in the majors. It wasn't a case of a team merely being bad; it was a case of a team simply not taking the steps necessary to ensure that there was a real team on the field.

When I say that the Pirates are unlikely to lose 110 games next year, I'm not paying the Pirates a compliment. I'm just saying these 110-loss prognostications are the result of either over-the-top despair about the Bucs' recent play, or a misunderstanding about how incredibly hard it actually is to lose 110.

Another possibility is that people think you can extrapolate the Bucs' play the last couple months over the course of an entire season. You can't. By way of example, let's look at Brandon Moss. Let's say he's the Bucs' fourth outfielder next year and he starts the season 6-for-60, for a batting average of .100.

Now, we would be perfectly justified to say that Moss is terrible. We already would have been thinking that Moss is pretty terrible, given the way he hit in 2009. And then he went and started 2010 6-for-60. Ugh! Terrible.

But would be justified to say that he will continue to bat .100? Well, no. True, he already batted .100 in his first 60 at bats, but hitting .100 over the long haul is especially hard to do. First of all, we have to consider that Brandon Moss has, at various points, done things that suggest he can be much better than a .100 hitter. For example, in 2009 he's batting .241. Not very good, but way better than .100. Also, he made his way through the minors and got all the way to the big leagues, even briefly joining a good team, the Boston Red Sox. He has some skill, and players with some skill can usually hit better than .100. Even Mario Mendoza hit .215 for his career.

So we'd be justified to be annoyed at Moss' poor start. We'd also be justified to factor that poor start into our guesses about what he might do going forward. But it wouldn't make much sense to predict he'll be a .100 hitter.

Guessing the 2010 Bucs will lose 110 games is like that. Yes, they've been extremely bad since the trades. But they have three downright functional starting pitchers in Ohlendorf, Zach Duke and Paul Maholm, plus Morton, who easily could make his way into that category next year. They have Andrew McCutchen, who's a plain old good player. They have Garrett Jones who, while due for some serious regression next year, has probably staked a pretty reasonable claim that he's at least going to be useful. They have Ryan Doumit, who in 2008 was a force as an offensively-minded catcher. They have Milledge and Hanrahan, who have shown promise since arriving. They have guys like Ronny Cedeno, Andy LaRoche and Jason Jaramillo who, while they're not exactly inspiring, have shown they at least belong in the majors. There's also at least a reasonable chance that Pedro Alvarez is going to burst onto the scene at some point next season and go nuts.

I'm not saying that's much. It isn't. I'm saying it doesn't take much to avoid 110 losses, and that while anything's possible, I think the Pirates have what it takes. Don't take that as wild-eyed optimism, because again, it isn't. I'm only saying that I think the Pirates can avoid a complete disaster season, and the fact that they've actually been a disaster since the trades doesn't really change that.

Pirates Still Aren't Close

Charlie — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:57:38 -0000

The Post-Gazette editorial page continues its commentary on the Pirates. I'd rather not comment on these sorts of things, but because of the impact a P-G editorial can have on public opinion, I'll add my two cents.

Last week Pirates executives made one of the most controversial trades in years, dealing Gold Glove centerfielder Nate McLouth to Atlanta for three prospects (we were part of the chorus of critics). Yet today the team is only three games under .500 and four games out of first place in the National League Central Division.

In February the Penguins didn't look like contenders either, but the lure of the cup proved all-powerful. Now the Pirates have had a taste. May they, too, take up residency soon in the City of Champions.

I don't know anything about the Penguins, but even I know they came within two games of winning the Stanley Cup last year, have an amazing core of young talent and, moreover, spent several painful years patiently building that core of talent. There probably are lessons the Pirates can learn from the Penguins, but the idea that you should start putting champagne on ice every time you get anywhere near .500 isn't one them.

I'm not sure whether to read the above excerpt as a clueless criticism of the Pirates' current strategy or simple, ho-hum optimism, but just in case it's the former:

At almost this exact point in the year 2005, the Pirates beat the Devil Rays, giving them an actual .500 record, with 30 wins and 30 losses. They still lost 95 games that year, and that shouldn't have surprised anyone, because instead of looking at 60 games and assuming the results represent the team's true level of ability, a smart observer will, y'know, look at who's actually on the team. The 2005 Pirates started the year with Matt Lawton, Daryle Ward, Jose Castillo in Benito Santiago in their starting lineup and Tike Redman as the third hitter in their order. They also had Kip Wells, Josh Fogg, Mark Redman and Dave Williams in their rotation. They were .500 after 60 games, yes, but does that look like a championship-caliber core? Did the Pirates fail to win it all that year simply because "the lure" of a title was something less than "all-powerful"?

