Nationals Sign Dan Haren

[nats2playoffs]

If you look at them side by side:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harenda01.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jacksed01.shtml

There is very little to recommend Jackson over Haren.  For example, Haren's  K vs. BB (normalized to 162) is 185 to 46 (about 4:1) while Jackson is 150 to 77 (barely above 2:1).  WHIP 1.181 vs 1.436.  ERA 3.66 vs 4.40   ......

You just made my point.  With only one more start in 2012, EJax had a lower ERA, lower WHIP, and more strikeouts than Haren (who, yes, had to face the DH in the American League.)

Even Haren recognizes his declining velocity, and has developed new pitches, which he uses extensively. 

So why did EJax improve so much in 2012?  Part of it may be Nationals' pitching coach, Steve McCatty, and the experienced manager, Davey Johnson, and great defense.  Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, and Ross Detwiler were a tight group of flamethrowers who probably helped EJax too.  Demoting Lannan to AAA created a complete rotation that offered no letdown when it came to velocity.  We now lose that with Haren. 

Even in fantasy baseball, you're interested in what someone will do in 2013, not what they did between 2007-2011.  I do think that the factors here that improved EJAx in 2012 will help Haren too, who is always looking to improve.


WHAT is McCatty holding?  It does not look like a bat.

[tomterp]

Agreed in the regular season.  But come playoff time, if everyone is healthy and if we return to the postseason, who is our fourth starter in your mind?

Whoever looks sharpest in September.

[Kevrock]

Flat sided training bat.

http://baseball.epicsports.com/prod/31323/old-hickory-ft1-flat-sided-trainer-baseball-bats.html

[tomterp]

WHAT is McCatty holding?  It does not look like a bat.

Fungo thang.

[lastobjective]

Whoever looks sharpest in September.

And hell, you can stuff Detwiler in the pen if he's pushed out of the rotation.

[tomterp]

So much can, and likely will happen to the rotation over the course of a long season, that it's probably less than 50-50 we even have the 5_aces in the rotation by October. 

I bet Davey slots Detwiler 5th, however, giving some deference to Haren's 3 time all-star status and more seasoned veteran status.  That falls more in the Davey playing jedi mind tricks category than it really making a difference, however.

[mitlen]

I like his attitude.    I always enjoy playing tourist in DC and environs.    But I'm beginning to think a lot of us "locals" are jaded.    After reading the San Jose State article yesterday, Haran's tour and hearing how LaRoche feels about this area, it's a shame if we don't take advantage of a great place to live  ...   minus the politics.   

"Haren visited Washington on Wednesday for his physical. Rizzo gave him a tour of Nationals Park and the facilities. At night, Haren toured the city, and he loved it. When he called home, he told his wife they’ll enjoy the summer. “It’ll be fun being there for the majority of the year,” Haren said."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2012/12/07/nationals-make-dan-haren-signing-official/

[lastobjective]

I'm happy he likes DC - I love living here. It's a great place to live, very diverse. Except the traffic, of course.

[Lintyfresh85]

I think I'd learn to enjoy living anywhere for 13 million. I know the situations aren't the same... But when the job pays that well, who cares about the nightlife?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Agreed in the regular season.  But come playoff time, if everyone is healthy and if we return to the postseason, who is our fourth starter in your mind?

Assuming they are all healthy and on, a big if, then I think it would come down to the opponent.  Either JZ in the rotation and Det in the pen against a righty dominated team like SF and Det in the rotaion and JZ in the pen against a lefty dominated team.  Maybe for St. Louis, the opposite, and for a divisional opponent, go by performance in the year.

[Kevrock]

I'm happy he likes DC - I love living here. It's a great place to live, very diverse. Except the traffic, of course.

He doesn't really have a job that locks in his commute at rush hour.

[GSW]

Haren 10/2/12 game:   He lost 6/1 BUT!!!!!!  Speed 89mph to 73mph

In his 6 IP... he gave up a HR in the first and all the other runs would NOT have scored If they had

any "D" at 2nd (Danny would have had)  LF(arm) !st base (2 that Adam would have had) and a real bad throw from RF

and the LF and CF pulled up on a ball that one of them should have had.

[GSW]

Haren 9/12/12 game:  Poor "D"  speed 88mph to 73mph

In his 5.1 IP he should have been out with a 2/2 score bad,bad "D" by 1st and 2nd basemen got him out of the game early.

[imref]

that ability to change speed is nice.  He's going to be a heck of an influence / mentor for our younger staff.  I presume that was a large reason Rizzo signed him.

[Ray D]

Dan Halen passed his physical

Any relation to Van Halen?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Any relation to Van Halen?

He's going to pitch for Panama in the WBC.

[Terpfan76]

Any relation to Van Halen?

A little late to the party, but it's OK. I'm sure there will be an Eruption the first time he strikes someone out looking.

[Ray D]

Fungo thang.

Where can I get a fungo like that? I've never seen one like it.

[heeman82]

Right now someone is playing too hard for league-minimum wage

[tomterp]

Where can I get a fungo like that? I've never seen one like it.

[mitlen]

(Image removed from quote.)

[Smithian]

I think I'd learn to enjoy living anywhere for 13 million. I know the situations aren't the same... But when the job pays that well, who cares about the nightlife?

You obviously haven't been to cLEAVEland or Kansas City.

[DPMOmaha]

What's wrong with KC?

[HalfSmokes]

What's wrong with KC?

Mostly it's in Kansas/Missouri (though the gas light District was fun)

[Smithian]

It's Kansas City.....

Kauffman Stadium is super awesome.

The city isn't.