SB Nation - Javier Valentin

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.

Heroes of the Zeros: Catcher

Slyde — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:00:25 -0000

Continuing on with our All Decade ballots, today we look at catcher. The Reds haven't had an All Star catcher since Bo Diaz in 1987, but they've still had what could be considered a solid crop of players at backstop since Johnny Bench retired. None of the guys listed below would likely be on most teams' All Decade squad, but that doesn't mean the Reds have had crap there over the last decade. They managed to get somewhat above average production out of the position a few years over the last 10, even if they weren't consistently good from year to year.

Now that we are into the hitters, let me explain what we'll be doing. For catchers, you will be selecting a starter and a backup, but you won't be doing that for any other position. After we get through all of the positions, I will have a day for selecting a left-handed and right-handed pinch hitter, and I will also take the the top vote-getter in the OF who is not a starter as the backup OF, and the top middle IF non-starting vote getter as the utility IF. That will give us a full 25-man roster for the decade.

So, if you are having a hard time deciding who should be the backup catcher, remember that the guy has a shot at being a pinch hitter, assuming he was used in that fashion frequently enough. Ballot is after the jump.

Other ballots: Starting Rotation | Bullpen

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
Paul Bako	2008	99	338	299	30	65	11	2	6	35	34	90	.217	.299	.328	.626	64	.271	-0.6
Ryan Hanigan	2007-2009	126	402	346	34	92	9	1	5	22	48	42	.266	.363	.341	.704	86	.307	1.5
Ramon Hernandez	2009	81	331	287	25	74	13	1	5	37	33	34	.258	.336	.362	.699	84	.307	0.5
Jason LaRue	2000-2006	679	2441	2136	251	513	120	6	81	293	186	613	.240	.326	.416	.741	91	.314	6.2
Corky Miller	2001-2009	104	342	288	24	57	13	0	7	36	33	69	.198	.301	.316	.617	61	.276	0.0
Chad Moeller	2007	30	49	48	6	8	1	0	1	2	0	17	.167	.167	.250	.417	4	.175	-0.6
Dave Ross	2006-2008	254	817	692	86	157	34	1	41	104	99	203	.227	.324	.457	.780	96	.318	3.3
Benito Santiago	2000	89	277	252	22	66	11	1	8	45	19	45	.262	.310	.409	.719	79	.292	0.1
Kelly Stinnett	2001-2003	157	518	459	51	110	29	0	15	57	45	137	.240	.318	.401	.719	86	.306	-0.1
Eddie Taubensee	2000	81	291	266	29	71	12	0	6	24	21	44	.267	.324	.380	.704	76	.310	-1.3
Javier Valentin	2004-2008	441	1086	981	107	259	56	2	34	149	93	154	.264	.326	.429	.755	93	.322	1.0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/15/2009.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:18:15 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

6 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Dave Bush waits for Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera to round the bases after giving up a two-run home run in the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 20, 2009 in Detroit. The Tigers beat the Brewers 9-5. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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Some things to read while wearing unnecessarily dangerous hats and vests.

Well, I'm married, honeymooned and moved, and I think I'm finally ready to be back. Thanks to Jordan for filling in on the Mug in my absence, and to all the site's contributors and mods who posted in my absence. It doesn't look like the site missed a beat while I was gone, which is great to see.

Unfortunately, the Brewers are 4-9 since I left on my honeymoon, and 0-3 since I've moved into my new house. I've started putting things back in boxes.

As I'm sure you know, the Brewers' starting pitchers haven't been very good lately. FanGraphs notes that Brewer pitchers posted a 6.08 FIP last week, and five different pitchers posted ERAs over 10. Meanwhile, Dave Bush will likely be pushed back a few days, or could skip a start entirely to recover from arm fatigue.

Who will take Dave Bush's spot in the rotation? Tyler Mass handicaps the favorites over at Right Field Bleachers. Seth McClung appears to be the early favorite. I doubt consideration will be given to Manny Parra (who has only made one start in AAA) or Carlos Villanueva (don't mess with a good thing in the bullpen), but Mike Burns is already lined up to start Thursday, so he could also be an option.

At least Yovani Gallardo looked pretty good on Sunday. He also ranks eleventh in Baseball Analysts' list of pitchers ranked by strikeouts per 100 pitches. Jeff Suppan ranks 90th out of 98 pitchers listed.

