Well - we are now in week 4 of this series. You know the drill by now. Stats and grades and everything under the sun. Have some fun in the comments sections.
Roger Bernadina - Age 27 - Still under club control
How he became a Nat: Signed as an amateur free agent at age 17.
The Raw Numbers:
Games - 91
ABs - 337
OPS - .664
Injuries - 3
Trips to Syracuse - 3
WAR - 0.8
Key Stat: 17. This is the number of stolen bases that Bernadina had this year, in part time action. He was tied with Espinosa for 3rd on the club; behind Werth and Desmond (all three of which had 300+ more ABs this year than Bernadina).
Best Game: Not a lot of stand-out choices here, but I am going to go with the last week of the season; September 20th vs the Phillies. This was a game that the Nats ended up winning 4-3 on a Zimmerman single in the 10th - not involving Bernadina at all. The other three runs, however, were scored on a 2-out, 3-run bomb by Bernadina in the 7th.
Worst Game: His worst game was just a week after his best, and the Nats second-to last game of the seasons - September 27th. In this game Bernadina went 0-4 while 1) failing to hit a ball out of the infield twice 2) striking out looking and 3) grounding into a double play. The Nats lost this game 3-2, ruining their chances at a +.500 season.
CapBall Grade: C+. Bernadina got a rough shake this year. He was left off the opening day roster for Laynce Nix (who turned out to be a steal), was shipped back and forth between Syracuse and DC like he was Justin Maxwell, and after being assured a starting spot by Davey Johnson was unceremoniously benched less than two weeks later. Despite all that, Bernadina was able to put together a solid 4th OF-type year; .250ish AVG, a little pop, some speed, and some D. 17 steals in just 300 at-bats is pretty impressive, as is his 17:3 SB:CS ratio.
2012 Nats Status: I have a feeling that Bernadina, now out of options, will stay in DC for the entirety of 2012 - as a 4th/5th outfielder. He hasn't yet shown the ability to hit for any average or consistent power in his 10+ years in the minors or majors, which doesn't bode well for his major league future. If he can accept a bench role then I believe he will be a solid defensive replacement/pinch-hitter/pinch-runner for the 2012 Nats.
Most descriptions of the Shark as a defender, mention that he is prone to starting in the wrong direction when tracking down fly balls. A late inning defensive replacement for Morse, perhaps, but not for too many others.
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, however, Bernadina is the Nats best "bunt for a hit" possibility, and the baserunner most likely to give the opponent pitcher the jitters. Gotta love players who bring that type of nervous tension to the game.