Opening Day Has Arrived!

Welcome to the 2nd regular season for Capitol Baseball! We're honored that you still read our musings.

Well, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the Nats will take to the field for the 1st of 162 times today. It's going to be a cold, damp Opening Day, but that's not going to keep Capitol Baseball from the Park. We hope to see you there!

We're excited to see the story lines for 2011 finally begin to evolve. Let's bullet point some main ones that we expect to see in 2011.

• How will the young players development continue?
• Will the numerous veteran's on the 25-man be able to stay healthy?
• Will Ian Desmond improve defensively?
• How will Jordan Zimmermann's elbow hold up to the rigors of a full (albeit inning-limited) season?
• Can Ryan Zimmerman stay healthy after a few quirky injuries during Spring Training?
• Will we see Stephen Strasburg this September? What about Bryce Harper?
• Will Livan Hernandez remain a statistical anomaly and stay off the DL for another season?
• Can Jason Marquis recover from the worst season of his career and return to All-Star form?
• Can Michael Morse keep his outrageous pace from Spring Training?
• How long will Pudge remain the starting catcher with Flores and Norris making progress in the minors?
• Who will be the first bullpen guy to go? And can Storen recover from a lackluster spring?
• Can the 2011 Nats achieve a .500 record?

What about you, loyal readers? What's the story line you look forward to most in 2011? Is it one we provided or do you have your own? Hit the comments!

Tale of Two Pitchers

We are going to do a little blind exercise about the performance of two Nats pitchers. Lets look at some 2010 2nd-half stats, as well as some Spring Training stats, and then decide which pitcher you would rather have.

Pitcher 1 - 24 years-old
2nd-half 2010 - 17 games. 21.0 IP. 28 K. 11 BB. 2.57 ERA. 1.24 WHIP. .203 AVG Against. 12.0 K/9.
Spring Training - 11.1 IP. 11 K. 2 BB. 7 H. 3 R. 2 ER. 1.59 ERA.

Pitcher 2 - 23 years-old
2nd-half 2010 - 30 games. 29.2 IP. 32 K. 11 BB. 4.55 ERA. 1.32 WHIP. .252 AVG Against. 9.7 K/9.
Spring Training - 11.1 IP. 11 K. 2 BB. 24 H. 24 R. 16 ER. 11.12 ERA.

One of these players is on the Nats Opening Day Roster, and one is not. If you guessed Pitcher 2 was the player traveling north, you would be correct.

By now you have probably figured out that Pitcher 1 is Collin Balester and Pitcher 2 is Drew Storen.

I am not saying that Drew Storen doesn't deserve to be there with the big club, I am simply pointing out that it seems as though the decision for Storen is an emotional one as opposed to a statistical choice.

When I started researching this topic, I found several things that kind of surprised me. First, there is only a 1 year age difference between the pitchers, despite Balester being drafted in 2004 and Storen being drafted in 2009. Second, I didn't expect to see the huge difference in 2010 stats; I mean there is some huge differences there. Third, as relievers, Balester's ERA is a full point lower than Storen's; though with an admittedly small sample size for Balester.

I am well aware that the reasoning for sending Balester down to AAA is that it was purely based on the fact that he had an option. Where I find issue is that, Drew Storen still has several options remaining and its a lot easier to figure out potential issues in AAA as opposed to the Braves and Phillies.

So, I'll leave it to you. Would you rather have Storen with his potential? or Balester and his results?

25 in 25: Summing up the project and Laynce Nix (#25)

Tomorrow, we're all headed to Nationals Park for Opening Day. Over the last 25 days, we've guessed the Nationals Opening Day 25-man roster one day and one player at a time. Today, we conclude that list thrilled to say that we were 100% right on all of our picks. (I know, we're shocked, too.) To be honest, the Cora and Nix picks were made after the Nats already released the lineups. But the other 23 we got right on our own, and we feel pretty good about that.

But on to the completion of this great rundown: Laynce Nix.

Why?: Because Riggs and Rizzo said so. But let's talk about how he got there.

Entering camp this season, Nix seemed to have almost no chance to make the Nationals Opening Day roster. There were at least 6 guys (Werth, Morse, Morgan, Ankiel, Nix, Bernadina, and no, I don't even count Stairs as an OF) vying for at most 4 spots. With Werth, Morse, and seemingly Morgan almost guaranteed spots, that left a spot for one more. Most assumed it'd be either Ankiel or Bernie. Then Morgan got traded, Ankiel became the Opening Day CF, and Bernie got sent down. Enter Nix.

We're not going to spend a lot of time making a strong case for Nix, but some of his numbers are worth highlighting. Especially his numbers in Cincinnati last season. Granted, these were an anomaly for his career, but it's the most recent numbers and worth noting.

Cincinnati 2010: .291/.350/.455

Spring Training 2011: .243/.310/.459

What to expect?: If Nix can replicate his 2010 Cincinnati numbers, the Nats will have one heck of a back up outfielder on their hands. When starting OFs Morse, Ankiel, and Werth need days off, expect the lefty Nix to step in against right-handed pitching. On days where the starting OFs need a day off and the Nats are facing a lefty, we'll see Jerry Hairson, Jr. more often.

Expect Nix to be nothing but a back up all year, as Bernadina will likely be called up in the case of an OF injury, but the Nats might try to get Nix enough at-bats to become good trade bait if he's having a good season.

Opening Day - Bold Predictions Edition

Opening Day is tomorrow.

Let that sink in. Opening Day is tomorrow.

You ok? Good, lets press on. We are in the business of ridiculousness from time to time, and right now is no exception. It's prediction time. Time for us to embarrass ourselves over and over for the next 8 months. So, with all that out of the way. We are both going to make bold predictions for every player in the starting lineup and rotation.

Let's do it. Lineup first.

Ian Desmond - 6
- Joe - Will have an OBP of over .350.
- Mac - Will lower his Error total by 15, to a meager 19.

Jayson Werth - 9
- Joe - Will lead the Nats in stolen bases.
- Mac - Will hit 50 Doubles.

Ryan Zimmerman - 5
- Joe - Will have the best batting average in the NL.
- Mac - Will hit 35 HR and have 110 RBI.

Adam LaRoche - 3
- Joe - Will miss a large chunk of the season due to injury.
- Mac - Will have the best defensive metrics for NL first-baseman, but won't win the Gold Glove.

Michael Morse - 7
- Joe - Will make the All-Star Game as an alternate
- Mac - Will hit 30 HR.

Rick Ankiel - 8
- Joe - Mac took mine, so I'll go with he'll throw out a runner at home on the fly from the warning track.
- Mac - Will pitch for the Nats this year.

Danny Espinosa - 4
- Joe - Will win the NL Rookie of the Year.
- Mac - Will be #2 in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, to Freddie Freeman.

Ivan Rodriguez - 2
- Joe - Will miss much of the last 2 months hurt, and will retire at the end of the season.
- Mac - Will be traded by the end of May.

Rotation

Livan Hernandez
- Joe - Mac also took mine here, so I'll say a story will break that confirms that Livan is, in fact, 41 years old.
- Mac - Will go on the DL for the first time in his career.

John Lannan
- Joe - Will lead the Nats in wins in 2011.
- Mac - Will have a sub-3.50 ERA.

Jordan Zimmermann
- Joe - Will have the worst winning percentage of all Nats starters.
- Mac - Will throw a no-hitter.

Jason Marquis
- Joe - Will be the Nats most reliable starter, averaging 6.2 IP/game and will sign a new contract extension in August.
- Mac - Will be traded to a contender before the trade deadline.

Tom Gorzelanny
- Joe - Will have the 2nd best season of his career: 190 IP; 3.90 ERA; 10+ wins
- Mac - Will have a +5.00 ERA.

Give us some bold predictions in the comments!

25 in 25: Alex Cora (#24)

In 2 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's Nat is one of the oldest players on the roster, and a 13-year veteran; Alex Cora.

Why? A lot of this boiled down to the attitude of Alberto Gonzalez, who fancied himself a starter, not a bench player. The team brought in Alex Cora on a minor league deal, giving them a much needed veteran middle infield presence in case Espinosa struggles or Desmond gets hurt. The writing was on the wall in the past 2 weeks as the Nats showed off Gonzalez's versatility, showcasing him at all the 4 infield positions. The final nail, obviously, came yesterday as Gonzalez was traded to the Padres.

What should you expect? You should expect a .250 batting average with a +.300 OBP at the plate. In the power department, Cora will hit a couple of homers and give about 20-30 RBI. His real value is going to come in the field and in the clubhouse. Cora has been an above average defender at both SS and 2B, giving a 7.6 and 9.2 career UZR at each position. Alex Cora is the definition of a replacement player, and thats exactly what he will bring to the plate.

From Tony Plush to Angry Nyjer: The Confusing Journey of Nyjer Morgan

(Inside Pitch photo Courtesy natstown.mlblogs.com)

When the Nats acquired Nyjer Morgan from the the Pittsburgh Pirates, many were impressed with Mike Rizzo's trade that brought the center fielder and Sean Burnett to the team for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan. Rizzo simultaneously unloaded a chronic underachiever and bad attitude guy in Milledge and got another speedster with a seemingly jovial personality and above average fielding skills in Morgan. What could go wrong?