The Brewers close out interleague play with a three game series against the Twins starting tonight, but don't expect it to be the end of the line for Mat Gamel. Anthony Witrado says Gamel is getting comfortable in the big leagues and the team appears committed to keeping him around.

Prince Fielder, meanwhile, simply continues to produce. Adam McCalvy has a look at Fielder's consistency, and notices that Fielder has not gone more than three games without an RBI this season.

It seems increasingly likely that the Brewers will make a move to strengthen their playoff chances, but how much money can they spend? Jon Heyman lists them among ten teams that could add payroll, but I'm not sure they could add much, as they were already claiming they were out of money before giving $5 million to Braden Looper months ago.

I still think it's too early to start discussing the Wild Card, but MLB FanHouse notices that the Brewers are tied with the Giants for the lead in the race for the final playoff spot, and five teams are within 2.5 games of it.

Meanwhile, in power rankings:

WhatifSports dropped the Brewers six spots to fourteenth.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star dropped the Brewers from seventh to twelfth.

Around the league:

Angels: Placed Ervin Santana on the DL with triceps inflammation.
Mets: Placed Carlos Beltran on the DL with a bone bruise on his right knee, designated infielder Wilson Valdez and minor league pitcher Connor Robertson for assignment and released Javier Valentin, Wily Mo Pena and Bobby Kielty from minor league deals.
Phillies: Will place Clay Condrey on the DL with an oblique strain.
Pirates: Designated Craig Monroe for assignment after he showed a lack of hustle.
Rays: Akinori Iwamura's knee injury was not as bad as previously thought, and he could be back in 6-8 weeks following an arthroscopic procedure.
Yankees: CC Sabathia is expected to make his next start after being pulled in the second inning of his last start with arm soreness.

This is how you know your infield situation is pretty bad: Lookout Landing crunched the numbers and discovered that the Mariners may actually be better off starting veteran journeyman Chris Woodward at shortstop. Woodward spent 2008 in Nashville.

Where would the Mariners be without Russell Branyan? The USA Today has a profile of Branyan and his breakout season, and Larry Stone of the Seattle Times notes that Branyan is on past to collect the least RBI ever accumulated by a 40 home run hitter.

On top of making all the roster moves listed above, the Mets had another reason to panic yesterday, as Jose Reyes and a team trainer were rear ended by a fire truck on their way to an appointment with Reyes' doctor. Everyone is ok, thankfully.

Oh, and today is a Woot-off day.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:12:32 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Manny Parra, center, gathers with his teammates to discuss their blatant disrespect for the game and untucked shirts.

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Some things to read while waiting for lunch.

If all had gone according to plan, the Brewers would be enjoying an off day on the road today and getting ready to open a series with the Astros tomorrow. Instead, they're in St. Louis waiting for tonight's makeup game, and probably won't get to Houston until early tomorrow morning. Some notes on tonight's game:

Kyle Lohse, who pitched the first couple of innings of Friday's rainout, will start for the Cardinals.
He'll face Braden Looper, who has something to prove to a Cardinal organization that decided not to pursue him after the 2008 season.
Tonight's game will be televised in HD.

Rickie Weeks will not be with the team tonight. He left last night's game in the first inning with a sore left wrist and will travel to Phoenix to get it checked out by the specialist that performed the previous surgeries on his right wrist (Also noted in FanShot). Barring something unforeseen, Weeks is expected to rejoin the team tomorrow but doesn't know when he'll be ready to play.

Jason Kendall enters today's game with 1999 career hits. If he picks up a hit in the next couple of days, he may reach 2000 before Todd Helton.

Saturday's game was the Brewers' third 1-0 contest of the season, and they're now 2-1 in those games. Trevor Hoffman picked up the save in that game: UmpBump has a look at his early success and Adam McCalvy reports on a prank Hoffman pulled on Ken Macha over the weekend.

Of course, a fair amount of the credit for Saturday's shutout goes to Jeff Suppan, who pitched seven innings and allowed just eight baserunners. The Bucky Channel says Jeff Suppan is making them like him.

How much credit for the Brewers' early success belongs to Ken Macha? Jeff Fletcher of MLB FanHouse sees Macha's fingerprints in some of the changes in the team's philosophy, and also offers some insight into the role of third base coach Brad Fischer.

When will we get to see Mat Gamel? No one seems to know. FanGraphs was excited to see him come up, but he has just one plate appearance in three games as a Brewer, and none since Thursday. Ken Macha has said Gamel wasn't just brought up to ride the bench, but Saturday's game saw Craig Counsell pinch hitting instead in a key situation, and Todd Coffey was allowed to hit for himself in the late innings yesterday.

