The Aftermath

Wilson Ramos is safe. If you asked me last week, these are words that I never thought I would get the chance to write - and am thrilled to do so. After a 51 hour ordeal, Ramos was returned, physically unharmed, to his family in Venezuela. In a scene out of a movie, police and military special ops engaged the professional kidnappers in a firefight at a small hideaway in the mountains of VZ.

For Wilson Ramos and the Nationals, life is ready to move on. But just how will the two move on from such a tragedy? Well, in my mind, there are just two ways this could go for the parties involved.

1. The Nationals, still early in the offseason, could go out and get an insurance plan for 2012. Go find a player like Pudge Rodriguez and bring him back on a 1-year deal purely to have a dependable backup in the event that Wilson Ramos is too emotionally scarred to handle the pressures of playing 6 out of every 7 games in the Big Leagues.

2. The kidnapping puts Ramos' life into perspective - things like family and religion take on a whole new meaning as he "lives life to the fullest". In this instance, Ramos would most likely play a looser game and be more comfortable on the field knowing that, in reality, it is just a game - not life or death. We would see a joy on Ramos' face as he soaked in every second of his dream.

(I'm not saying that both couldn't happen to some extent, either.)

It's hard to imagine that Ramos will be playing in the VZ Winter League just 5 days after being held hostage - but he is. Which makes me hopeful that we will see Ramos #2 - a kid playing a game that he loves.

Do you think the Nats should sign a veteran back-up for next year? Or do you think that Ramos will show little to no ill effects on the field?

Ramos Kidnapped

According to multiple online reports, Nationals Catcher and star 2011 rookie Wilson Ramos was kidnapped in front of his home in Venezuela on Wednesday.

Most of the reporting right now is in Spanish language newspapers, but the gist of the story is that Ramos was approached by 4 gunman outside of his home in Santa Ines, Venezuela (about 220 miles east of the Capital city, Caracas). According to these reports, the Ramos family has contacted the police but they have yet to hear from the kidnappers.

Obviously, this is a new and terrifying story - so the details are still emerging. We hope that whoever is responsible for this is brought down and that Ramos is returned to his family without harm.

A Few Good Men: 12 - Wilson Ramos

It's week two of our journey to 44 player reviews covering each and every player that graced NatsTown's presence this past season. We will continue to tweak the process based on your comments, so keep those going.

Wilson Ramos – Age 24 – Under team control until 2016

How he became a Nat: Acquired from the Twins, along with Joe Testa, for reliever Matt Capps

The Raw Numbers:

Games – 113

HR – 15

OPS+ - 113

CS% - 32%

Key Stat: WAR 3.1 Among non-pitchers, it’s basically a toss-up between he and Danny Espinosa as to which rookie contributed more to his team. Catching is infinitely harder and more important than second-base (no offense Espi). Splitting WAR into oWAR and dWAR we see that while his offense was better, his defense is in the positive. Catcher is the single most important fielder, he is in on every play and can change a game with a throw. Solving the catcher situation is way more than 1/9 of making a great team. Just for fun, Pudge’s rookie WAR was 1.0.

Best Game: In terms of stats, its April 26^th against the Mets when he went 3-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBIs. But June 21 vs. the Mariners really has to stand out. Ramos punctuated a five run ninth innings with a walk-off three run bomb. What it must be like to hit a walk-off home run to cap the biggest comeback in your team’s history…at age 23.

Worst Game: May 13 against the Marlins. It seems like a whole lot of Nats have had their worst game against the Fish. Wilson went 0-5 with 2ks in an extra inning loss. He also left a runner in scoring position and grounded into a double play.

Capball Grade: A. Given a nebulous pitching staff and being faced with stealing playing time from a Hall-of-Famer as well as a Rule 5 pick, Ramos turned the catching question into a no-contest. Handling pitchers, young and old, like a pro, as well as showing significant promise at the plate has led to Ramos being declared the long-term solution at catcher.

2012 Nats Status: Opening day, your starting catcher, Wilson Ramos. The Nats should plan to have him start 120-130 games. He is young and talented and there is no reason to give him more than 40 games off. If he gets off to a hot start, there is no reason he won’t warrant All-Star consideration. It’s also invaluable that he gets to grow up along-side Strasburg, Zimmermann, Peacock, Milone, Storen, H-rod, etc.