Then in 2006, the Pirates played 37-35 baseball after the All-Star break. That didn't stop the 2007 team from losing 95 games yet again, despite the much-ballyhooed offseason addition of Adam LaRoche. Again, talent matters. A bad team can sustain a run of passable baseball for a while. That doesn't mean it's headed for the World Series.

The Pirates are currently three games below .500. They aren't as bad as they've been in past years, but they still don't have enough offense, frontline starting pitching, or relief pitching. And here's a big secret: being three games below .500 this year is not much of an accomplishment. The Pirates are currently last in their division, and it's very hard to leapfrog five other teams, especially when two of them have as much talent as the Cubs and Brewers do. The Bucs are on pace to win 77 games, which frankly is nothing to write home about, even if it's much better than they've been the past several years. And that pace is actually better than it was before they traded McLouth. As someone who watches the games, I'm happy to see the Pirates doing a better job throwing strikes and playing defense. But they're still miles from where a contender should be, and I hope the front office will continue its business of rebuilding the organization from the ground up.

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.

Cool new toy

erik — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:07:17 -0000

Thanks to Dave Studeman, there's now a calculator that gives you a players win probability above a bench player. Pretty handy-dandy. Here's his explanation:

The only other win stat I know that exactly matches each team's wins and losses is Win Probability Added (WPA). WPA is the difference between a player's Win Advances and Loss Advances in each game. By subtracting one from the other, WPA compares a player's contribution to an average (.500) player.

Well, what if you want to compare a player to another level, such as a .350 player, or .400? It's a lot more useful to compare someone to a lower level than average, particularly when players have played different numbers of games. Unfortunately, the math for replacement-level WPA isn't exactly straightforward, because teams compile win advancements even when they lose games. The typical team has 1.65 win advancements in a win and 1.15 win advancements in a loss.

Never fear. I've decided to teach myself PHP and MySQL programming this summer, so I've created the following little PHP script to calculate a player's WPAB. Win and Loss Advances are available from Fangraphs and you can select your own replacement level (please use the decimal point—.350 or .400).

The calculator can be found here. Monkeying around with it, here are the top ten hitters by this measure over the last three years:

Player	+WPA	-WPA	WPAB	Win%
A Pujols	47.21	27.70	24.3	1.269
L Berkman	45.76	29.48	19.5	1.106
R Howard	48.66	34.97	17.2	.958
D Wright	46.48	33.26	16.6	.964
D Ortiz	43.09	29.66	16.5	1.017
M Holliday	47.42	35.44	15.5	.905
C Beltran	42.37	30.19	15.2	.970
V Guerrero	46.45	31.65	15	.940
M Cabrera	44.62	32.89	15	.924
M Ramirez	40.74	29.09	14.6	.967

In case you are wondering, I set replacement level to .380. Albert Pujols, the mang, the mangchine. A team of Alberts would go 210-0 every season.

Now for the laggards. Here are the worst five:

Name	+WPA	-WPA	WPAB	W%
J Castillo	19.00	-25.62	-4.7	0.085
R Cedeno	11.55	17.38	-4.6	-0.064
B Ausmus	15.97	21.44	-3.9	0.091
I Rodriguez	23.3	28.61	-3.1	0.214
Jack Wilson	21.39	26.4	-3.0	.206

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.

Spring Training: LIVE -Game 9 Game Thread: Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:44:53 -0000

(ed. note: "MLB.tv viewers, the game is being broadcast on the internets today, so everyone can watch the Nationals and Orioles...Who's Watching The Watc...Nationals?")

We're gonna try something new today...Doghouse, leader of the federalbaseball.com W.A.R. Effort, is on his way to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida's cleverly-named Fort Lauderdale Stadium, the Spring home of the Washington Nationals' Mid-Atlantic rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, and he'll be reporting live via iPhone this afternoon...I'll add updates throughout the game, so if you're watching(It's on MASN!! and MLB.tv!!) or listening or following along, check back for some updates or stay with us for the first attempt at a live game thread this season...