David Riske threw 30 pitches in the bullpen before Saturday's game and could be headed out for a minor league rehab assignment in the near future. With the strength of the current bullpen, that could be a very long rehab assignment.

Elsewhere in the minors:

Cody Scarpetta threw five hitless innings for Wisconsin yesterday, and sat down with The Official Site's Mason Kelley to talk about his philosophy.
Mike Burns, who wasn't expected to start the season in the rotation for Nashville in the first place, improved his record to 6-0 with a win yesterday.
Cutter Dykstra, #11 in our prospect rankings, was demoted from Wisconsin to Helena over the weekend, and will learn to play second base at that level (h/t Rattler Radio). Helena's season doesn't open until late June, so Dykstra will spend some time in extended spring training breaking in an infielder's glove.

Balking Traditionalism reports the Brewers are second in the NL in Wins Above Replacement, and Summer Loving moved them up to fifth in their power rankings.

Here's a nice note on the fan-friendliness of the Brewer organization: The Brewers charge a $2 "convenience fee" for the right to purchase tickets online, the lowest in all of baseball.

Nearly a week has passed, but blogs continue to pile on The Happy Youngster, as they should. The Biz of Baseball, Miller Park Drunk and True Blue Brew are just three of the dozens of sites that have taken note.

Around the league:

Marlins: Designated John Koronka for assignment.
Mets: Signed catcher Javier Valentin and reliever Tom Martin to minor league deals, and placed Carlos Delgado on the DL with a hip impingement.
Nationals: Designated reliever Logan Kensing for assignment, placed catcher Jesus Flores on the DL with a bruised shoulder and DL'ed starter Scott Olsen with shoulder tendinitis.
Orioles: Placed Luke Scott on the DL with a sore left shoulder.
Padres: Claimed infielder Josh Wilson off the DL from the D-Backs and designated reliever Duaner Sanchez for assignment.
Pirates: Acquired starter Eric Hacker from the Yankees for AAA reliever Romulo Sanchez and placed Tyler Yates on the DL.
Phillies: Designated Miguel Cairo for assignment.
Rangers: Are expected to sign reliever Mike Hinckley, who opted for free agency after being DFA'd by the Nationals last week, to a minor league deal. They also placed closer Frank Francisco on the DL with biceps tendinitis.
Rays: Placed Pat Burrell on the DL with stiffness in his neck.
Rockies: Reliever Matt Daley has been placed on the DL after tripping on a bat home plate umpire Bill Welke attempted to kick out of the way.
Tigers: Reliever Juan Rincon has declined a minor league assignment and is now a free agent.

By now, you've probably heard about yesterday's Rays-Indians game, where pitcher Andy Sonnanstine ended up batting third due to a scorecard mistake. Marc Lancaster has a list of Sonnanstine's feats.

Remember months ago, when we wanted the Brewers to sign Odalis Perez? After he refused to report to Nationals camp on a minor league deal this spring, he remains unsigned, and Jorge Says No! wants to know why.

Will Odalis Perez find a job before Cecil Cooper loses his? Cooper is having his decisions second-guessed in Houston, and it doesn't sound like his team is behind him at all.

Ben Sheets hasn't started throwing yet and says he hasn't started thinking about who he'll pitch for once he's healthy, but he was in Arlington over the weekend, paying a visit to Rangers' pitching coach Mike Maddux.

When you're as small at Tim Lincecum, as young as Tim Lincecum, you throw as hard as Tim Lincecum and you rack up as many innings as Tim Lincecum, I guess you shouldn't be surprised when your velocity falls like Tim Lincecum's.

This year, maybe you'll actually get some sleep in October: Major League Baseball is changing World Series start times to get the games going earlier.

Oh, and it's probably pretty difficult to bring a harp on the road.

Drink up.

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With Each Team

TheJay — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:48:24 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr - AP

A long time ago, in a league 98 miles away, this guy was part of the Brewers' last trade with the Yankees.

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One of my favorite parts of each year's team media guide is the page listing the Brewers' last trade with all the other major league teams. Maybe it's because it's so esoteric, maybe it's because of all the "some-team-wanted-him?" thoughts it prompts, or maybe it's the idea that for years Brewers and Mariners management had a bitter blood feud getting in the way of amicable trading. I don't know. Either way, let's take a trip down memory lane, transaction-style:

(note: PTBNL below stands for "Player to be Named Later," defined here)

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With...