Well in 2009, nothing did. Morgan, or Tony Plush as he was known back then, put together stellar numbers in the final 49 games of the 2009 season: a .351 batting average, a .396 on base percentage, and a .435 slugging percentage. The Nats thought they had finally found the cure to what had been ailing them since 2005: a center fielder and lead off man.

On top of his on-the-field successes, Nyjer was a fun interview. At several points throughout the season, he did funny, witty, interesting interviews with members of the DC media. It showed an interesting side of the quirky, yet passionate Nationals center fielder.

But 2010 was the year of Angry Nyjer. Morgan's batting average peaked at .293 on April 26th, and it was all downhill from there. As Nyjer struggled to keep his batting average above .250 or to do the only thing that kept him valuable, steal bases, his friendliness and quirkiness became anger and frustration. He was no longer the life of the clubhouse, he was the guy you treaded lightly around.

(Photo Courtesy Nationals Enquirer)

It started on May 22nd when the Nationals were facing the Orioles in the "Battle of the Beltways." In the 4th inning, Morgan jumped at the wall, and he thought the Adam Jones hit had become a traditional outside-the-park home run. So, he threw is glove down in anger. Meanwhile, as you see above, the ball was sitting on the warning track. Then-LF Josh Willingham came over to retrieve the ball and throw it in, but it was too late. Adam Jones had notched one of the most embarassing inside-the-park home runs in baseball history.

Next came the August 21st incident where Nyjer threw a ball into the stands, reportedly at a fan, in Philadelphia. A week later on August 28th, Morgan plowed into St. Louis Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson in the 8th inning, which resulted in Morgan being removed from the lineup by Manager Jim Riggleman the next game.

Finally came the incident that very well may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. It came in the 6th inning of the September 1st game between the Nats and the Marlins. Morgan was hit by a pitch in the 4th frame with the Marlins up 14-3. Then, he stole 2nd and 3rd before scoring. The Marlins didn't take kindly to that, so Volstad threw behind Morgan in his next at bat. For those of you who want to reminisce and hear the Marlins broadcasters take on the brawl, the sequence can be seen here at MLB.com.

As Nyjer left the field from the brawl, he was seen taunting Marlins fans and yelling obscenities. After serving his suspension, Morgan was back in the Nats lineup to end the 2010 season.

Entering camp in 2011, I was among those shocked to see Nyjer still competing for the center field job. He had put his teammates in a precarious situation multiple times in 2010. Baseball is a game of retribution. When Nyjer shows up other pitchers, his teammates get thrown at. It's just part of the sport, whether you agree with it or not.

But the Nats acquisition of Rick Ankiel in the offseason was, to me, the ultimate signal that Nyjer may be on his way out. Despite Riggleman saying that Nyjer would be the team's CF on Opening Day, we just couldn't believe that was true. Nyjer would have to have insane spring numbers for him to compete, and well, he didn't. He struggled at the plate and in the field.

Last in the long list of atrocities that led to Morgan's demise was when he told reporters he didn't expect to be with the team come Opening Day. Well, Nyjer and Nats fans got their wish. He's now an outfielder in the Milwaukee Brewers organization (a team that Commissioner Selig is closely associated with and owned before becoming Commissioner).

That marks the end of this interesting, confusing, and disappointing history of Nyjer Morgan's history with the Washington Nationals organization.

We hope this has been an interesting look back at the Tale of Two Nyjers. Have you made it this far? Do you have any great (or terrible) Tony Plush/Nyjer Morgan stories that you'd like to share? Leave them in the comments.

25 in 25: Matt Stairs (#23)

In 3 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today, we take at look at a Canadian with more than 14 years of service time: Matt Stairs.

Why?: To be completely honest with you, we're not entirely sure. Jim Riggleman has all but assured fans and writers that Stairs will be part of the Opening Day lineup this season. As if the Nats don't get enough pop from the middle of the lineup with Werth, Zimmerman, LaRoche, Morse, and Ankiel, the Nats Manager feels the need to have a guy on the team that has absolutely no redeeming defensive qualities.

To be sure, Matt Stairs is a beast of a pinch hitter and will act as a good player/hitting coach. Hailing most recently from the Phillies and Padres, Stairs continues to crank home runs as a pinch hitter. But that is literally all he is: a pinch hitter. With a Nats team with a heaping pile of offense already that's trying to concentrate on defense, we don't quite get the commitment to adding Stairs to the 25-man roster.

Also of note, Stairs started his career with the Expos back in 1992, so I guess there's some nostalgia there to be had.... I'm not buying into that though.

What to expect?: Stairs will do what he does: hit lots of home runs in not a lot of at bats. We all know Jim Riggleman's affinity for double switches and playing the manager's mind game, so it's possible that Stairs could get a lot of pinch hit opportunities.

Expect Matt Stairs to hit between 6 and 10 home runs and having a batting average below .250 in about 100 at-bats. Let's hope his presence as a proven professional hitter will help the Nats hitters who will be with the club for the long haul.

In Case You Missed It

Every now and then some writing comes across my netbook that I feel the entirety of NatsTown needs to be aware of. So, this weekend especially, was apparently the time for quality writing about the Nats. Here are a few of the highlights.

Biffball (if you aren't following this blog already, do yourself a favor and bookmark it): Nationals Opening Discouraging Fans From Liking Them - Some analysis on Jim Riggleman's latest MASN commercial, in which he relays the values of so-called "Smart Ball". I'm not so sure ignorance counts as "Smart Ball" either...

Joe Posnanski: One of the best sports writers out there takes the same advertisements to task as well, in a post titled Chinese Jibberish.

Rob Neyer: The former ESPN writer turned legit Blogger, Neyer previews the Nationals 2011 season with his Question of the Day. What is the price of relevance?

Nats News Network: Dave Nichols does it again with his superb analysis of the Nyjer Morgan trade. As good as any beat writer out there.

Fangraphs: While listing the Organizational Rankings for each ballclub, the Nats come in a #24.

Mark Zuckerman: Another great analysis on whether we actually are a better ballclub without Nyjer roaming CF.

And finally, a quick twitter link of Cutter Dykstra from prospect genius Keith Law.

Any other Nats writing strike your fancy this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

25 in 25: Brian Broderick (#22)

In 4 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's player was not on anyone's radar at the beginning of Grapefruit league action, Brian Broderick.

Why? Before we get into the stats, the first thing that we must know about Brian Broderick is that he was one of the Nationals first-round picks in the 2010 Rule 5 draft. What that essentially means is that if the Nats don't keep Broderick on the Major League roster all season long, they have to send him back to his original team (the Cardinals). I would venture a guess and say that 3/4 of the players drafted in the Rule 5 draft eventually get returned, or re-acquired by the drafting team via trade. It is pretty rare for a player to stay on the roster all year long.

That being said, Broderick has played his way onto the roster, his Rule 5-ness not withstanding. He has been one of the best pitchers in camp, putting up an absolutely minuscule 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings of action. In addition to the single run he has given up, he has only given up 7 hits while striking out 5 and walking just 2. Broderick deserves to be on the roster.

What should you expect? I've got the be honest here, I have absolutely no clue what you should expect. Looking at his minor league numbers, Broderick is a rather pedestrian pitcher, owning a career ERA of 4.06 and WHIP of 1.29. This could just be a case of someone having a fantastic month, or it could be a case of a 6' 6" pitcher finally becoming comfortable on the mound. My guess is for the latter, considering that in 17 games at AA Springfield he went 11-2 with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. We will see if his stuff can work here in the Majors as opposed to AA. I look forward to seeing what the kid can accomplish.

Rizzo Pulls off Impossible

Mike Rizzo once again proved his worth as a General Manager as he was able to pull of a trade of Nyjer Morgan. Despite it being widely assumed that the Nationals were moments away from releasing the volatile center fielder, Rizzo was able to find a taker. Early Sunday morning, the Brewers changed their mind by sending 2008 2nd Rounder Cutter Dykstra and cash to the Nats. It is my belief that Mike Rizzo deserves a serious raise, if only for this.

Morgan has burned a lot of bridges in the past 9 months, as his attitude worsened along with his on-field performance. Several meltdowns and outfield miscues quickly erased the memory of his standout 2009 season. It became increasingly clear that the two parties were headed for Splitsville.

Now that the new Nyjer-free era has dawned on Nats Park, lets take a look at our haul. Cutter Dykstra is the son of former Phillie Lenny Dykstra, and was a 2nd round draft pick in 2008. He quickly signed and has a solid 2.5 seasons under his belt at 6 different positions; CF, LF, RF, 1B, 2B, and 3B, yet to be seen where the Nats plan to play him. The career .274 hitter had a breakout year in A ball, hitting .312 with an .827 OPS. I would expect for Cutter to start the year with Potomac.

Thoughts?

25 in 25: Drew Storen (#21)

In 5 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

With just a work-week to go until Opening Day, these decisions are getting almost impossibly hard. Today, we're going with Drew Storen.