Back with more soon...

Here's the Nationals' starting lineup courtesy of the Washington Post's Tracee Hamilton:

Cristian Guzman - SS

Alex Cintron - DH

Kory Casto - 3B

Brad Eldred - 1B

Corey Patterson - CF

Jose Castillo - 2B

Roger Bernadina - LF

Justin Maxwell - RF

Wil Nieves - C

DC's Own DC, Daniel Cabrera throwing strikes...(or at least fastballs)...check out the box score for the O's lineup...

The Orioles' fans are watching too, check out the SBN's Baltimore Orioles blog:

Camden Chat

...to see what O's fans are thinking.

DOGHOUSE -

"It's a cavalcade of scrubs except for Guz at short and Cabrera pitching..."

DOGHOUSE -

"Away, there goes my scoops (ed. note - "?"), Hmmmm, a few drops of rain. Eldred(Who?) with a perfect bloop single to short...after Cintron and Casto flied to OF...Cabrera looks VERY TALL..."

DOGHOUSE -

"He's got a good build," says Mrs. Doghouse of Daniel Cabrera, despite the fact that he's quickly in a two-on, 0 out jam..." (ed. note - "O's score on a Nick Markakis' groundout. 1-0 Baltimore.")

DOGHOUSE -

"For a guy who practically hands the ball to (catcher Wil) Nieves, he's having trouble finding the zone...and Cabrera walks Huff...Nats are looking very much little league right now...'This feels too familiar,' Mrs. D mutters as Cabrera issues another free pass...(ed. note - "But Roger Bernadina saves the day with a diving catch to rob Felix Pie on a bases loaded liner...1-0 O's after one...")

DOGHOUSE -

"Awesome! After a diving catch worth of TAWH, Bernadina knocks in J.Castillo with a beautiful broken bat double that bounces exactly over first, and hooks away. I almost see JimBo's love of toolsy OFers with no power..."

DOGHOUSE -

"TARB - The Amazing Roger Bernadina!!!" TARB can't get them all...(single by Brian Roberts falls in short left...)

DOGHOUSE -

"As a humiliating double steal goes down, the O's fan next to use shakes his head with a rueful and sympathetic grin..."

DOGHOUSE -

"(Ross) Detwiler to the rescue!"

DOGHOUSE -

"Detwiler pitches with a real easy-looking motion, 'He looks like the ball can hurt him," notes Mr. Doghouse, 'He's got an O'Connor build. Despite a free pass, Ross Detwiler gets a DP ball, prompting an eyeroll from out neighbor, 'He's (Wiggington) beyond slow."

DOGHOUSE -

"This inning, Casto doesn't quite have Zimmy's range. 'I think we're gonna say goodbye to Detwiler,' sighs Mrs. Doghouse, 'Although I would like to see the Human Rain Delay...."(ed. note - Human Rain Delay = Jesus Colome?")

DOGHOUSE -

"(New DC Pitcher Preston) Larrison throws as hard as Cabrera with just as much control...(another double steal follows a walk and a HBP)...and he gives up the double steals, like Cabrera...Mmmm, soft serve! Larrison has a walk, HBP, double steal, no coffee for you, sir!"

DOGHOUSE -

"Hard to tell with my non-zooming phone cam, but I think you can see the red socks, (Mike Hinckley) plays w/ his pants up like a real ballplayer."

DOGHOUSE -

"'It's OK, Wil,' encourages Mrs. Doghouse as Wil Nieves K's, 'You're still a pretty man." (ed. note - "Did she just call Nieves 'pretty'?)...'Hey, I'm sitting right, here', Doghouse responds...the inning ends quickly for the Nats, and it feels like we've been here a lot longer than 4.5 hours...in spite of the nice weather (70's and breezy)."

DOGHOUSE -

"Hinckley is throwing hard and changing speeds -- like a real pitcher almost! Two groundouts to 3rd so far, and Casto only made me slightly nervois on the plays. An easy popup to Bernadina? to end the inning, and I think we're down to no starters in for DC..."