Arizona Diamondbacks - 11/25/2006
Traded LHP Doug Davis, LHP Dana Eveland, and OF Dave Krynzel for C Johnny Estrada, RHP Claudio Vargas, and RHP Greg Aquino
Atlanta Braves - 12/7/2005
Traded RHP Wes Obermueller for RHP Dan Kolb
Chicago Cubs - 8/31/2004
Traded OF Ben Grieve for LHP Andy Pratt and cash
Cincinnati Reds - 1/14/2000
Traded OF Alex Ochoa for OF Mark Sweeney and a PTBNL (RHP Gene Altman)
Colorado Rockies - 12/13/2004
Traded RHP Marcos Carvajal in exchange for cash
Florida Marlins - 11/25/1996
Traded RHP Eddie Collins for LHP Joel Adamson
Houston Astros - 9/11/2007
Traded RHP Dennis Sarfate for cash
Los Angeles Dodgers - 3/26/2007
Traded OF Brady Clark and cash for RHP Elmer Dessens
New York Mets - 11/20/2007
Traded C Johnny Estrada for RHP Guillermo Mota
Philadelphia Phillies - 7/28/2006
Traded RHP Wilfrido Laureano for 3B David Bell
Pittsburgh Pirates - 12/7/2007
Traded RHP Marino Salas and RHP Kevin Roberts for RHP Salomon Torres
St. Louis Cardinals - 8/22/2003
Traded RHP Mike DeJean for two PTBNL (RHP Mike Crudale and RHP John Novinsky)
San Diego Padres - 7/25/2007
Traded LHP Joe Thatcher, RHP Will Inman, and LHP Steve Garrison for RHP Scott Linebrink
San Francisco Giants - 7/20/2008
Traded OF Darren Ford and LHP Steve Hammond for 2B Ray Durham
Washington Nationals - 9/4/2007
Traded a PTBNL (1B Andrew Lefave) for LHP Ray King

The AL teams are after the jump.

Baltimore Orioles - 7/16/1999
Traded a PTBNL (RHP Al Reyes) for RHP Rocky Coppinger
Boston Red Sox - 7/31/1998
Traded IF Eddy Diaz for RHP Joe Hudson
Chicago White Sox - 12/13/2004
Traded OF Scott Podsednik, RHP Luis Vizcaino and a PTBNL (IF Travis Hinton) for LF Carlos Lee
Cleveland Indians - 7/7/2008
Traded OF Matt LaPorta, LHP Zach Jackson, RHP Rob Bryson, and a PTBNL (OF Michael Brantley) for LHP CC Sabathia
Detroit Tigers - 7/1/2007
Traded RHP Jose Capellan for LHP Chris Cody
Kansas City Royals - 3/27/2007
Traded RHP Ben Hendrickson for a Marxist Empire
LAnaheim Angels - 7/31/2002
Traded OF Alex Ochoa and C Sal Fasano for C Jorge Fabregas and 2 PTBNL (RHP Pedro Liriano and IF John Raburn)
Minnesota Twins - 11/15/2002
Traded RHP Gerry Oakes and RHP Matt Yeatman for RHP Matt Kinney and C Javier Valentin
New York Yankees - 8/23/1996
Traded IF Pat Listach and LHP Graeme Lloyd for OF Gerald Williams and RHP Bob Wickman
Oakland Athletics - 5/23/2007
Traded RHP Alec Zumwalt for cash.
Seattle Mariners - 5/19/2005
Traded C Pat Borders for cash.
Tampa Bay Rays - 4/22/2008
Traded OF Gabe Gross for RHP Josh Butler
Texas Rangers - 7/28/2006
Traded OF Carlos Lee and OF Nelson Cruz for RHP Francisco Cordero, LHP Julian Cordero, OF Kevin Mench, and OF Laynce Nix
Toronto Blue Jays - 1/6/2006
Traded RHP Brian Wolfe for 3B Corey Koskie

This information comes out of the Brewers' 2009 Media Guide. I believe all listed trades include someone on the 40-man roster for one of the teams. Any errors are mine in transcription or not diligently checking MLB's work.

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.

