The Legion of Doom Was More Fun Than the Shiners (2023)

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I think we all entered the year with low expectations, so the old Legion of Doom seemed inappropriate.  However, Svrluga I think captures the real downturn / negative trends that kicked off in June. 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/22/remember-when-nats-were-competitive-now-theyre-an-easy-out/

Martinez’s ejection came after he was protecting the Nats for arguing ball-strike calls, and he was in the right. But he ought to be dejected about how his team is playing over a three-week stretch. These Nats were never going to contend for much of anything. That time, we are told and we must trust, will come. But they were and are supposed to get better. Right now, hide your eyes. In a dreadful stretch of baseball, they’re getting worse.

He goes through the misplays vs the D-backs leading to unearned runs: Derek Hill in the 1st, Luis Garcia on the pop, then Garcia again on a grounder before Ketel Marte's homer.

After opening the season with six losses in seven games — six of those games against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, which have the two best records in baseball — the Nats steadied themselves to go 24-26 over a 50-game stretch. There was much to praise in that time. A town can learn to love an overmatched team that annoys and agitates opponents with more star power and financial might. The summer ahead looked like it might be fun.

But this? Check out the Nats’ numbers from April 7 through June 2 — that aforementioned 50-game stretch of competitive ball — and their numbers from June 3 through Wednesday’s game: a .740 on-base-plus-slugging percentage then down to .665 now; a .333 on-base percentage then to .282 now; a 4.44 ERA then up to 5.21 now.

That’s going the wrong direction, and it’s the part of this rebuild that shows the roster is some combination of not very good and not yet fully developed. What has played out too often, though, is the stuff that must change — sloppiness of body and mind. This has to pass. Not in an ebbs-and-flows kind of way but in a we-won’t-stand-for-it attitude shift

[imref]

The Legion of Doom / Road warriors were far more entertaining

[Air Desmond]

I’m not saying firing Davey will fix everything, but I don’t see any cons or negatives to letting him go. This team needs a new voice. Promote Eric Young Jr to interim manager and see if he can inject some life into this club. The bottom has fallen out on this season. Have to start thinking about the future and who we want managing this team back to being competitive.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Svrluga again:

Because Martinez is so perpetually positive and because he knows development is such a long process — both for individual players and for a team — I have occasionally wondered whether he’s the right person to push the correct buttons and pull the right levers in getting younger players to develop the habits that will help them prepare and execute properly and consistently.

[welch]

Davey is always positive in public. Do we know what buttons he pushes in private, with the players?

[welch]

Quoting myself from the gameday thread:

Draft order:

Jim Callis writing for MLB, says:

Teams that receive revenue-sharing payouts can't receive a lottery pick for more than two years in a row and those that don't can't get a top-six choice in consecutive Drafts. Furthermore, a club that's ineligible for the lottery can't select higher than 10th overall.

So it's a doomed year. Might as well sign at least one good free agent this off-season, maybe depending on this year's draft. If the Nats get Skenes, sign an outfielder. If the Nats get Crews, sign a pitcher.

https://www.mlb.com/news/draft-rule-changes-with-new-cba

[imref]

Davey isn’t going to fired this season. No way, no how.

[Natsinpwc]

Davey isn’t going to fired this season. No way, no how.

Pointless now.  And with the sale in limbo you can expect he and Rizzo both back in 2024.

[Natsinpwc]

Quoting myself from the gameday thread:

Draft order:

Jim Callis writing for MLB, says:

So it's a doomed year. Might as well sign at least one good free agent this off-season, maybe depending on this year's draft. If the Nats get Skenes, sign an outfielder. If the Nats get Crews, sign a pitcher.

https://www.mlb.com/news/draft-rule-changes-with-new-cba

No. Next year is the year to tank again for the 2025 draft!

[JCA-CrystalCity]

we need more angst and negativity in this thread. LoD forever!

By the way, I was a Shiner.

[Natsinpwc]

we need more angst and negativity in this thread. LoD forever!

By the way, I was a Shiner.

Legion of Doom makes me smile. Sorry.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Doom_(ice_hockey)

[welch]

No. Next year is the year to tank again for the 2025 draft!

Yes, next year is the next time that tanking might help the Nats. In the 2025 draft for players who might show up in the 2026 season.

[imref]

Tank for ethan holliday!!  Likely to go #1 in 2025 and maybe better than Jackson.

[imref]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/and-now-the-worst-team-defenses/

Guess who is at the bottom?

[Natsinpwc]

I would have guessed the Phillies. The difference in yesterdays game was Trea’s error.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/and-now-the-worst-team-defenses/

Guess who is at the bottom?

it's due almost entirely to Ruiz and Abrams. Thomas doesn't rate well, and Robles put in a tough stretch before he was il'd. Otoh, Call and Candy were big pluses.

[Mattionals]

it's due almost entirely to Ruiz and Abrams. Thomas doesn't rate well, and Robles put in a tough stretch before he was il'd. Otoh, Call and Candy were big pluses.

I wouldn't debate that the Nats deserve to be last from watching them, but this another typical Fangraphs article of "I looked at the excel spreadsheet and saw some numbers, and I wrote about those numbers". Go into the facts that Luis Garcia is awful in the field. Abrams looks competent because he tries to get to everything, and then forces dumb decisions like bad throws or bobbles a ball that was difficult to get to in the first place. Talk about Ruiz having lousy pop times and a meh arm. Don't tell me these guys are bad because they have minus blah blah DRS.

[Natsinpwc]

I wouldn't debate that the Nats deserve to be last from watching them, but this another typical Fangraphs article of "I looked at the excel spreadsheet and saw some numbers, and I wrote about those numbers". Go into the facts that Luis Garcia is awful in the field. Abrams looks competent because he tries to get to everything, and then forces dumb decisions like bad throws or bobbles a ball that was difficult to get to in the first place. Talk about Ruiz having lousy pop times and a meh arm. Don't tell me these guys are bad because they have minus blah blah DRS.

Here’s the analysis you need.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I wouldn't debate that the Nats deserve to be last from watching them, but this another typical Fangraphs article of "I looked at the excel spreadsheet and saw some numbers, and I wrote about those numbers". Go into the facts that Luis Garcia is awful in the field. Abrams looks competent because he tries to get to everything, and then forces dumb decisions like bad throws or bobbles a ball that was difficult to get to in the first place. Talk about Ruiz having lousy pop times and a meh arm. Don't tell me these guys are bad because they have minus blah blah DRS.

would you prefer an analysis like this: "Between grounders and flies, Abrams will probably set a record for dropped / misfielded balls handled by a shortstop, and that doesn't even get into his scattershot arm. But for Dom Smith, Abrams sets a record for balls thrown away. As for Ruiz, we'll be charitable. He's not miserable at blocking  pitches."

[Mattionals]

would you prefer an analysis like this: "Between grounders and flies, Abrams will probably set a record for dropped / misfielded balls handled by a shortstop, and that doesn't even get into his scattershot arm. But for Dom Smith, Abrams sets a record for balls thrown away. As for Ruiz, we'll be charitable. He's not miserable at blocking  pitches."

Yes, I vastly prefer that. I love stats, but defense is and always has been more subjective.