DOGHOUSE -

"(Steven) Shell in to pitch. Promptly gives up a single up the middle...TARB now in center robs a bloop single...(Ian) Desmond goes back on a fly ball, frantically waving off everyone else...(Jorge) Padilla, who clearly has a bead on it, yells, 'I GOT IT!!' loud enough to hear it in the stands and makes the play...J-Max with a booming triple off the wall in RF. Let's see what this Herrera can do..."

DOGHOUSE -

"WOW! 18yr-old Destin Hood waits out a full-count walk! (ed. note - "And then takes second on a ball in the dirt.")...TARB smacks a double into the RF corner...(moving Jorge Padilla around, he stops at third) I never thought I'd miss Tim 'Send'em' Tolman, even though it was probably the right call..2 down for J. Maxwell, who grounds to second to end the DC 8th.)

DOGHOUSE -

"Awww...Hood gets to bat again, but chops out weakly, Nats drop 6-2. It's spring, it means nothing...Except a nice day with baseball." (ed. note - "Thanks, Doghouse!!!")

(ed. note - "For the Completists...Full Game Report after the jump...though there were too many subs, so Full-Unedited Game Report is probably more like it...")

We’ve got baseball, and it’s on TV!!! Nationals vs Orioles. Cristian Guzman starts the day by poking a single through short off O’s starter David Pauley. Alex Cintron gets caught looking for heat when a change is coming, swinging strike three. Kory Casto skies one to left, former Cubs’ prospect Felix Pie closes his glove on it...(Pie, Adam Jones and Markakis? Nice outfield, O’s, seriously.) Brad Eldred finds some grass in short left, and Guzman speeds around to third. Corey Patterson gets caught looking, and it’s time for a first look at Daniel Cabrera...Adam Jones rips into a 1-2 pitch from Cabrera to move Brian Roberts to third. Nick Markakis grounds to second, Roberts scores, 1-0 Orioles. Aubrey Huff gets ahead in the count again and Adam Jones steals second. Huff walks. Huff steals second off Cabrera. Cabrera walks ??? to load the bases. Cabrera gets Luke Scott swinging at a ball out of the zone for the second out. Roger Bernadina saves the day with a diving catch in left to rob Felix Pie. 1-0 after one.

Jose Castillo grounds to short, and gets a free pass when Ryan Freel throws wide of first. Roger Bernadina rips a line driver over first and into right, Castillo scores, 1-1 ballgame. Justin Maxwell gets called out looking at a fastball low on the outside corner. Wil Nieves grounds sharply to short, Freel gets this one. Cristian Guzman grounds out to second, 1-1 after one and a half...Ryan Freel gets robbed by Roger Bernadina again!! Diving catch on what should’ve been extra bases!!! Brian Roberts finds some grass Bernadina can’t get to for a two-out single. Adam Jones rips a two-out double to right. Double steal off Cabrera puts both runners in scoring position. Cabrera busts Markakis low and inside for a swinging K to end the threat...

Jose Castillo grounds out to first. Kory Casto grounds back to the mound for the second out. Fly ball to left from Brad Eldred to end the top o’ the third...Ross Detwiler walks the first batter he faces, Aubrey Huff. Ty Wiggington grounds to Casto at third, Castillo at short, to Eldred, double play. Luke Scott gets one under Brad Eldred’s glove at first for a two-out double. Kory Casto makes a Zimmermanesque stab at Felix Pie’s grounder, but can’t beat the speedy Pie to first. Robby Hammock rips a grounder through short for the two-out RBI to give Baltimore back their lead. 2-1 O’s. Ryan Freel grounds to Casto at third, throw to first, 2-1 O’s after three.

George Sherrill takes over on the mound in the 4th. Corey Patterson chases a high heater from Sherrill. Jose Castillo finds the gap in right center for a double with one down. Bernadina grounds out to second, Patterson to third, two down for Justin Maxwell. Maxwell takes the first pitch to center, Adam Jones makes the grab...New Nationals’ pitcher, Preston Larrison, walks Brian Roberts to start the O’s fourth. Adam Jones gets hit by Larrison, two on, no outs. Double steal. Nick Markakis takes a high called strike three. Huff singles up the middle, two runs cross, 4-1 Orioles. Ty Wiggington flies out to Maxwell in right...Matt Wieters doubles to left and another run scores, 5-1 O’s. Larrison is done. Mike Hinckley comes on to face Felix Pie. Larrison is done. Pie grounds to second, and Jose Castillo throws it by first, 6-1 O’s on the error. Chad Moeller flies out to shallow left to end the fourth.