The Washington Nationals: The Unlucky Lottery, Stephen Strasburg, Scott Boras, Peter Gammons And Nick Johnson.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:00:39 -0000

You'd be surprised how many people who win the lottery come to regret it...when unknown family members surface, or when the coworker who always buys in, but hadn't that week, attempts to claim their share, or in the case of the Washington Nationals, when they receive the #1 overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft in June of '09 as a result of the taxing 102-loss campaign the team and its fans suffered through in 2008, and end up facing the prospect of not being able to draft the #1 prospect, because unknown sources are already in the papers three months before the draft making outrageous anonymous claims about what the consensus #1 pick, SDSU starter Stephen Strasburg and his agent Scott "Maximum" Boras are going to demand from the league's worst team.

ESPN.com's Peter Gammons and his anonymous "club officials" started the Strasburg brouhaha in an article entitled, "Trade to A's was best thing for Holliday", which had just three lines about Stephen Strasburg and his agent seeking a Daisuke Matsuzaka-like 6-year/$50 million dollar deal from the Nationals, which sent the DC media into such a frenzy that Nationals' Team President Stan Kasten felt the need to address, (in a Washington Post Nationals Journal article by Dave Sheinin entitled, "Kasten on Silly Strasburg Speculation"), what he referred to as the "silly media hype" generated by the original Gammons' article, (though Mr. Kasten refers to no one article in particular.)

The media hype that Mr. Kasten refers to would most likely include the same Washington Post writer, Dave Sheinin's article, "Strasburg Watch: A Monumental Battle Takes Shape", in which Mr. Sheinin speculated that:

"Boras appears to be preparing to use Strasburg, the exceptionally talented San Diego State right-hander, as a way of exploding the "slotting" system with which MLB has tried --mostly unsuccessfully-- to reign in signing bonuses for draftees."

(ed. note - "'Mostly unsuccesfully' = Detroit Tigers' '07 pick (and New Jersey native!) Rick Porcello, who fell to the Tigers 27th overall because of Boras' stated demands and still signed a major league deal at 4-years/$7.285M. Now, is Mr. Boras going to argue, that if the 27th pick got that, the #1 pick is worth two more years and an additional $42+million?)

Stan Kasten told the Washington Post's Mr. Sheinin, or at least implied, as Mr. Sheinin writes in the article entitled, "Kasten On Silly Strasburg Speculation", that, "...the team was not interested in blowing up the established signing bonus framework for anyone," and Mr. Kasten is quoted directly by Mr. Sheinin explaining his position:

"'A hundred years of baseball and four decades of collective bargaining have shown how you develop players and how they proceed through the system,' Kasten said. 'There's a time for drafting, a time for development, a time for arbitration and a time for free agency. No one situation can change the whole sport, even less so these days, with where the economy is now.

"'We're certainly eager and planning to take the best player that we can,' he said, 'and we know what number-one picks get, and we intend to sign our number-one pick.'"

Yahoo! Sports' writer David Brown in an article entitled, "'Silly' Stephen Strasburg: Pitching Prospect, lottery ticket or both", speculates that, "The best Boras and his client could hope for, under the slotting system, is something closer to Mark Prior's $10.5 million in 2001," and now Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell is making the argument, in an article entitled, "Beware of the Pitching Phenom", that:

"Unless his price drops to the same general range as David Price ($8.8-million in 2007) or Mark Prior (a record $10.5-millionin 2001), the Nationals should pick somebody else with their top choice in the draft in three months."

...and Mr. Boswell's argument is pretty convincing, as he lists the pitchers who have gone #1 overall since the inception of the First-Year Player Draft in 1965, and finds, "Nobody --n-o-b-o-d-y-- (who) has used a No. 1 overall pick on a pitcher and been glad they did it."

(ed. note - "Here's wikipedia's list of MLB #1 picks since 1965...Luke Hochevar #1 overall to Kansas City in '06, or the aforementioned David Price, who went #1 overall to Tampa Bay, may end up proving Mr. Boswell wrong...but then you see names like Kris Benson and Brien Taylor on the list, and you, or I, at least, begin to wonder if Mr. Boswell's got a point?")

• You can ask Nationals' Team President Stan Kasten about all this silliness today (Tues, 3/24) at noon when he takes part in a Live Chat at the Washington Post.com...Click on the following link to Follow Along and Submit Your Questions to Mr. Kasten...

Federal Baseball.com's Coverage of Stephen Strasburg, by sdsuaztec4:

The Strasburg Files -

Episode 2- Into the Lion's Den.

Episode 3- Conference Play.

Episode 4- The Dreaded BS, ND.

DO NOT TRADE NICK JOHNSON...

