Name our 2008 Rotation

[Kenz aFan]

Looking at the Nats current list of players heading to spring training, and seeing who among the starters I believe will give me the most innings, as of right now, this is my 2008 rotation to start the season.

Shawn Hill
Jason Bergmann
Matt Chico
Tyler Clippard
John Lannan

Trades and or signings could cause  me to change the names.

[Air Zimmerman]

here's my version

shawn hill
jason bergmann
livan hernandez (opening day starter)
john lannan
tyler clippard

i seriously think chico will get shelled in his second year as a starter, thats why i would prefer to leave him out of the rotation. he's pretty easy to figure out.

[fersaltiel]

1. Shawn Hill
2. Jason Bergmann
3. Matt Chico
4. Tim Redding
5. John Patterson (if... we all know) - Tyler Clippard - John Lannan

[ronnynat]

Chico really has seemed to grow on most people here. I hope you guys are right.

[gonats]

To those of you who said Fruto- He was traded for Wily Mo Pena.

[fersaltiel]

Chico really has seemed to grow on most people here. I hope you guys are right.

Well, he pitched really well after he came back from AAA. He had an ERA hovering around 3.00 and cut down on walks (his main problem) a lot.

Even though I don't see him as ever becoming an over-powering pitcher, he is the only pitcher who has proven can stay healthy an entire season and pitch a good # of innings.

Plus he was only a rookie last year and overall he had a 4.50 ERA which is not bad if you ask me ...

[Kenz aFan]

here's my version

shawn hill
jason bergmann
livan hernandez (opening day starter)
john lannan
tyler clippard

i seriously think chico will get shelled in his second year as a starter, thats why i would prefer to leave him out of the rotation. he's pretty easy to figure out.

First: Livan Hernandez wants a multi-year deal and the Nats are only willing to offer one. Unless one or the other changes their mind, he's not going to return to the Nats.

Second: You talk about Matt Chico getting shelled in his second year, but still insert two pitchers into the rotation that have even less Major League experience. Isn't it possible that they too could end up getting shelled?

Third: Did it ever occur to you that last season was also a learning experience for Chico as well, not just the opposing hitters?

[tomterp]

Did it ever occur to you that last season was also a learning experience for Chico as well, not just the opposing hitters?

There are more than a few posters here that believe that Chico is never going to be better than what he was last year, basically an assumption that says there is no such thing as a learning curve for young players.  They will undoubtedly persist in this belief despite all evidence to the contrary, that young pitchers DO improve with experience.

[sportsfan882]

Chico will be fine.  He improved more and more as the season went on.  Does anyone remember his final start of '07?  He dominated the Phillies in front of 40,000+ fans on National Television. 6 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 4 K (Win)

[shoeshineboy]

Chico will be fine.  He improved more and more as the season went on.  Does anyone remember his final start of '07?  He dominated the Phillies in front of 40,000+ fans on National Television. 6 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 4 K (Win)

Yes, a combination of learning throughout the season and the mechanical adjustments he made in his last stint in the minors showed. Chico lived up to his earlier reputation as being a bulldog. Who knows how good he will ultimately be, but it is not exactly commonplace for a pitcher to make a pro debut jump from AA and have the kind of season of health and solid performances that he turned in. What I was most impressed with all season was how Chico's facial expression and demeanor remained constant regardless of how big a game was or how he performed. It showed a lot of maturity. There is no reason to believe that Chico won't be at least serviceable as a bottom of the rotation starter.

[PANatsFan]

Something to consider: guys on 1 year deals. Simontacchi, Redding, Bascik, Hanrahan. Bowie I believe is a free-agent-to-be. None of these guys has performed like Hector Carassco, but there are always greener pastures.

I'd like to correct myself. None of these guys has the service time to be free agents - Redding is arbitration eligible. I think we signed Bowie to a minor league deal.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Shawn Hill
Jason Bergmann
Matt Chico
Tim Redding
John Lannan

Patterson and a free agent SP will be given a little time at AAA to bounce back from their injuries.  They'll replace Redding and Lannan after a few weeks.  I also think we'll see both Balester and Detwiler in the rotation some time next season.