Jamie Walker, the veteran lefty starts the fifth...Wil Nieves swings over a slow bender for the first out of the fifth. Cristian Guzman lines out to Adam Jones in center. Alex Cintron pushes an outside fastball into right. Kory Casto grounds into a force at second to end the DC fifth...Ryan Freel grounds out to Casto at third on the first pitch of the O’s fifth. Brian Roberts grounds out to Casto. Adam Jones flies out to right, and Hinckley’s got a quick frame

Nationals sixth starts with Dennis Sarfate on the mound for the O’s, striking out Brad Eldred. Jorge Padilla K’s looking for the second out of the sixth. Jose Castillo reaches on a chopper to third that Wiggington can’t get to first in time. Roger Bernadina flies out to Felix Pie in left,, 6-1 after the DC fifth...Steven Shell takes over on the mound. Nick Markakis starts the frame with a single up the middle and then is replaced by Holbert Cabrera. Craig Brazel flies out to Bernadina in center. Shell gets a fly ball from Wiggington for the second out. Matt Wieters flies out to left, Shell gets through a scoreless frame.

...too many subs...

Justin Maxwell starts the seventh with a wind-aided triple off the outfield wall. O’s pitcher Chris Tillman gives up a grounder to short to Javy Herrera that brings Maxwell home. Ian Desmond flies to center for the 2nd out. Destin Hood patiently takes a two-out walk. Kory Casto up, Hood takes second on a pitch in the dirt...Casto goes down swining...Stand up and stretch...Steven Shell’s back out for the seventh. Nolan Reimhold? flies out to Jorge Padilla in left. Chad Moeller grounds to Kory “The Vaccuum” Casto at third. Justin Turner rips a two-out single to center. Donnie?Murphy grounds to third, and Casto fires to first...On to the eighth...

Chris Marrero leads off the eighth with a line drive single to left. Chris Tillman’s stll on for the O’s, Jorge Padilla grounds into a force at second cutting down Marrero. Jose Castillo goes down (somehow? Sorry.) Roger Bernadina doubles to right and moves Padilla to third. Justin Maxwell grounds out to second to end the DC eighth...Bobby Brownlie to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Justin Christian backs Justin Maxell up to the wall where he catches the first out. Jolbert Cabrera goes down chasing. Craig Brazell flies out to left...Three outs to get four runs...

Freddy Deza tries to end it for the O’s. Javier Herrera chases high heat for the first out. lines out to Donnie Murphy. Destin Hood grounds out to first to end it. 6-2 O’s win.

Washington Nationals In The World Baseball Classic, And Stephen Strasburg On Our Minds...

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:15:07 -0000

STRASBURG FILES...

I was speaking somewhat hyperbolically yesterday when I wrote that, "...all eyes in the DC baseball world," had turned toward an article out of San Diego, California and the San Diego Union-Tribune, where Staff Writer Tom Krasovic, in an article entitled, "Aztecs pitching ace Strasburg may top the Padres' wish list this June," argued for the Padres, (who hold the 3rd pick), taking an aggressive approach in recruiting the projected #1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, San Diego's own Stephen Strasburg, who'll pitch for San Diego State University for one more year before he's drafted this June...But apparently Washington Post sports writer Dave Sheinin took his colleague Washington Post sports writer Tracee Hamilton's post yesterday at the Nationals Journal entitled, "This and That [Update]" (which linked to the San Diego Union-Tribune article about the Nationals' #1 overall pick) seriously enough to offer his own opinion on the situation this morning in a post entitled simply, "Strasburg", where Mr. Sheinin writes:

"Just to be clear: As we stand here today, nearly six months away from the draft, Strasburg remains the top name on the Nationals' draft board. When I asked a team official about this recently, I was told they consider Strasburg by far the best player in the nation..."

...Mr. Strasburg is going to find himself in one enviable position if the Washington Nationals do select him number one overall next June. The Nationals' Front Office, as Mr. Sheinin writes, (and several of you here commented), "...understand the fan revolt that would occur if they fail to get the draftee signed,", but so does Scott "Maximum" Boras, Strasburg's agent, who, in spite of whatever good will resulted from the "Te - - - ira" negotiations with DC, is in a position to change the rules about what a #1 overall pick can ask for with Strasburg, and subsequently with every top pitching prospect in the nation that follows...Are the Nationals up for a game-changer?