But ESPN.com's Peter Gammons is back at it again today, with a note in his article entitled, "Available players, Teahan, Harang, and more", where he simply mentions Nick Johnson in a list of "players being dangled because of roster space and economics". (ed. note - "Cut it out, Gammons. I'm beginning to take this personally...") Johnson was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's yesterday in DC's loss to the Cardinals. Nick Johnson this Spring, now 8 for 36, .222 AVG in 15 games, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI's, .364 OBP, .528 SLG.

Tuesday Game Thread:

Shairon Martis gets the start for DC against the Orioles' Alfredo Simon, who started opposite the young Nationals' starter last Thursday and held Washington to just 1 hit in 4.0 innings on the mound, while Martis gave up 2 hits and 2 runs in 5 innings of a game Washington would eventually win 5-4. Will Adam Dunn be back? Who gets the start behind the plate? Where is Jesus Flores?

?'s For the DC Faithful?

• What does Shairon Martis have to do the rest of the way in order to win a rotation spot? Or is it already his?

• Who are you picking in the backup catcher race? I'm not sure DC would sign Bard just to challenge Nieves and Valentin for two weeks...

• Willingham or Johnson? Who are you trading? Who will the Nationals deal?

• What's the first thing you're going to buy on Opening Day? Curly-W pretzel? A new cap? BEER!? New #85 Milledge player name and # t-shirt? Anyone else want to get a Dukes #34? (ed. note - "My advice? Hold off on the Willingham shirts...")

• If you're not going to be at Nationals Park on Opening Day in DC on April 13th, where will you be watching/listening/following along?

Not enough Strasburg? Check THIS out...

Who's Listening To The Nationals??

Washington Nationals Sunday Spotlight...Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, Jesus Flores and Stephen Strasburg...

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:08:17 -0000

DO NOT TRADE NICK JOHNSON...

I don't mean to pick on Adam Dunn, the Big Donkey, or Dunn-K, the Bigger Wilkerson or Big Wilky for short, but I do want Nick Johnson to remain on the Washington Nationals' roster, so with that in mind, how about one more review of Dunn's performance at first base, on an admittedly rain-soaked field, in a WBC matchup between the U.S. and Venezuela this past Thursday...

New York Times' writer William C. Rhoden writes in a NY Times' Saturday "Sports Of The Times" column entitled, "U.S. Team Lacks Support of Fans And Players", that with Red Sox' first baseman Kevin Youkilis injured:

"Adam Dunn of the Washington Nationals played first base Thursday night -- and not gracefully -- but the Nationals want Dunn to stay in the outfield."

That's a bit kinder to Adam Dunn than Washington Post writer Amy Shipley's initial reports the night of Dunn's 3-error effort, in an article entitled, "Venezuela Races Past Strapped Team USA", where Ms. Shipley wrote of how Dunn, "...incomprehensibly fielded a ground ball and threw so far out of the reach of catcher Chris Iannetta...that Iannetta didn't even extend his glove for it," for the first of his three errors that night. And in that article as well, the Nationals expressed a desire for Dunn to remain in the outfield...

So, do the Nationals just not want Dunn playing first in the WBC? If Dunn's expected to play the outfield exclusively in DC, then why are the Nationals trying to trade Nick Johnson as MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported in his blog post entitled, "Tidbits about Nats"? Mr. Ladson quoted "an opposing scout" who said Johnson wouldn't be dealt because he is, "...known for missing a lot of games because of injuries," but the fact that Washington's trying to deal Johnson means they must have someone else in mind for first?

Josh Bard?

And who is going to be backing up Jesus Flores when the season starts?...(If and when Flores returns from injury that is, more on that in a minute)...Because the Washington Nationals signed Josh Bard to a minor league deal with an invitation today, and that makes three, count'em three, backup catchers in camp, with Wil Nieves and Javier Valentin already behind the plate...but if you remember what Manny Acta said...all the way back in December, in an MLB.com interview that's credited only to MLB.com entitled, "An interview with Manny Acta", when asked whether or not the Nationals would acquire a veteran catcher to push Flores:

"We would like to have a guy that can push him. It's such an early age that he doesn't feel it's all his, and he can just sit down and rest. That's not his makeup or his character, but we as managers always like to do that, so we like probably a guy that can push him and give him a run for his money."

"Acting" GM Mike Rizzo told Washington Post writer Chico Harlan, as quoted in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Health, Marriage and Sickness", that the three catchers, Bard, Nieves and Valentin, "...are fighting for the back-up catching job...And we've got three weeks to figure out who's the best of three...". As for Jesus Flores, MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote yesterday that, "There is no timetable for his return, but manager Manny Acta said early this week that the team will make a determination by Monday." (ed. note - "As long as it's not Lo Duca!")...