Why?: We struggled with this decision quite a bit for a few reasons. Drew Storen has really struggled so far this spring; he's sported a 10.38 ERA over 8.2 innings. Not exactly the steadfast strength and confidence you'd like to see in your team's closer. To make matters worse, Storen is young and still has plenty of minor league options left to spend some time Syracuse to work on his skills and create another open roster spot for Rule 5 picks like Broderick and Ramirez.

But ultimately there seems to be some belief that Storen has started moving in the right direction, and that will make the difference. The Nats want to see Storen against Major Leaguers. They saw what he could do against Minor League clubs last year, and he will get a lot more experience against the big clubs.

What to expect?: Expect Storen to start the year as "just another reliever." He will not be the de facto closer for a long while, maybe not this year at all. There are others, namely Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard, that seem more likely to claim the closers role more often. Further, Manager Jim Riggleman seems extremely satisfied with the Closer by Committee set up that the Nats used after losing Matt Capps at the trade deadline last season. This arrangement allows Storen to get some experience without overwhelming his arm, which will prepare him for when he eventually takes over the role full time.

25 in 25: Jerry Hairston (#20)

In 6 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's edition is 13-year veteran and 2nd generation MLBer, Jerry Hairston.

Why? Off the bat the first draw for a player like Hairston is his veteran presence in the clubhouse. Next up is his versatility, over his career he has seen time at every single position except for pitcher and catcher. It has already been announced by Riggleman that the switch-hitting Hairston will be the starting Center Fielder against left-handed pitchers; as Bernadina, Morgan, and Ankiel are all left-handed. His leadership, attitude, and versatility has earned him a spot on this team.

What should you expect? Quality leadership and above-average defense in the field. This is, once again, a defensive-minded ballclub under Mike Rizzo, and Hairston fills that role to a T. He has posted a very high UZR in every position except for 1B and 3B, where I think we are covered with Adam LaRoche and Gold Glover, Ryan Zimmerman.

At the plate is another story, he will not light the world on fire by any stretch of the imagination. A career .257 hitter, Hairston has hit below that each of the past two seasons but is just three years removed from a .326 campaign in 2008. Look for something around a .260 average and .330 OBP.

Review: MLBN Comes to Viera

After a false start by the MLBN, my tivo has come in handy, as I was able to record a repeat, I finally got to watch the MLB Network's coverage of the Nationals edition of 30 Clubs in 30 Days.

- I figure that Strasburg and Harper will be prominent...

- Mitch Williams calls Jayson Werth the Face of the Franchise, um... really? Hazel Mae quickly corrects him, Zim is Face. Amsinger joins Team Mae. Williams retracts.

- "Ryan Zimmerman, consistently one of the most underrated players". Truth.

- "(Zimmerman) has not gotten his due"

- Werth's beard looks absolutely fantastic.

- Mae, "Has this contract changed people's opinions of you?" Werth, "Well, I guess you would have to ask other people" Beautiful.

- Projected Opening Day Lineup: Morgan/Ankiel 8. Desi 6. Zimmerman 3. Werth 9. LaRoche 3. Morse 7. Espi 4. Pudge 2. Livo 1. Gotta disagree with Ankiel first. Flop Zim and Werth. Though Mitch says stick Zim 3rd, LaRoche 4th, Werth 5th to split up the R-L-R.

- Says Pudge/Ramos should be split time 50/50. Gotta think it will be more around 35/65.

- Greg Amsinger says that Michael Morse will be the breakout player of 2011. Morse will make a trophy that Amsinger can award to him.

- Nats pitching stats from last year are atrocious. 26th in ERA. 28th in wins. 29th in Innings, K's, and Opponent AVG. Gross.

- Amsinger says that Jordan Zimmermann could be the breakout pitcher of 2011. Now, I haven't been paying as much attention to the other 30 Clubs/30 Days editions, does he throw this moniker out a lot? Who knows.

- Projected Rotation: Hernandez, Lannan, Marquis, Zimmermann, Gorzelanny. Hit the nail on the head with this one.

- Mitch - improved defense will help the pitchers out a ton.

- Nats bullpen pitched more innings than any other pen in baseball, but was 5th in bullpen ERA at 3.35. This would be a really nice thing to repeat.

- Lots of love for Balester - he needs to be in the pen, but he will be a victim of the option game.

- Burnett "Underrated because of where he has pitched; Pittsburgh and Washington"

- Prospects featured - Harper, Cole, Espinosa, Ramos, Norris, Solis, Perez, Marrero.

- Harper "Might have the best Left-Handed power of any player in the minors right now"

- All-time Expos/Nats lineup - Soriano LF 2006 - Vidro 2B 2000 - Vlad RF 2002 - Dunn 1B 2009 - Dawson CF 1983 - Zimmerman 3B 2009 - Carter C 1984 - Cabrera SS 2003 - Pedro P 1997.

- Dan Plesac - This is the year for Teddy to finally win one

- Word of the day is "smedium" - Definition from urbandictionary.com "refering to the size of an article of clothing where the article is clearly bought one size to small so as to display ones muscles". Um. Ok.

- Baseball Prospectus predicts a 71-91 season. Mitch Williams says the Nats will do much better than that and finish 3rd. Dan Plesac says that they will do better than 71 wins - that the Nats will have a major impact on the NL East.

- Overall, a much more in-depth version than Baseball Tonight, but thats to be expected considering the extra half-hour. Lots of good sequences, especially informative if you don't know too much about the Nats. Whose excited for Opening Day???

Former Nats Greats - #15

This 15th edition of Former Nats Greats heads to 2005 for a player who had a 10 year career, but you have probably never heard of him. 456 career games, over 10 years, and even die hard Nats fans will struggle to remember his "impact" on the ballclub. Who could it possibly be?

Catcher, Keith Osik!!!

I was inspired to write about his fantastic career after watching a random Nationals Classic game on MASN, and I was like who??? That doesn't happen very often, and sure enough he was on my master list for Former Nats Greats. It was fate.

A brief overview of his career before the Curly-W... Drafted way back in 1990 (!) by the Pirates, he debuted in 1996 and played in the Steeltown until 2003 when he went from the Pirates to the Brewers to the Orioles to the Fish to the Rays until finally arriving in Washington.

One of the things that draws me to these Moonlight Graham-type players for the Nationals is that sometimes its just 1 or 2 games total. In Osik's case, its just 6; 0 of them starts.

Lets check out the blow-by-blow:

September 7 vs. the Fish - 0 for 1, K.
September 15 vs. the Mets - 0 for 1, FC.
September 23 vs. the Mets - Defensive Replacement - 0 Plate Appearances
September 25 vs. the Mets - 0 for 1, K.
September 30 vs. the Phils - 0 for 1, ground-out to 3B.
October 1 vs. the Phils - Defensive Replacement - 0 Plate Appearances

At the plate - 4 games. 0 for 4. 16 pitches. 2 K. 0 Balls out of the infield. 0 Balls in the air. Womp Womp.

In the field - 8 innings. 3 stolen bases against. 0 caught stealing.

My favorite stat - in just 6 games, 8 innings, and 4 plate appearances he has a -0.1 WAR. Beautiful.

Congratulations to you on this accomplishment, and for making over $3.75 million dollars in your 10+ Year career considering no one has really ever heard of you. Enjoy your eternal enshrinement in this enigmatic club!

25 in 25: John Lannan (#19)

In 7 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today, we add John Lannan to our esteemed list of current Nats.

Why?: Going into the 2011 season, starting pitching became a concern for the Nationals when they lost Strasburg, hence the one year contract for Livan Hernandez. But beyond Livo and Jason Marquis, the Nats had no guarantees for the starting spots in the rotation. The next logical choice, though, was John Lannan.

Lannan has been the Opening Day starter (a role he was never really qualified for, but there were no other real options) the last two seasons, and we already know he won't start on Opening Day this year. But despite his breakdown in the middle of 2010, Lannan is one of the best options that the Nationals have right now.

What to expect?: Lannan should never be an Opening Day starter or a #2 guy ever again. Lannan is a lefty, though, and as such he might end up as a #2 rotation guy to start this year to break up the righties. We believe John Lannan is a #3 or later guy, and we think he can flourish when facing other #3 and #4 starters. It's not realistic for John Lannan to succeed against Roy Halladay or Tommy Hanson or Josh Johnson. It is realistic for him to succeed against R.A. Dickey or Joe Blanton.

Expect Lannan to get back to his roots, ground balls and low strikeout counts. Also, expect him to stay with the big club all year; there will be no mid-season demotions for the lefty in 2011.

Now That the Ink Has Dried...

... on the minor league deal that the Nats have signed with Oliver Perez, Former Mets Great, lets dig a little bit deeper. You know the story about his time in Flushing, but do you know about his past? Perez started his career in San Diego (founded by the Germans...), and quickly was included in a trade to the Pirates (along with Jason Bay) for Brian Giles. It was there, with the Buccos, that Perez found his groove.