(ed. note - "...And while we've got a moment here, I'd just like to point something out...Another episode of "The Possessive Apostrophe Question" -

(..."(Aztecs) pitching ace Strasburg may top the (Padres') wish list this June,"...? What is the difference here? Someone help? I don't want to have to pull out old grammar books...")

Washington Nationals in the WBC...

Provisional rosters for the Second World Baseball Classic were released this evening. Competing for the Puerto Rican entry in the World Baseball Classic will be Washington Nationals' reliever Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera and outfielder Jorge Padilla, who was one of 13 players to sign Minor League deals with DC back on 12/13/08, (as reported in MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Nationals sign 13 to Minors deals".)

Roger Bernadina and Shairon Martis will be representing the Netherlands. Recently- signed starter Daniel Cabrera will be pitching for the Dominican Republic's powerhouse entry in the WBC, while infielder Jose Castillo, who signed with Washington in late September, will suit up for Venezuela...and finally, a Federalbaseball.com favorite, Pinch Hittin' Pete Orr will don some variation of the Maple Leaf as he steps up for his home country, Canada...

I was unfortunately watching during the Inaugural World Baseball Classic when then-Nationals' reliever Luis Ayala threw out his arm, and I cringed watching him realize what he'd done. It could be argued that Ayala's never been the same since, and if you ask my brother, Scout, Braves Fan And Source For All Things Baseball he'll tell you it was the Frank Robinson Regime who overused all DC's arms, but let's hope no one anywhere gets hurt participating in this year's edition...and I can't wait to watch Bernadina patrolling the outfield for the Netherlands...Maybe he'll be playing center since our old NL East rival, the former-Brave and current free agent, Andruw Jones' name isn't listed on their roster? Actually the Netherlands is gonna have nasty NL East-heavy pitching with DC's Martis, ATL starter Jair Jurrjens and Marlins' righty Rick VandenHurk...They might be my sleeper.

-- Where do you all stand on the WBC? Are you going to go out of your way to watch/follow the Nationals' players who will be involved? Is there anyone from Washington you don't want to see competing? Federalbaseball.com regular, LOUtheMETSfan, has his projected roster up in a Fanshot entitled, "WBC Roster released! Let's see your lineup for Team USA!"...Who starts for the Red, White and Blue if you're Team USA Skipper Davey Johnson?

(ed. note - "I hate to do this to you, LOU, but I'm calling you out...David Wright over Chipper Jones at third? C'mon? Just cause the Gold Glove folks got it wrong doesn't mean you have to perpetuate this kind of thinking? Someone back me up? Or are you with Lou?")

What It Feels Like To Be A Washington Nationals Fan...

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:00:36 -0000

(ed. note - "Or maybe more accurately, 'What If Feels LIke To Be An Out-Of-Town Washington Nationals Fan'...")

-- From the Newark Star-Ledger Sports Page's "Summing Up" section, a list of MLB Free Agent Signings so far this offseason:

National League

ARIZONA - Felipe Lopez, (re-signed) Tony Clark

ATLANTA - (re-signed) Greg Norton

CHICAGO - (re-signed) Ryan Dempster

CINCINNATI - Mike Lincoln, David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes

COLORADO - Alan Embree

HOUSTON - (re-signed) Doug Brocail, Mike Hampton, Jason Michaels, Aaron Boone

LOS ANGELES - (re-signed) Casey Blake, Mark Loretta, (re-signed) Rafael Furcal

MILWAUKEE - Jorge Julio, (re-signed) Mike Lamb, Trot Nixon

METS - Francisco Rodriguez

PHILADELPHIA - (re-signed) Jamie Moyer, Raul Ibanez

PITTSBURGH - Ramon Vazquez

ST. LOUIS - Trever Miller

SAN FRANCISCO - Jeremy Affeldt, Bobby Howry, Edgar Renteria, Randy Johnson

(ed. note - "If you don't notice a problem here, click on the link below for an explanation and the rest of the post...")

Still Wondering?