STRASBURG FILES - "He Said How Much Now?"

San Diego State University starter Stephen Strasburg, (whose start Friday night was captured in sdsuaztec4's article, "Strasburg Files Episode 4 - The dreaded BS, ND"), gets a mention in ESPN.com's Peter Gammon's blog post (For Insiders Only) entitled, "Trade to A's was the best thing for Holliday", where Mr. Gammons writes:

"...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."

I wrote back in late September '08, when it was clear that the Nationals would finish with the worst record in the Majors, in an article entitled, "Will The Washington Nationals Be Able To Sign A #1 Pick", that the Nationals would probably have to surpass the 6-year/$8.5 million dollar deal the Tampa Rays gave the last consensus #1 pitcher to come out of college, David Price, but I should've guessed that Scott "Maximum" Boras would be thinking bigger...if Mr. Gammons' "club officials" are to be believed...Is there any way the Washington Nationals can get away with not selecting Strasburg? Is there any way you can pay a pitcher who's never thrown a major league inning over $8.3M dollars a year? Making Strasburg (by far) the highest paid pitcher on the staff?

Sunday Reading...

Dave and Cheryl Nichols from the Nationals New Network spent the week on Nationals Tour, following Washington around Florida and documenting the journey in a series of posts and a whole lot of photos...Mike Henderson from Nationals Pride.com in an article entitled, "A Preseason Meditation", wonders whether last year's 102-loss campaign and the #1 pick it produced can finally end several decades worth of futility from all the Mid-Atlantic region's baseball teams...Over in Tokyo, Japan, ESTOPPEL.08 from 1500 South Capitol St., is watching Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman (aka J-Zim) and the WBC. (US vs Japan at 8:00 pm EST tonight.)...

GAME THREADS...

Nationals @ Astros...1:05 pm EST. John Lannan vs Brian Moehler. (ed. note - "I'll be following the Nationals through the iPhone this afternoon while I do some traveling.")

WBC Semi-Finals - U.S. vs Japan...8:00 pm EST. Adam Dunn and "Wild" Joel Hanrahan for the U.S. Roy Oswalt vs Daisuke Matsuzaka. (ed. note - "No way I'm missing this, I'll be home and online if anyone's watching!!!")

Who's Watching The Nationals? Who's Watching Dunn-K and "Wild" Joel In The WBC? Strasburg Wants How Much??

Spring Training: - Game 11 Game Thread: New York's Hated Mets at Washington Nationals. LIVE BLOG.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:12:39 -0000

Live From Space Coast Stadium, in Viera, Florida, it's the Washington Nationals welcoming the New York Mets for Spring Training action...Here's today's starting lineup for your Washington Nationals...

Game time 1:05 pm EST...Updates to follow throughout the game....

Doghouse - 12:25 pm...There's even an annoying (ph)filly fan yelling about being world champs. Mrs D is kind of hoping a mets fan beats him up--and they both get thrown out...Church is in today for the mets, but I didn't recognize any other starters for them...

Nick Johnson and Ronnie Belliard warming up...

Doghouse - "I love this lineup..."

Doghouse - "AK, Zim, Lasto, NJ..."

Doghouse - "'He looks thin,' says Mrs D. "Bernadina?" I ask. "Nick!" she corrects. "From this angle.." I mutter (we were behind him).

Doghouse - "Play Ball!"

Doghouse - "'You're A BUM Church!' yells a guy in front of us. 'That's the guy with the concussions!!' elaborates another guy behind us...And the Nationals get a DP ball to get John "Cool Hand" Lannan out of the first...

Doghouse - 1st Inning - "Lasto motored all the way on that triple!!! Full speed out of the box to third! Nick's swing looked real sweet on that single too...(Dukes grounds out to end 1st.)"

Doghouse - 2nd Inning - "Beautiful routine play (on a grounder from Nick Evans) with GUZ fielding deep in the hole with a perfect throw to NJ at 1st! Baseball!!! (Lannan completes a quick second scoreless.) Now Zimmy with a perfect infield drill throw..."Aww, look at Ronnie Belliard running over to cover," admires Mrs. Doghouse. And AK makes a grab on a soft sinkin' liner look easy to end the inning...DC gets two on to start the DC second, but can't cash in. "Unbelievable! Mrs. Doghouse marvels as Lannan gets down a sac bunt on the third try, but Guzman can't cash in...1-0 DC after two.

