For Your Nationals, Playing LF....Felipe Lopez(???)

[blue911]

Most screw ups go unnoticed.  He is no more likely to mess up a routine flyball than anyone else. He might take a bad route or bad first step.  That will hardly be noticed unless the announcer says something. It definitely wont make sports center

Are you seriously suggesting that a guy who has never played a professional inning in the outfield is on par of a career outfielder?

[Dave B]

Are you seriously suggesting that a guy who has never played a professional inning in the outfield is on par of a career outfielder?

No. I'm saying he is not risking national embarrassment any more than anyone else who plays OF.

The screw ups he are likely to make wont be noticed.  Anybody who is a decent athlete or baseball player can field a routine flyball in LF with 99% certainty.  A real LF could do it with like 99.5% certainty.  Its not that hard.  Will he make a sprinting catch in the gap? Maybe not. Will it take him an extra half second to know where a ball is going and cause it to fall in just before he gets there? Probably. Scouts will notice things like this. But 99.99% of the population wont.  It will hardly be embarrasing.  He might drop a pop up, but there is no reason to think he is more apt to do so than a regular OF seeing as he probably has caught plenty of them running into the OF with his back to the ball. 

[blue911]

I think you're severely underestimating the skills of outfielders but it's not worth arguing over.

[PANatsFan]

Zim: "This year, we finally have bona fide major league players at every position."

What he failed to mention is how many of them are out of position.

[sportsfan882]

Very risky move by Manny putting Felipe out in LF after only shagging fly balls the day before.  Hope it pays off. Felipe should be motivated to do well. 

[GburgNatsFan]

I would agree, particularly under windy conditions with a team that can hit hard liners as well as fly balls.

I think you're severely underestimating the skills of outfielders but it's not worth arguing over.

[saltydad]

Definitely going to be an interesting game!

[sportsfan882]

Manny's reasoning (From Barry's Blog):

So Manny Acta is on board with the Felipe Lopez-to-left experiment.

"I'm not worried. I had a talk with him, and he offered to pitch if we needed him to," Acta said a while ago. "He had the right attitude for it. This is not the final game of the World Series anyway. This is the fourth game of the regular season. This is the time for us to find out whehter he can do it or not."

Lopez spent about 20-30 minutes working with first base coach Jerry Morales in left field before the game. He took balls off the bat of Willie Harris, who was hitting soft tosses out there. It reasonably simulated how the ball would come off the bat from home plate.

Lopez's first impressions: "A lot of running. I just got to catch the first fly ball. I think I'll be all right. It's just like anything else. You do it the first time, and you get comfortable."

Lopez, too, reiterated he's on board with this. "I just want to get at-bats, get in there," he said.

"It doesn't scare me," he said. "I'm not nervous. I'm ready to take on the challenge."

[Dave B]

I think you're severely underestimating the skills of outfielders but it's not worth arguing over.

I'm not saying he is not going to misjudge a ball or make a mistake. Just that becoming a "national embarrassment" is not much of a risk.  It takes a lot to really embarass yourself in the OF. Like a ball hitting off your head and bouncing over the fence.

[blue911]

Embarrassed Nationally and National Embarrassment are not the same thing.

[Dave B]

Embarrassed Nationally and National Embarrassment are not the same thing.

I mean embarassed nationally. I wasnt trying to mess with semantics. I think being embarrassed nationally is a stretch if that is what you mean

[MrMadison]

I'm not saying he is not going to misjudge a ball or make a mistake. Just that becoming a "national embarrassment" is not much of a risk.  It takes a lot to really embarass yourself in the OF. Like a ball hitting off your head and bouncing over the fence.

OMG i remember that!  HILARIOUS.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

OMG i remember that!  HILARIOUS.

ESPN has that clip playing all over it this morning for some reason. And a guy hitting his head with a tennis racket.

[sportsfan882]

Felipe looked OK in LF but he still can't hit worth a crap, especially in big situations. He is the worst clutch hitter I have ever seen.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I know I was hoping to showcase him, but maybe we should take him off the show room floor.

[spidernat]

Felipe looked OK in LF but he still can't hit worth a crap, especially in big situations. He is the worst clutch hitter I have ever seen.

He missed too many good pitches. Pitches he should be scorching for linedrives he pops up all the time.

[sportsfan882]

He missed too many good pitches. Pitches he should be scorching for linedrives he pops up all the time.

Yep. He misses a lot of very hittable pitches.  He has no one to blame but himself for his lack of playing time.