You see, the problem isn't that the Washington Nationals didn't sign any free agents this Winter...They did! They signed RHP Daniel "The Project" Cabrera to a Major League contract, so it's not a case of the 'Ledger not listing Minor League deals or something, it's just that Washington's been left off the list...The Cabrera signing was in all the papers...I read it in the Washington Post...Maybe the Yankees were doing something when the 'Ledger was compiling the list that distracted them...Does Daniel Cabrera not merit a mention...?

Tale Of The Tape...

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article yesterday entitled, "Nationals miss out on Bradley", after Milton Bradley signed with the Chicago Cubs, the Washington Nationals decided not to pursue any further free agent possibilities in center field, instead opting to, "...let Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge compete for the center-field job." If you were Nationals' Manager Manny Acta, who would you want starting in center for DC on Opening Day 2009:

Milledge vs Dukes '08 Stats
Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Lastings Milledge	138	523	65	140	24	2	14	61	24	.268	.330	.402	.731
Elijah Dukes	82	276	48	73	16	2	13	44	13	.264	.386	.478	.864

Backstory...

Lastings Milledge (24-years-old as of 4/5/09) worried the Washington Nationals with his shaky defensive play down the stretch in '08, and Elijah Dukes, also 24-years-old, recovered well from the injuries he suffered, earning himself the nickname Elijah "Super" Dukes, but the recurring problems with his right leg led some to wonder if he might not be injury-prone...Milledge led the Nationals in RBI's last season, passing Jesus Flores late in the season when the catcher was injured. Dukes walked 12 more times and finished just 1 HR shy of Milledge's team-leading (tied w/ Zim) 14 HR's, showing far more patience and power at the plate than Milledge, in 56 fewer games played. Dukes also posted the best OBP by any Nationals' player with 50 or more games played and had the best SLG of any legit player. The talk all Fall has been about moving Milledge to a corner, and most reports have included a mention of the fact that the Nationals believe Dukes can play center field...Who is it gonna be?

Here's the challenge...Bring your stats. Pull them from anywhere you want and state your case...Milledge vs Dukes for CF in DC...vote for your center fielder either in the Comments Section or in the Latest POLL:

Who Plays CF In DC In '09?

Something Else To Read...(If you haven't already...)

One of Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's recent Nationals Journal posts, this one entitled, "Right Off The Stove", promises a list of, "...the Nationals' remaining options/strategies from now 'til Viera, Florida," the Washington Nationals' Spring home, but if you read the post, you might notice that it really ends up just being a list of the things the Washington Nationals are not going to do...They're not interested in bringing Manny Ramirez to DC because of his age...They'd like to sign Adam Dunn or Orlando Hernandez, but as Mr. Harlan writes, "...the team is pessimistic about signing either player,"...They were interested in Xavier Nady, but not anymore, and don't think they can get Nick Swisher...and they might have an interest in bringing back Chad Cordero or Odalis Perez, but they're in no rush to do so...and in Mr. Harlan's opinion, the '09 DC starting rotation going into camp?...John Lannan, Scott Olsen, Collin Balester, Jordan Zimmermann and Daniel Cabrera.

Do you think any team in baseball is afraid of that rotation? Am I the only one who is kinda looking forward to watching that rotation?

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE - PLAYOFF UPDATE...

Washington Nationals' infielder Alberto "The General" Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a double Tuesday for the Aguilas de Zulia, who lost to the Leones de Caracas by a score of 6-4 at the Leones' home park, Estadio Universitario in Caracas, Venezuela. Jose Castillo, (one of five free agents the Nationals signed on December 23, 2008, as reported by MLB.com's Bill Ladson in an article entitled, "Nats sign five to minor league deals"), who has played the majority of his major league career in the Pirates' infield, is playing left field for the Leones de Caracas this winter, and Castillo was 2 for 3 with a walk, 1 HR and 2 RBI's Tuesday, earning himself a mention in MLB.com's uncredited Tuesday Caribbean Leagues roundup. Castillo hit .320 with 14 doubles, 8 HR's and 37 RBI's in 50 games and 181 AB's in the Venezuelan Winter League's Regular Season.

Poll

Who Plays CF In DC In '09?

Elijah Dukes?

77 votes

Lastings Milledge?

40 votes

Justin Maxwell?

6 votes

Roger Bernadina?