The marriage between Spin Williams (Nats pitching coordinator and then Pirates pitching coach) started off rocky, post-trade 2003 Perez was 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.652 WHIP. Not too much of a surprise, going to a new city as a 22-year old trying to find his way. That year (2004), after some time with Spin, Perez had his best year as a pro going 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.153 WHIP, and a 4.5 WAR while leading the league in K/9 at a whopping 11.0.

And so enters the first great lull of Perez's career...

Injury (and mental) problems plagued the next several years and Perez lost not only velocity but lots of ballgames as well. After numerous DL stints, bullpen demotions, and minor league demotions it was time for a change of scenery; it should be noted that he was finally replaced in the Pirates rotation by Tom Gorzelanny. Perez was traded to the Mets for Xavier Nady, and was sent to AAA only to be called up less than 4 weeks later. He started his Mets career with a bang, posting a CG shutout in just his 3rd start.

The next year Perez had, arguably, the 2nd best year of his career, going 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. But this wouldn't be the year the Mets were convinced. It took 2008 to warrant an extension, where his stats were across the board worse than 2008 by the way. And so enters the Mets idiocy, "Lets give this guy whose ERA went down by almost a point, while his WHIP went down, and his strikeout numbers decreased, while leading the league in Walks, a 3 year extension at $12 million a year." Minaya, "Oh, ok. Sounds good, that Madoff guy has really gotten us a lot of money so why not."

Combined in 2009-10, Ollie pitched in just 31 games (only 21 as a starter). His stats are something out of a horror film. 6.81 ERA. 112.1 IP. 85 ER. 21 HR. 100 BB. 99 K. -1.9 WAR. Terrifying.

So, the Nats are hoping to see some 2004 magic out of the 29-year old lefty. And if they do, it will be fantastic to see the Mets get shutdown by a pitcher they are paying $12 million. The chance of that happening are about .01%, but we are in the business of positive thinking... Wait, no we aren't. Even still, this is your standard low risk, high reward signing - maybe Spin Williams can work some magic and we can get some value for our MLB-minimum.

Nats sign... OLIVER PEREZ?!?!

That's right folks. Multiple sources are now reporting that the Washington Nationals have inexplicably signed Oliver Perez to a minor league deal.

As if the national sports media already didn't have enough reason to rag on the Nats, the front office has decided (apparently upon recommendation of pitching coordinator Spin Williams) that it'd be a great idea to sign the former Mets pitcher. The same former Mets pitcher that refused to go to minor league camp and posted an 8.38 ERA in 9.2 innings in New York camp this spring. The same former Mets pitcher that went 0-5 with a 6.80 ERA in 2010. The same former Mets pitcher that appeared in 4 games against the Nats last year and allowed the 2010 Nats (not your offensive powerhouse) to post a .39o OBP. The same former Mets pitcher that is still owed $12 million from the New York club for this season, and they let him go anyways.

We understand it's a minor league deal so there is minimal money involved. I mean, come on, he's already guaranteed $12 million this year. He could work for free for the Nats. This move is confusing to us, though. One thing is turning into a pattern: Adam Kilgore has already said that this would be Scott Boras' eleventh client currently on the Nationals payroll. Boras and Rizzo must really be getting close.

Don't despair, there will be plenty more on this in the days and weeks to come. There are so many jokes here, we don't even know where to start.

25 in 25: Tom Gorzelanny (#18)

In 8 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today we delve into a former Cubbie, Tom Gorzelanny.

Why? The Nats traded two of their top 30 draft picks for the right-hander in the offseason, expecting him to be the 5th starter. This trade was met with a bit of skepticism throughout NatsTown, wondering why we were trading a (Supplemental) First-Round selection for a mediocre pitcher that we didn't necessarily need. Initially, it seemed as if the Cubs took the Nats to school on this trade, though I've warmed to it recently.

Being a victim of a numbers game in Chicago, Gorzelanny joined another challenge in Viera; too many pitchers, too few spots. His spring started late due to illness, but he has shown that he can be effective. Rizzo and Riggleman had in their minds that Gorzelanny was going to be in the rotation, and come March 31st he will be there. But for how long.

What should you expect? Don't expect a 10 win season. I still don't see Gorzelanny being a good fit in Washington, especially with McCatty's "new" philosophy of throwing strikes. In 2010, Tom had a 4.49 BB/9, not a great number, and even worse considering that its not even close to his career worst (5.98 in 2008). The ability to strike batters out is great, but even that number went down by more than 1 K/9 last year. It should be noted that his K/BB ratio is even this Spring, 8 K and 8 BB.

I see Gorzelanny winning about 8 or 9 games with a +4 ERA, a 4.50 BB/9, a 7.5 K/9, and about 23 starts. All contingent on him staying in the Nats rotation all year, which I am not convinced he will with Detwiler and Maya nipping at his heels...

The One's That Got Away

In the past several months the Nationals have cut ties with a lot of players, either via trade or free agency. Many of these moves have come with great criticism from both the Natosphere and fans (READ: Dunn, Willingham, etc.). With one week remaining in Cactus/Grapefruit League action, lets take a look at how those players are faring with their new teams.

Willie Harris - 2010 Stats: .183/.291/.362 - 10 HR - 32 RBI - 0.0 WAR

The versatile player has found a resurgence in New York, after years of torturing them. His spring stats are very solid, and he has assured himself a spot on their team.
Spring Stats: .317/.440/.659 - 3 HR - 9 RBI

Josh Willingham - 2010 Stats: .268/.389/.459 - 16 HR - 56 RBI - 2.7 WAR

The Hammer was a fan favorite in Washington and I have no doubt that he will be much of the same in Oakland. The change in leagues should give him a boost, especially feasting off of Mariner's Pitching (minus King Felix, of course).
Spring Stats: .244/.327/.333 - 1 HR - 8 RBI

Joel Peralta - 2010 Stats: 2.00 ERA - 9.00 K/9 - 3.02 FIP - 0.7 WAR

Joel made a splash in the National's bullpen last year, providing a quality power arm. However, during the offseason he wanted to spring his 49 quality innings with the Nats into a 2-year deal, but Rizzo wouldn't have it. He signed with the Rays for a 2-year deal, and has pitched well enough to become their Closer. Hmm, I can't think if we need a closer or not...
Spring Stats: 8.0 IP - 3 H - 0 R - 0 ER - 2 BB - 9 K

Justin Maxwell - 2010 Stats: .144/.305/.288 - 3 HR - 12 RBI - 0.4 WAR

Maxwell has been hashed and re-hashed in this blog, and you know how I feel about him. That being said, he did provide more value last year than Willie Harris did, though with less versatility. He is only doing marginally better with the Yankees, but his value will come in the field for that team.
Spring Stats: .219/.359/.250 - 0 HR - 3 RBI - 11 K

Miguel Batista - 2010 Stats: 3.70 ERA - 4.76 FIP - 4.25 BB/9 - -0.3 WAR

Miss Iowa has made even more of a name for himself amongst Nats' fans, after his beanball antics this past week. Coming out the pen, his only job was to hit the first batter he faced, and be immediately ejected. Seems fitting. Lets see what his stats look like...
Spring Stats: 7.1 IP - 2.45 ERA - 8 H - 2 ER - 4 BB - 3 K

Wil Nieves - 2010 Stats: .203/.244/.310 - 3 HR - 16 RBI - -0.3 WAR

Wil played with the Nats for 3 years, but his legacy resides in a commercial by MASN where Super Mario talks about some hit he made once. Other than that, I just remember a lot of strikeouts. Not shocked he is gone, but we will always have Super Mario.
Spring Stats: .273/.333/.303 - 0 HR - 2 RBI - 3 BB - 7 K

Adam Dunn - 2010 Stats: .260/.356/.536 - 38 HR - 103 RBI - 199 K - 3.9 WAR

The Big Donkey was one of the most popular players in NatsTown in the past 2 years. And I'm sure that there are many who would love for Adam Dunn to still be rocking the Curly-W. But, he didn't fit into Rizzo's idea of a defense-first ballclub. So, after signing a huge 4-year deal with the White Sox, how is Dunn doing in his first year in the AL.
Spring Stats: .208/.311/.358 - 1 HR - 3 RBI - 8 BB - 22 K

Which, if any of these players do you still wish was in a Nats uni??? Sound off in the comments!

25 in 25: Rick Ankiel (#17)

In 9 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today, we'll cover yet another new Nats player to make the team: Rick Ankiel.

Why?: The Rick Ankiel story is one that's well known throughout baseball, and we've actually covered Ankiel's story briefly when we were discussing Collin Balester's control issues last season. But Ankiel isn't throwing off a mound anymore. I would pay money to see that happen again, but I digress. Ankiel is a player that's turned into a great hitter and an outfielder with a gun for an arm. He may not be able to hit home plate from the mount, but I'll be damned if he can't hit it from 400 feet away at the center field wall.

The Nats have plenty of youth on their club now, but they do need to have some tangible experience from some true veterans. Sure, Zimmerman is probably a "veteran" of the league now after 5 seasons as a starter. But with the additions of Werth, LaRoche, and Ankiel, the Nats will add well-respected veterans that will help as the team develops.