Here's Church...

Doghouse - 3rd Inning - "An ugly series of errors seems to have 'Cool Hand' Lannan rattled as the Mets move ahead 2-1 in the third...Belliard plays the inning-ending grounder (w/out dropping it first)...Lasto, Zim, NJ, Dukes in DC third...I like those odds..."

Doghouse - 4th Inning - "Wily Mo? What's he doing here?" Mrs. Doghouse inquires sharply, seeing WMP jogging down the sidelines with a bat...Lannan fields a check-swing bouncer for out no. 2, apparently to atone for the disastrous deflection (off his chest) in the third inning...Lannan through the fourth OK, I'd like to check his gb:fb% on this game. It seems like a lit of stuff is in the air. 'Cool Hand' is usually pretty good about keeping it on the ground...Kearns still can't hit inside, but he draws a walk...then VALENTIN! goes yard! (Nieves looks nervous!), 3-2 DC.

Doghouse - 5th Inning - "Shairon Martis on in the 5th..First Pitch Strike!!...Lastings Milledge foes back on a fly ball and snares it like a real CFer...'Those three pitches were the exact same pitches,' marvels Mrs. Doghouse as Martis gets a Met looking, 'It looks fast', it seems to me to be working, "I'd say he's got a good build," Mrs. Doghouse concludes, (as Martis ends a scoreless frame)...DC 5th...Lasto with a nice line drive single to LF...and Zimmy with a nice line drive single to CF...one unearned run deserves another, (4-2 DC on an error on an easy grounder from Nick Johnson, 4-2 DC.)...And Dooks draws the walk to load'em up for Ronnie!!? Belliard sacs in a run, so AK can be the big hero...(So of course, Kearns grounds into a DP, 'sigh'). 5-2 DC after 5...

Elijah Dukes at bat with Nick Johnson at first...

Doghouse - 6th Inning - "Martis with another solid inning, 'I'm really impressed with him," admits Mrs. Doghouse...DC 6th - Hammer on deck to pinch hit...Javier Valentin chugs into second after hooking a grounder just over first...Hammer? (J. Padilla on to run)...'We need a hit!' diagnoses the old timer sitting next to us, '...a walk would make it interesting but it won't help much.' No score in sixth, 5-2 DC.

Doghouse - 7th Inning - "Ledezma out to pitch the seventh...should we be worried?...'He looks tall', says the old timer of Ledezman, "...he needs to calm down," says Mrs. Doghouse as Ledezma throws one almost over the backstop...Appropriately enough, he gets a swinging K with a high heater, and retires the Mets in order...DC 7th - Casto in to run after Zimmy singles, The scrub brush is coming...Nick Johnson's Discerning Eye draws a walk and makes way for Matt Whitney...Dukes looking for many RBI's as a passed ball moves the runners up...Langerhans in for SooperDooks after Dukes bounces one over the third baseman's head. Cintron and Justin Maxwell look to complete the parade of b-teamers...J-Max walks to load them up for (Javy) Herrera...Will the Scrubs post the biggest inning? Mets' starter Bobby Parnell chased...DC puts up two more, 8-2 Nationals after 7 innings...(ed note - missed some runs here...)

LangerHANDS!!!

Doghouse - 8th - (ed. note - "I think Doghouse's phone battery died here...Bobby Brownlie gives up a run, but gets out of the inning, 8-3 DC, middle of eighth...wait...Doghouse is back...")...And our first 'Sweet Caroline' of the season as Brownlie gets hit hard but escapes with only the one run against...The truck driver who wandered up behind us complimented DC's pickup of Adam Dunn, 'Guy's got arms like frickin' Popeye!'...Casto with a seeing-eye single to bring up...uh...(Matt Whitney)...Whitney? Who are these guys?

Doghouse - 9th - Gary Glitte, uh, Glover on to end it...Casto with a 'Belliard' for out #1 (stop, drop and throw)...Kory Casto gets three straight grounders, makes three straight plays! Nationals win. 8-3 final. 'Beat the Mets, Beat the Mets!!'

Doghouse - Post Game - Gotta go catch a plane!! Better pics up later tonight!!! (ed. note - "Thanks, Doghouse! This was a lot of fun....and a nice win!!")

Final score 8-3 DC. "Beat the Mets, Beat the Mets!!"

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?