Vamos Ramos: Walk-Off Style

What an incredible night in NatsTown! And by incredible night, we clearly mean 9th inning, because there wasn't much incredible about the rest of the evening. Ryan Zimmerman grounded into 3 double plays. Livan didn't make a single out in the 5th inning. But after some brilliant relief work from Ryan Mattheus, Collin Balester, and Todd Coffey, the Nats were in position for the most improbable of comebacks.

Mariners Manager Eric Wedge took SP Doug Fister out of the game and is probably kicking himself for doing so. Through 8, Fister gave up just 1 run and 3 hits, and the bullpen imploded to allow the comeback. The beardless wonder Jayson Werth gets a double, followed by a Bernie walk in a great AB. But then, Zimm grounded into his 3rd DP of the night. The game felt pretty lost at that point, but then Hairston came through with an RBI hit, and Morse singled off of Mariners RP Brandon League's leg. Espinosa snuck one through the right side of the infield scoring Hairston.

Then, it was time to Vamos. With 2 men on and 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, Ramos hit one of the most ridiculous home runs we've seen in Nats Park. It was launched over the corner of the Mariners bullpen and well onto the Red Porch. Ramos even took a second or two to watch his first career walk-off homer sail to the seats before he started his slow trot toward his teammates.

A game like Tuesday night's reminds us why baseball is... baseball. There's nothing else in sports like the walk-off home run. It's not a moment created by a ticking shot clock or game clock; it's not altered by penalties or man-advantages. It's one-on-one, mano y mano drama. There's no feeling in the (regular-season) sports world like when your team walks off with a win. Challenge us on that. We dare you.

Check back at 10:30 for more coverage!

Nats Drop Opening Series to Braves

So, in a span of 3 games we have seen exactly what the Nationals plan to offer this year; good and bad. Starting the season last Thursday, the Home team put forth an anemic effort against Derek Lowe, scoring 0 runs and managing just 5 hits. Saturday we saw glimpses of what this team is capable of, winning a 6-3 decision that saw the Nats lead almost the whole game. And on Sunday, we saw a last years Nats (errors, bullpen implosions, random balks, etc.) en route to an 11-2 thrashing despite a solid outing by Jordan Zimmermann. To recap such a weekend's events, we have the Zuckablog taking on the Starting Pitchers role, while Kilgore takes on the progress of last years Nats that have moved on. Time to pick up the pieces.

The Good:
- Danny Espinosa is 4 for 9 with 2 doubles.
- Jayson Werth has shown why we are paying him the big bucks, going 4 for 10 with 2 doubles and 3 walks. Though he has had a few misplays in the outfield.
- Nats have just 1 error in their first 3 games (and its not Ian Desmond!). There have been several displays of improved defense by our infielders/new arrivals (Zim, Espi, LaRoche, and Werth), which have saved extra bases countless times.
- Wilson Ramos is 3 for 5.
- Starting pitching has been spectacular, just a 2.60 ERA (5 ER in 17.1 IP) with a 0.981 WHIP (13 H + 4 BB in 17.1 IP).
- Nats have been very aggressive on the basepaths, often going from 1st to 3rd on singles = The Bo Porter Effect.
- Sean Burnett is has still yet to allow a run in 2011.
- Tyler Clippard has stranded all 4 inherited runners.
- Riggleman managed his butt off on Saturday, putting on a suicide squeeze in the perfect situation (which Ankiel and Zimmerman pulled off to a T). His "smart ball" system is "working" for him, as the Nats have 4 sacrifice hits/flys in 3 games.

The Bad:
- Ian Desmond is 0 for 13 on the season, with 3 strikeouts. 8 of those 13 have come leading off an inning, all of his strikeouts are in those situations.
- The Nats, as a team, are just 3 for 26 with Runners in Scoring Position (RISP), knocking in just 6.
- Adam LaRoche is 1 for 7 with RISP.
- Pitchers throwing first pitch strikes is nice, but twice so far they have been tattooed into the stands.
- Pudge is now 0 for 6 with a GIDP.
- Brian Broderick with his memorable first career MLB appearance...
- Chad Gaudin with 3 ER in just 0.2 IP.
- Doug Slaten = highly ineffective. 3 appearances, just 0.1 IP - 2 BB, 2 H. Thursday - walked only batter faced. Saturday - gave up a double to only batter faced. Sunday - faced 3 batters; BB, RBI single, groundout.

What's Next:
Tuesday - Marquis vs. Sanchez
Wednesday - Hernandez vs. Volstad
Thursday - Lannan vs. Johnson

What, if anything, did you take from our first 3 games of the season? Tell us in the comments.

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.