What to expect?: We seriously think there's a possibility that Ankiel will be the Nationals starting center fielder at some point this season, maybe even on Opening Day. Nyjer hasn't done a whole lot in order to re-earn that spot this season.

We'd love to see even more pop in the Nationals offense, and Ankiel can certainly provide that. Add him to the equation of Zimmerman, Werth, LaRoche, and Morse, and all of a sudden the team has an unbelievably intimidating 5 guys in the line up. We'll see if it plays out this way, but it sure would be fun to see.

Spring Training Battles: Week 3

Back in January we highlighted the best of the Spring Training Battles and then the past few week's we've done quick recaps of how those battles were going thus far, in our Spring Training Battles: Week 1, followed by Spring Training Battles: Week 2. Its now been 3 weeks, and its time to look and see how our battles are working out.

Catchers - Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores vs. Pudge Rodriguez
- Who starts on Opening Day? Will we see both of the young stud's replace the veteran HOFer? Will Flores finally be healthy?

For all intents and purposes Jesus Flores is now out of the running for the job of backup. There has been some movement on the Ramos-as-Starter front, thanks to hard working MLB.com beat writer Bill Ladson. Ladson posted an article stating that "The Nationals are so impressed with catcher Wilson Ramos that they are thinking about making him the Opening Day starter behind the plate, according to two baseball sources." Interesting developments indeed, but I still believe that the only way Ramos would get the nod over Pudge would be if Pudge's lingering calf strain flares up again.

Infield Bench - Alex Cora vs Alberto Gonzalez
- Does Gonzalez have a leg up because of his history on the club, or will it go to the more experienced Alex Cora?

We have an old-fashioned battle between these two players, one veteran, one kid trying to prove something to his bosses. Sample size between the two utility players still differs greatly, but so far Cora is out-hitting the AG, .400 to .326; both really solid numbers. I see Cora making the team due to attitude and veteran stats, look for the team to take offers for Gonzalez if this is the case.


Outfield - Center-Field - Nyjer Morgan vs. Roger Bernadina vs. Rick Ankiel
- Who will win?

Now that Michael Morse is the starting left-fielder, we have quite a battle brewing in CF. Roger Bernadina started the spring on an absolute tear, but has come way back down to Earth since then, while looking very lost in CF. Nyjer Morgan started the spring mired in a huge funk, and has since broken out of it, though 5 steals to 3 caught stealings is a big issue. Rick Ankiel is quietly going about his business, hitting a very Maxwellian .182, while showing massive power with the bat and with his arm. Coming into play will be the fact that both Bernadina and Morgan have an option remaining, giving the Nats a chance to monkey around all season.

Bill Ladson also posted an article saying that, as of Friday (and tweeted feverishly during todays tilt) Ankiel is the front runner for the starting CF job. In which case, would Espi be the lead off hitter? Discuss.

Outfield Bench - Losers of Center-Field Starter battle vs. Matt Stairs
- Will the veteran's big left-handed bat and power potential keep him on the roster?

Still being claimed as deserving a spot on the Opening Day roster, Stairs as done little to prove his worth as a power bat off of the bench, considering he is just Rick Ankiel that can't play defense. But, its looking like Riggs and Rizzo want Stairs on the roster - so enjoy the fact that we are wasting a roster spot on a luxury player (luxury player - someone that a contender needs, not the Nats).

Starting Pitchers - Battle for the 5th Rotation Spot
- Will Gorzelanny win the 5th spot? Will he be handed the job even if he has a bad spring? What happens to those who don't win the 5th spot; minors or release? What will a healthy Chien-Ming Wang look like? Will Detwiler finally reach his potential? What will a dominant Venezuelan Winter Leagues performance mean for Yunesky Maya, has he turned the corner?

Gorzelanny has pitched well enough in his past few starts to earn this job. His last 9 innings have shown the pitcher the Nats acquired from Chicago in the winter, 3 ER, 5 BB and 7 K. Maya and Detwiler will be sent to AAA, because they have options, and they will duke it out over who will be the first one called up.

Bullpen - Battle for the Bullpen
- Who will be given a spot based on last year's performance? Will Storen be sent to the minors? Will Todd Coffey and Chad Gaudin be given spots regardless of performance? What will Henry Rodriguez do? Will Balester control the ball enough to earn a spot? Will Chad Gaudin earn a spot?

RED ALERT: Goes out to our pitchers with +10 ERAs; Tyler Clippard (12.79) and Drew Storen (11.74). It should be very scary to the Nats management that two of their top tier closer options going into the Spring are struggling so much. Clippard will make the team regardless, but whether he closes or not is another discussion for another day. It should be noted now that Sean Burnett has a 0.00 ERA in 8.1 IP... Storen, however, has options remaining and might need some no-pressure situations to get the kinks out.

Gaudin has proven his effectiveness as a long-man out of the pen and has a chance to unseat Craig Stammen in that role.

There is still not a large enough sample size on Henry Rodriguez, but I have to think that he will make the team over Collin Balester, due to the options game again.

Brian Broderick will make the team. His 0.71 ERA is the 2nd best on the roster and he has more than earned a spot. If you don't use him, you lose him.

What do you think about Stairs as a roster player? Will Storen be in Nats Park on March 31st? Alberto Gonzalez? What about the bullpen? Share your thoughts in the comments!

25 in 25: Todd Coffey (#16)

In 10 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's 25-man prospective is sprinting in from the bullpen as we speak, Todd Coffey.

Why? He has been there before. He has pitched in the high pressure situations and performed at a high level, something no other member of the Nats bullpen can currently say. Released after a down year in 2010, Coffey is just one year removed from a 2.90 ERA and a 7 K/9 average. His 1.6 WAR over his career is solid for a reliever.

What should you expect? You should expect a fan favorite. Who doesn't love seeing a 6' 4" 250 lbs. pitcher sprint in from the bullpen? I expect this year to be a bounce back year for the 31 year old reliever, as he suffered from a nasty thumb injury for several months last year. Depending on what happens with the 9th inning, Coffey could be called upon to close games as well, providing even more value. I think we could see Coffey return to a sub-3.00 ERA while keeping his 2010 K/9 ratio of 8+ K/9.

Ryan Zimmerman: Shortstop???

While reading an article on fangraphs.com about their new Aggregate Defensive Rating (ADR) stat; which essentially takes several different defensive metrics, weights them appropriately, and comes out with an accurate measure of a player's defensive skill. It was in the midst of messing around with different player's ADR that I discovered that our very own Gold Glove winner, Ryan Zimmerman, has done more for this club than play 3B and DH. He has also appeared in 1 game as SS. Needless to say, I had to find out which game and when.

The only information I knew is that it was a game from September of 2005, his call-up. So, looking at those defensive metrics, I saw that Zimmerman had 2 errors - not great, but making my search a little bit easier. Essentially, in a game where there were at least 2 errors by one player, it was most likely a game where the Nats lost, and lost big-time. So, looking at September of '05, I started with the worst loss the team had, and sure enough, that was the 1 game that Zimmerman played shortstop; interestingly enough, his first career start. Let's delve into that game.

The date was September 7, 2005 and it was a gorgeous 76 degrees at game time. The Nats were clinging to a 72-67 record and trying to stay on the very fringe of a Wild Card birth, and they had hope to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the 4 game set. That hope didn't last very long, as the Nats' starter (John Halama) lasted just 0.2 innings, or 24 pitches. Halama only gave up one run, but it would serve as a harbinger for the entire game.

The real beauty of the game lied in the fact that in addition to the 2 errors, which we will get to, is that all 7 Nats pitchers that night gave up at least 1 Earned Run; Halama 1, Hughes 2, Bergmann 2, Eischen 1, Majewski 2, Carrasco 1, Stanton 1.

Anyway, Ryan Zimmerman played a little bit of short over in Charlottesville during his college days, so it was not outside of his comfort zone. Being his 1st start of his career, I'm sure that there were some jitters involved. The first of his two errors came in the top of the 7th inning on a ball off the bat from Juan Encarnacion, who would later score on a double by Former Nats Great PLoD. His second error came just 2 innings later on a shot by superstar Robert Andino, leading to a run by Mike Lowell (and sending Josh Willingham to 2nd).

As I said before, the Marlins went on the win the game 12-1 and in no way did Zimmerman have any real effect on the outcome, as the Nats were already down 8-1 when he made his first error. Also in effect was Dontrelle Willis carving up Nats' hitters to the tune of his 20th win of the season (my how things have changed...). But its definitely interesting to see that initially Zimmerman was brought up as a Left-Side infielder, not necessarily a 3B.

How might things be different in NatsTown had Zimmerman taken over for Cristian Guzman at short in the 2006 season? Post your thoughts in the comments!

25 in 25: Chad Gaudin (#15)

In 11 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

After today, there are just 10 slots left and many more than 10 qualified candidates. It's refreshing to see so many qualified veterans (and young guys for that matter) in Nats camp this year. But today, the honors go to Chad Gaudin.