[PANatsFan]

Shawn Hill
Jason Bergmann
Matt Chico
Tim Redding
John Lannan

Patterson and a free agent SP will be given a little time at AAA to bounce back from their injuries.  They'll replace Redding and Lannan after a few weeks.  I also think we'll see both Balester and Detwiler in the rotation some time next season.

Chico has options - I wonder if he'll be bumped to AAA to keep Redding as trade bait.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

I'm predicting that Chico will be markedly better than Redding.  I don't think the team will play a substantially inferior SP merely to use them as trade bait.

[UMDNats]

Hill
Chico
Bergmann
Lannan
Redding

Because there will undoubtedly be an injury in spring training, I think Clippard is the #6. The bottom 2 are rotatable with Clippard and, if Patterson is good and healthy, he gets the nod over probably Lannan.

Chico is going to have a solid year methinks. He seems like a left-handed version of Livan (roughly).

[PANatsFan]

I'm predicting that Chico will be markedly better than Redding.  I don't think the team will play a substantially inferior SP merely to use them as trade bait.

Redding has serious strikeout potential, the one thing Chico lacks. With health issues, we need a lot of starters - one of them could end up in the bullpen.

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Redding had about as many K/9 as Chico last year, and it was Chico's first year in the majors.

[daveb32]

Chico is going to have a solid year methinks. He seems like a left-handed version of Livan (roughly).

God save us all.

[PANatsFan]

Redding had about as many K/9 as Chico last year, and it was Chico's first year in the majors.

Redding had a couple of 8 strikeout games that really impressed me. Guess his off-days balanced that out . . .

[UMDNats]

God save us all.

Why? Livan was a dependable, innings-eater pitcher who was consistently giving us solid outings. I don't see a problem with that.

Plus, they both are a little large (not saying Chico's fat...just big), have slow fastballs, and rely more on the defense and good placement than blowing away batters.

[daveb32]

Because I suffered from several heart-attacks in 2006 while Livan was pitching for the Nats. With his WHIP at 1.55 and OBA at .353 in '06 it's obvious he put a lot of guys on base. In my opinion Livan Hernandez = Doug Davis, and Davis walked a whopping 102 batters in '06. I hope Chico doesn't turn out to be another Doug Davis.

[UMDNats]

Because I suffered from several heart-attacks in 2006 while Livan was pitching for the Nats. With his WHIP at 1.55 and OBA at .353 in '06 it's obvious he put a lot of guys on base. In my opinion Livan Hernandez = Doug Davis, and Davis walked a whopping 102 batters in '06. I hope Chico doesn't turn out to be another Doug Davis.

I hope not as well, but I think Chico can either be a Livan (roughly - not exactly, I think even better) or a solid #3 or #4 starter.

[Kenz aFan]

Chico will be fine.  He improved more and more as the season went on.  Does anyone remember his final start of '07?  He dominated the Phillies in front of 40,000+ fans on National Television. 6 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 4 K (Win)

Actually, according to the numbers, Chico had an up and down season. He had a bad first month, then improved in each of the next two months, then got progressively worse in the next two, to finally end with a good September.

I wont count Chico, who was expected to be sent down within a month of the start of the season, and who ended up being the rotations work horse out of it. And that was despite having a ho hum start to the season. But yes, I agree, he will do fine...

[ronnynat]

I still say we need at least one rookie to be in the rotation unless we're seriously thinking playoffs this season. Detwiler or Clippard would be fine w/ me. Redding shouldn't be in the starting rotation, regardless, IMO.

[Kenz aFan]

I still say we need at least one rookie to be in the rotation unless we're seriously thinking playoffs this season. Detwiler or Clippard would be fine w/ me. Redding shouldn't be in the starting rotation, regardless, IMO.

I believe the Nats may have two rookies in the rotation, Lannan and Clippard. Neither one pitched enough in 2007 to lose their rookie status, so there's potential for two rookies.