3 votes

126 votes | Poll has closed

Washington Nationals In The Winter Leagues, Dominican League Playoffs Begin With A Tigres del Licey Win.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:00:06 -0000

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE...

After finishing third in the Dominican Winter League Regular Season standings with a 26-24 record, the Tigres del Licey began the DWL Playoffs with a win in the first of five games they'll play against Aguilas Cibaenas(4), Azucareros del Este(2), and today's opponent in the Tigres(3) 14-4 victory, the Dominican League's Regular Season winners, the Gigantes del Cibao(1).

Anderson Hernandez, DC's prospective starting second baseman, was in the lineup at second for the Tigres del Licey and Hernandez picked up right where he left off in the Regular Season, going 2 for 5 with a double, a walk, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Ronnie Belliard, starting at third for the Tigres, was 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI, and one of the newest Nationals, Jorge Sosa, who signed along with four other free agents right before the holidays, earned the win with 5.0 innings of 5-hit, 1-run work on the mound, during which he walked 3 and collected 6 K's.

Anderson Hernandez ended the DWL Regular Second with the second highest average in the league at .365 after 50 games and 211 AB's, leading the league in Runs with 41, Hits, with 77, Doubles, with 20, and Triples, with 6, and Hernandez finished in the Top 10 in the Dominican Winter League in OBP, (.406), SLG, (.531) and OPS, (.937). Acquired from New York in the deal that sent Luis Ayala to the Mets, Hernandez has yet to really translate his Winter League success to the Major Leagues, however, where he's hit just .232 in 63 games and 168 at bats so far in his MLB career...

So it's probably a good sign that the 33-year-old Ronnie Belliard will be around to challenge Hernandez at second, or at least back him up and support him should the 26-year-old infielder fail to live up to what he's done in his last 292 AB's (with Washington/Licey combined), in which Hernandez has hit for a .356 AVG. with 24 doubles, 6 triples, 1 HR and 46 RBI's. Ronnie Belliard had 22 hits in 66 AB's for a .333 AVG with 3 doubles, 4 HR's, 16 RBI's, a .405 OBP, .561 SLG, and .966 OBP in 18 Regular Season games with Licey this Winter.

Jorge Sosa, 31, finished the DWL season with with a (6-2) record in 10 starts and 1 relief appearance, allowing 51 hits, 16 ER's and 16 walks in 57.0 IP, over which he struck out just 24 and allowed opponents to hit for a .242 AVG. The former Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Braves, Cardinals and Mets' pitcher, signed with DC last week, along with LHP Gustavo Chacin, 27, formerly of the Blue Jays, C Gustavo Molina, 26, (who's played a total of 19 MLB games with the White Sox, Orioles and Mets), infielder Jose Castillo, 27, who split '08 with the Giants and Astros after having spent 4 years in the Pirates' infield, and outfielder Corey Patterson, 28, who broke into the big leagues with Cubs and has since played for the Orioles and Reds over 9 MLB seasons.

UP NEXT...

Saturday night, the 27th of December, the Tigres del Licey take to the road to take on Azucareros del Este.

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE...

The Criollos de Caguas welcomed the Leones de Ponce into Parque Yidefonso Sola Morales Friday night, and needed only the two runs they scored in the second to take a 2-1 lead in what would eventually be an 8-1 Caguas' win. DC prospects Justin Maxwell, who was the DH, and Garrett Guzman, who started in left, were a combined 0 for 7, with a run scored, an RBI, 2 walks and 3 K's between them, but the one run scored, (by Guzman, after he walked and crossed second on a two-RBI triple by Minor League free agent, Rob Cosby, which gave Caguas the 2-1 lead), turned out to be the Criollos' winning run.

SB Nation - Jose Castillo

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Cool new toy

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

Spring Training: LIVE -Game 9 Game Thread: Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles.

Washington Nationals In The World Baseball Classic, And Stephen Strasburg On Our Minds...

What It Feels Like To Be A Washington Nationals Fan...

Milledge vs Dukes '08 Stats

Who Plays CF In DC In '09?

Elijah Dukes?

Lastings Milledge?

Justin Maxwell?

Roger Bernadina?

Washington Nationals In The Winter Leagues, Dominican League Playoffs Begin With A Tigres del Licey Win.