Why?: Gaudin was a big addition to camp for Mike Rizzo this offseason, because it provided competition to the Nats on two fronts. Many (me included) considered Craig Stammen to be basically a lock on the long reliever role for this season. However, the addition of Gaudin to the equation added real competition to the process. Gaudin has also started a number of games in his career, 75 starts over the course of 8 seasons to be exact. So with Gaudin in camp, he realistically had the opportunity to compete for multiple pitching roles.

Gaudin pitched enough innings this spring to be in the same conversation as Marquis, Detwiler, Maya, and Zimmermann. Not bad company as far as the starting rotation conversation goes. In his 11 innings pitched this spring, he's given up 12 hits and 5 earned runs, and has the worst ERA among that same competition.

What to expect?: Gaudin has been great in small doses this season, and certainly has the stamina to be an emergency starter.

After the Nats lost Miguel Batista last year to free agency, we think that Chad Gaudin will fill Batista's old role as a long reliever and spot starter. Craig Stammen has remaining options, and we think he'll start the season in AAA Syracuse.

Here's hoping that Gaudin can have a Mr. Iowa moment this year.

25 in 25: Doug Slaten (#14)

In 12 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today we feature on of our lefty's, Doug Slaten.

Why? Slaten was picked off of waivers from the Diamondbacks after the 2009 season, and he immediately paid dividends. His welcome had been worn out; lets face it, a 7.11 ERA would do that to any team. So, looking to make a fresh start, Slaten started the year in AAA, but his stay wouldn't last long as he was called up in mid-May. Once arriving with the big club, he was able to pitch in non-LOOGY situations which is a very valuable asset. His 3.10 ERA helped to anchor the team's above-average bullpen. Still arbitration eligible, Slaten is a lock for the team due to his cheap cost.

What should you expect? Well, he has a bit of a checkered past. He came into the bigs with a flash, posting a 0.00 ERA in 9 appearances in his 2006 September call-up, earning a spot with the club in 2007; where he put up a 2.72 ERA in 61 games. The fun would stop there as his ERA ballooned to 4.73 and then 7.11 before he was acquired by the Nats. Which pitcher are the Nats going to get, the 2008-09 edition, or the 2010 edition? I believe that he will have a rough year in the bullpen but that his ERA should stay around 3.30, not great, but also not terrible.

25 in 25: Wilson Ramos (#13)

In 13 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today, we look at the catcher who will platoon with Pudge this season: Wilson Ramos.

Why?: Ramos is a bit of a unique case for the 25 in 25 list. Everyone sort of assumed the job was his coming into the spring, but then Jesus Flores got healthy and many expected he would bring some serious competition after missing two seasons while nursing a shoulder injury. But while Flores is still great behind the plate, his lack of bat shows that you can't just disappear from baseball for two seasons and come back where you left off. It will take time, which is why Flores will probably start the year in AAA.

In a very limited sample size (24 at bats), Ramos is hitting .250 with an OBP under .300, but it's the spring, and there's not a whole lot to be worried about here. He's progressing behind the plate and is next in line to be "catcher of the future" for the Nats. Getting Ramos from the Twins last season is among the better trades that Mike Rizzo has facilitated since he became the Nats full-time GM.

What to expect?: Expect Pudge to prepare Ramos for the "you're next" role that the team clearly expects him to take on. He's an above average hitting catcher and is solid behind the plate. Expect Ramos to have a season that compares with his 2010 numbers of .278/.305/.405, which the Nats will gladly accept.

Ramos can't get to comfortable, though. Derek Norris is waiting in the wings, and may not wait much longer. Although many, including Baseball America and us, expect that Norris will eventually be converted into a 1st baseman. It doesn't hurt to have a bit of organizational competition in the mean time though.

Here's to 250 More

In celebration of our 250th Post from Wednesday afternoon we want to thank all you readers for your comments and continual readership! Also, to you newer readers, we have several continuing series that you should check out, here are some links coming your way.

Former Nats Greats - A profile of several of the lesser known players to grace the Curly W (no Expos allowed).

2011 Primer - A 4-part series designated to prepare every Nats fan about the writers, websites, and statistics for the upcoming season.

Spring Training Battles - The questions going into Spring Training, by position. Check out the Week 1 and Week 2 recaps as well. Week 3 next week!

25 in 25 - Our predictions on the 25 Nats who are going to be on the Opening Day roster. Posted every day at 11am until Opening Day!

We are really looking forward to another year of coverage! Here's to 250 more posts!!!

25 in 25: Michael Morse (#12)

In 14 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's entry is the new starting LF for the ballclub, deservedly so.

Why? His entire career, Michael Morse has hit the baseball. In Seattle, he hit. When he came over in that glorious trade that sent Ryan Langerhans to the pacific northwest, he hit. And with the Nationals last year, in replacement duty, all he did was hit the ball. For some unknown reason though, he sat as well. Someone must've had dirty pictures of the slugger because as soon as he got hot, he sat the bench for 3 days.

Aside from all that, when he was in the lineup he was able to perform admirably. Last year in just 98 games (a crime btw), he hit .289 with 41 RBI and 15 HR. Spread out to 162 games thats about 75 RBI and 28 HR, which is more than we were getting with Josh Willingham for what its worth. His OPS was .890 and his OPS+ was 133 (over 100 is good).

What should we expect? Over his 6 year MLB career, Morse has a 162-game average of 91 RBI, 21 HR, with a .291 AVG and an .810 OPS. All of his potential rests with the opportunity given to him, IE will he be given a fair shake. If Morse has the chance to stay in the position for any extended period of time, he should be able to throw up some great numbers.

Morse's most-likely spot will be in the 6 hole, after LaRoche, and he should have plenty of opportunities to knock in runs. I see him hitting somewhere between .290-.300 with 22-25 HR and 85+ RBIs. We are witness to the second-coming of Jayson Werth.

Former Nats Greats #14

Hopefully you have enjoyed this series as much as I have. There is something about the bond between fans who remember these obscure players. Our next player is no exception to that rule. Today's St. Patty's Day edition comes from Manny Acta's first year as Nats manager, 2007.

Drumroll.......

The original goggles... Winston Abreu!

Signed to a minor league contract in the off-season, Abreu was sent to AAA Columbus at the start of the season. While with the Clippers, he put up good enough numbers to warrant a call-up to the big club. His debut came on May 8th, and didn't go very well as he gave up a homer to JJ Hardy in his 2/3 of an inning. He took it in stride and built on it.

His next 11 appearances went extremely well as the righty struck out 12 in 11 innings of work, giving up just 2 runs. By May 26th Abreu had a 2.31 ERA, and the Nats thought that they had found lightning in a bottle. And here is where the wheels came off.

Winston then went into a slump of epic proportions, and his next 8 appearances were a struggle. From May 29th to June 19th here are his earned runs allowed: 4, 0, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, and 2. These earned runs were given up in just 12.1 innings, calculating out to an ERA of 10.41 in that stretch; ouch. He was DFA'ed the next day (June 20).

After the minor league season ended, it was time for September call-ups and Winston Abreu was welcomed back to the Nats with open arms. He would go on to pitch in 7 more games, 6.1 innings total. He did enough not to be terrible, but he didn't do enough to win a job for the next year as here is the end of his story with the Nats.

Abreu's totals - 26 G. 30.1 IP. 5.93 ERA. 5.42 FIP. 1.52 WHIP. 9 BB. 26 K. 7 HR. -0.e WAR

Abreu paved the way for people like Tyler Clippard, those bespectacled folk who yearn to pitch in the bullpen of a sub-.500 team. We wish him the best and congratulate him on this tremendous, trailblazing accomplishment.

Review: BBTN Comes to Viera

Well, lets just say I'm not the biggest fan of ESPN and their baseball coverage, as it tends to be very focused on just Boston and New York. I sat down to watch the 30 in 30: Nats coverage of the very popular Baseball Tonight, originally broadcast at 3:30. And as I watched, I hoped to glean a new found respect for the program, considering I haven't watched it since the advent of MLBNetwork. Here is what I noticed.

Observations:
- Times Stephen Strasburg mentioned: 8

- Times Bryce Harper mentioned: 7

- Times Jayson Werth mentioned: 7

- Times Ryan Zimmerman mentioned: 2

- Times Adam LaRoche mentioned: 4

- Times the whole rest of the team was mentioned: 6

- Werth puns: 1

- To wrap up those numbers, Zimmerman and the rest of the team were mentioned just as much as a player who won't be heard from until September at the very earliest. Glad to see ESPN has their priorities straight.

- Turns out we were the very last stop on the "Goodyear (TM)" Express Tour. Shocker.

- Wow, ESPN just used WAR in their "analysis", I'm kind of impressed. Though they don't explain at all what it is or how it's used.

- Kurkjian's Three Questions - 1) Strasburg health (shocker) 2) Closer Situation 3) Bryce Harper (shocker)

- Kurkjian says our rotation will give us only 5 innings a night... I can't believe this to be true with Livo being Livo and having a healthy Jason Marquis.

- ESPN's projection of our lineup - Espi 4 - Desi 6 - Zim 5 - LaRoche 3 - Werth 9 - Morse 7 - Pudge 2 - Morgan 8 - Livo 1

- ESPN's projection of our rotation - Livo - Lannan - Marquis - Zimmermann - Gorzelanny

- Aaron Boone loves the middle infield combo of Desi-Espi. "Two really athletic guys with a lot of upside, especially on the offensive side of the ball."

- Lots of 2012 talk

- Ravech, "There's a chance LaRoche could be replaced next year by Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols"

- Boone, "(Strasburg) and (Zimmermann) give them two potential aces in the future"

- Boone, "Once they climb the mountain, this is a team I believe will stay relevant because they are gonna be able to afford to go out and compete with some of the big boys for elite free agencies [sic]"

- End of the show features Kurkjian and Kruk showing off their tour bus to Jayson Werth - who makes fun of it and Kruk. IE "this kinda smells like cheesesteaks".

- Recap - "Strasburg, Harper, Werth, some other guys - maybe next year"

25 in 25: Jason Marquis (#11)

In 15 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's 25-man roster invitee is Jason Marquis.

Why?: I know some thought it was weird that we didn't include Marquis earlier in the process, but we wanted to see how he progressed throughout the spring, to see how he recovered from injury, and to see how he moved forward from the worst season of his career. In a word, we'd qualify Marquis' progress as "wow."

This spring, Marquis leads all Nats pitchers with 12 innings pitched, has given up fewer hits than any of the potential starting pitchers (6), and has allowed just 1 earned run. He's struck out 8 and walked just 3. These are "back to his old form" numbers for Marquis, who is coming off a season marred by injuries and a few horrific outings.

Where there was once nervousness, we are extremely excited to see Marquis back in his prime. While in Viera for spring training, we got to see Marquis giving Rule 5 draftee Brian Broderick some tips along the way. He looked confident and strong while throwing, and is poised to help Livan with his role of veteran pitcher/coach during the season.

What to expect?: Despite our prior concerns, we think there's a chance you might see one of the best years of his career, if he can stay healthy. The best year of Jason's career was 2009 in Colorado, not exactly known as a pitcher-friendly ballpark. He posted a 15-13 record with a 4.04 ERA and 216 innings pitched. He seemed to be getting better year after year until he was crushed by an elbow injury in 2010.

Now, the 32-year old is still in the prime of his career, but it seems like he knows he's on the tail end of his absolute best "stuff." We completely expect Marquis to take advantage of that, plus the fact that he's in a contract year and needs to prove, both to the Nationals and to other teams looking for a veteran starter, that the $15 million over two years that the Nats spent on him were worth it. We think he'll do just that in 2011.

Mets Nip Nats

Yesterday the Nats traveled to Port St. Lucie on what turned out to be a terrible day for the organization. Granted, that might be a little bit dramatic, but any day that sees injuries to a future HOFer (Pudge), the Face of the Franchise (Zim), and the up-and-coming 2B stud (Espi) is not a very good day in my book. Lets look at some of the highlights.

- On the offensive side, there really are no highlights to point out aside from LaRoche going 1 for 1 with 2 BBs. Should be mentioned that owners of the Nats hits were LaRoche, Bernadina, Marrero, Ankiel, Flores, and Espinosa.

- The Beat Writers extraordinaire provided great news when they said that Espinosa felt fine after that game and that he was just day-to-day, pending an X-ray. Lets just get the team healthy so that Opening Day 2011 can erase the memory of 2010's festivities.

- The Nats once again played an error-less game.

- On the bump, Tom Gorzelanny had a much improved outing his 2nd time out; posting 4 innings of 2 H, 1 ER ball. What is not yet improved is his strike-rate, he threw 65 pitches but only 36 of them for strikes; a stark contrast to the rest of the staff this spring. He also added 4 strikeouts, but 3 more walks giving him 6 BB and 5 K in his 2 outings.

- Worst Star of the Day goes to Craig Stammen, who did nothing to help his stock as a reliable bullpen arm. In just 1.2 IP, he gave up 3 runs, walking 1 and striking out 0, raising his ERA from a stellar 1.50 to a paltry 4.80. Not good for someone who is trying to be the long-man out of the pen.

- Henry Rodriguez gave up another run, but didn't walk anyone. Progress.

- #1 Star of the Day - Brian Broderick. The 24 year-old Rule 5 draftee continued his impressive spring by allowing just a walk in his 1 inning today. His spring totals are now 8.2 IP, 1.04 ERA, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K. I can definitely see Broderick starting the season in the Nats bullpen, keeping the righty away from his original team, the Red Birds.

25 in 25: Danny Espinosa (#10)

In 17 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today, we add our youngest prediction to the list thus far: Danny Espinosa.

Why?: The easy answer to this is... who else? The Nationals have very few middle infielders in the organization that could even feign being ready for The Show. That said, we think that Espi is more than ready for this. He started his first year as a September call up, and we think that in a season that probably won't see the Nationals making any sort of post season push, Espinosa can use this time to really solidify himself as the team's next young stud.

What to expect?: Expect Espinosa to compliment his fellow middle infielder, Ian Desmond, very well over the course of the season. Espi will provide extremely solid defense and will probably be streaky at the plate in his "true" rookie season. Is it too early to expect Danny to be an NL Rookie of the Year candidate? Probably. But expect him to be in the conversation at some point this season.

Spring Training Battles: Week 2

Back in January we highlighted the best of the Spring Training Battles and then last week we did a quick recap of how those battles were going thus far, in our Spring Training Battles: Week 1. Its now been 2 weeks, and its time to look and see how our battles are working out.

Catchers - Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores vs. Pudge Rodriguez
- Who starts on Opening Day? Will we see both of the young stud's replace the veteran HOFer? Will Flores finally be healthy?

We are still 100% expecting Pudge to start on Opening Day, that will not change. In the backup role it was a better week for Flores but not by much, he was only able to muster 1 hit (though it was a 3-run bomb to right center). Jesus is now hitting just .063 compared to Ramos who is hitting .250. Things almost made a drastic turn when the Astros lost Catcher Jason Castro for the season with an ACL tear, prompting Houston to inquire for Flores. Stay tuned, I'm sure all parties will be watching about that surgically repaired shoulder. But for now, its Ramos' job to lose.

Infield Bench - Alex Cora vs Alberto Gonzalez
- Does Gonzalez have a leg up because of his history on the club, or will it go to the more experienced Alex Cora?

Compared to last week, we have a much larger sample size for both of these players, and the tale of the tape is becoming a little bit clearer. The AG is now hitting .281 with 9 hits and 2 RBI in 32 at-bats and Cora is hitting .412 (7 for 17) with an RBI. In the field, Cora has made 1 error to AG's 0. In the end, I believe that it will be attitude, not stats, will have the greatest influence on the final decision.

Heads up for infielder Brian Bixler who is hitting .474 with 9 hits in 19 ABs.


Outfield - Left-Field* - Rick Ankiel vs. Roger Bernadina vs. Michael Morse
- Will there be a straight lefty-righty platoon? Who will start Opening Day? Will all 3 make the roster?

We are adding an asterisk to this post, because, lets be honest for a second - this is now Michael Morse's job. Morse, after a 1 for 4 day on Monday, is now hitting .469 with 5 HRs and 10 RBI. Sunday, while Capitol Baseball was driving home from Florida, Riggleman and Rizzo said that Morse was "winning" the LF job, and by this point it should be won. So, with that in mind. This section is now going to be the battle for the CF job, between Ankiel, Bernadina, and Morgan.

Outfield - Center-Field - Nyjer Morgan vs. Roger Bernadina vs. Rick Ankiel
- Who will win?

In the same discussion with Morse "winning" the LF job, both Riggs and Rizzo said that the CF job was now the true battle and that so far, Morgan is the front-runner (barely).

It was a good week for both Ankiel and Morgan, as Bernadina faltered both at the plate and in the field. When the week started I would've said that Bernie was in the lead, but now I, too, have to switch my allegiances back to Morgan. Ankiel will do what he does (homers) and he is an attractive bench option, more than capable of coming in due to injury. Bernadina's option will come into play in this situation, as will Ankiel's major league deal.

Ankiel is hitting just .194/.219/.548, 3 HR and 8 RBI.
Bernadina is hitting .281/.324/.438, 1 HR and 7 RBI.
Morgan is hitting .212/.316/.242, 0 HR and 1 RBI. Key here is increased BB #'s.

Outfield Bench - Losers of Left-Field Starter battle vs. Matt Stairs
- Will the veteran's big left-handed bat and power potential keep him on the roster?

Riggleman said this week that Matt Stairs is likely to make the roster, and I have no idea how or why. Anyway, if I am being forced to go through this, lets look at his stats. He is hitting .333 in a very small sample size, just 12 ABs. He has 1 2B and 3 RBIs, and thats really about it. Its widely assumed that he can't play the field, and he has seen 0 action there this spring. I can't fathom a way that we would have Matt Stairs in there as a bench bat, when Rick Ankiel can provide the exact same thing (HR Potential) plus above average defense.


Starting Pitchers - Battle for the 5th Rotation Spot
- Will Gorzelanny win the 5th spot? Will he be handed the job even if he has a bad spring? What happens to those who don't win the 5th spot; minors or release? What will a healthy Chien-Ming Wang look like? Will Detwiler finally reach his potential? What will a dominant Venezuelan Winter Leagues performance mean for Yunesky Maya, has he turned the corner?

There is a lot of stuff here so let me post some basic numbers before pounding out some analysis.

Gorzelanny - 2.1 IP. 5 H. 3 R. 2 ER. 3 BB. 1 K. 7.71 ERA.
Wang - Ruled Out
Detwiler - 9 IP. 9 H. 3 R. 2 ER. 1 BB. 10 K. 2.00 ERA.
Maya - 8.2 IP. 8 H. 2 R. 1 ER. 4 BB. 8 K. 1.04 ERA.
Lannan - 7.1 IP. 7 H. 6 R. 6 ER. 4 BB. 4 K. 7.36 ERA.

So. If I told you to pick 2 of these people to join Livo, Marquis, and Zimmermann who would you pick? Right now, without question I would pick Detwiler and Maya - but I don't run a Major League Baseball club. But it is looking more and more likely that both of those pitchers will be starting their season in Syracuse.

For those of you that were unlucky enough to be in Kissimee for the Nats - Astros on Friday, you had to sit through a Gorzelanny's rough first outing. His 2nd start should paint a better picture, as should his 3rd and 4th. I don't think that the Nats should be giving him a roster spot, he needs to earn it.

Its time to start questioning Lannan. He turned it on after his demotion last year and seemed to turn a corner, but he has struggled to put batters away; as evidenced by his high ERA. It's expected for him to make the rotation to start the season, but the question is how long he will be in DC.

Maya and Detwiler both threw while Capitol Baseball was in attendance and this is what we can tell you. These pitchers are ready. Both pitchers have been plagued with atrocious defense. But they are ready. I hope its not too long before we see Maya's looping curve and Detwiler's tight slider in Nats Park.

Bullpen - Battle for the Bullpen
- Who will be given a spot based on last year's performance? Will Storen be sent to the minors? Will Todd Coffey and Chad Gaudin be given spots regardless of performance? What will Henry Rodriguez do? Will Balester control the ball enough to earn a spot? Will Chad Gaudin earn a spot?

For me, the Nats should be questioning the bullpen. Tyler Clippard is struggling, Sean Burnett has had trouble getting batters out, Todd Coffey has had troubles, and Doug Slaten hasn't come to play yet. And these are the players widely expected to be given jobs. When it comes to the others... well, its a mixed bag.

Craig Stammen has had a great spring, posting a 1.50 ERA in 6 innings. Chad Gaudin is sitting in great position after a fantastic 5 inning 0-run performance on Thursday. Drew Storen got a talking to after struggling through 3 batters on Thursday, but after a talking to from McCatty he has struck out 4 in just 2 IP. Henry Rodriguez showed his wildness in his first "uncomfortable" outing, walking 3 in just 0.1 IP. Bally* has given up 2 ER in his 5 innings of work, not bad. Stay tuned here.

What are your thoughts on these battles? Should Stairs be given a spot? Should Lannan be given a rotation spot? Has Storen turned the corner? Who's your rotation this far? Share in the comments!

25 in 25: Ian Desmond (#9)

In 16 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today's featured player is Ian Desmond, the incumbent SS.

Why?: As a September call-up in 2009, Ian Desmond showed the Nats brass that all the years of hype were well deserved. He hit for average, hit for power, and provided sparkling defense. During last years Spring Training, Desmond won the starting job over long-time cog, Cristian Guzman.

The year progressed and Desmond (at times) flashed brilliance in the field, and provided veteran-level leadership in the dugout. At other times, his defense was less than stellar, as he had a MLB leading 34 errors. It is not uncommon for error rates to drastically decrease after a shortstops rookie season, and many expect Desmond to keep that trend going. He has earned the starting job, for now at least, with his leadership and potential.

What you should expect?: First and foremost, you should expect Desmond's error rate to go way down, by at least 10. 24 Errors isn't great, but it is far better than 34.

Offensively, things are going to be a bit different from last year. Starting the 2010 season, Desmond was resigned to hitting 7 and 8 in the lineup, giving him breaking pitches, and few chances to knock in runs or score runs. After a mid-season trade of 2 hitter, Guzman again, Desi was bumped up to the top of the order in his place. In that spot, he hit .326 with an .858 OPS, over .050 and .125 (respectively) points higher than his career average; and 186 AB is a pretty good sample size.

I'm predicting a break-out year for the young Shortstop. .300 AVG, .850 OPS, 18-20 HR, 90+ Runs, 80 RBI. And yes, far fewer errors.

25 in 25: Tyler Clippard (#8)

In 18 days, all the Nationals diehards will be preparing to head to Nationals Park on Opening Day. Until then, we're going to predict the 25 man roster. With one catch. We're going to do it one day at a time. This way, we can provide more in depth thoughts on who we think is going to make the roster, why we think so, and what to expect from them in 2011. On the morning of Opening Day, we'll post the real 25-man compared with what we predicted.

Today we discuss, statistically, one of the Nats best pitchers in 2010, Tyler Clippard.

Why?: In 2010, Tyler Clippard lead the Nationals pitching staff in wins... despite being a reliever... Granted, some of these wins were gimmies, coming off of ties or big offensive rallys. It still says something about the pitcher, you have to be having a good season for those breaks to roll your way. Pitching in a team-high 78 games last year, Clippard formed part of the amazing duo, Clip n' Save, with Matt Capps. The two combined to close the door on over 25 games, without much fuss.

Clippard posted a 1.4 WAR, 3.07 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP in 2010. After leading the Nats in most pitching categories, many thought that Clippard was going to be the Nats representative in Anaheim for the All-Star Game, an honor which went to his partner in crime, Matt Capps.

What should you expect?: A slight regression is probably in Goggles future, but I'm not so sure. Fatigue will definitely become an issue, considering that before his 78 game performance in 2010, his previous high was 41 games in 2009. Contrary to that however is the fact that his stats that determine potential for repeat are solid. His FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) rate was only 0.11 higher than his ERA, a sure indication that it wasn't a fluky performance. Also, his BABIP (Batting Average of Balls in Play) was the highest it has been in his entire career, meaning that with a more solid defense his numbers will actually improve drastically.

Clippard will once again lead the team in appearances, and may even have a prolonged stint as closer, depending on the development of Drew Storen. His ERA should hover around the 2.50-3.00 mark, while his strikeout numbers will stay in the 9+ K/9 range. Hopefully, no offense to Clippard, he will not lead the team in wins next year...

Nats beat Yankees 6-5 in walk-off style

As Capitol Baseball leaves Space Coast Stadium for the last time this spring, there's a lot of stuff to glean from the Nats 6-5 victory over the Yankees on Saturday. Let's look into the highlights and lowlights.

-As expected, the Space Coast was run over by Yankees fans that came and were as obnoxious as you'd expect. There seemed to be mass confusion by the lack of Derek Jeter in the line up, as there were several "look at that throw by Jeter" comments in our section.

-John Lannan looked pretty Lannan-esque. He went 4 1/3 innings, walked 3, struck out 3, and gave up 4 earned runs. Today, we saw the Lannan we saw to start 2010, not to end it. With some really successful springs from guys like Ross Detwiler, one has to wonder about about how guaranteed Lannan's spot is in the Opening Day rotation.

-Roger Bernadina has seen better days, and that's the understatement of the century. Bernie earned the silver sombrero (3 strikeouts in one game) and had a nasty fielding error on a fly ball to center field that appeared to just miss his glove. If he was looking to put himself in front of Nyjer for the CF job, he didn't do himself any favors.

-Yunesky Maya pitched 4 average innings. He gave up 2 hits but walked 3. He gave up just 2 runs. He continues to make a push for the rotation, but it still seems unlikely he'd be in the rotation on Opening Day.

-Derek Norris ended the game with a walk-off single to deep left center with the bases loaded and one out. Norris continues to make huge strides this spring offensively, and it's been easy to see why he's the #2 prospect in the Nats organization as ranked by Baseball America.

-It was a big bomb sort of day at Space Coast. The Nats hit 3 homers (Morse, Nix, Ankiel).

-Bryce Harper got hit by a pitch up and in during his only at-bat of the game. He took it in what looked to be the shoulder, and he was hurting on the way to first.

(Edit: - We almost forgot. Justin Maxwell was in the line up for the Yankees today in left. He went 0 for 2 with two walks and helped the Nats greatly in the 8th by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. Thanks Justin!)

-The number #1 star of the game was, without a doubt, Michael Morse. Morse continued to be the catalyst for the Nationals offense, going 2 for 3 with a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning. Earlier in the day, both Manager Jim Riggleman and GM Mike Rizzo said Morse is the front runner for the left field job. Now that Morse is 14 for 28 (.500) on the Spring, with 5 home runs, you have to wonder if that's become a guarantee.