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BTW last night I had a dream where Jordan Zimmermann died. That was odd.
What did his pet squid wear to the funeral?
please sign Ben Sheets
don't get your hopes up
i'm just trying to get a conversation back on topic. And btw, no I can't make it, but wanted to support your show group. Big game tomorrow.Okay ... now back on topic. Sheets = sign him.
Is there anyone who doesn't want to sign Sheets?
Tom Boswell. He prefers Jarrod Washburn.
wait till Boz's next column. He'll endorse Sheets then for sure.
So, they need to get busy and nail down Jon Garland, Jarrod Washburn or Vincente Padilla (not my favorite). They went to a Ben Sheets workout, but he still wants star money, which the Nats won't give. The "last resort" is always Livan hernandez, but I don't think they want to go that path. I'd go hard for Garland (ultra-consistent but 4.41 career ERA) or Washburn (11th in A.L. in ERA). What's fun about both of them is that they have spent their whole careers in the A.L. __the varsity league. You figure all their numbers will get better in the N.L. facing pitchers at the plate. Probably knocks 25 to 50 points off the ERA of either. Garland's six starts for the Dodgers late last season, his first in the N.L., produced a 2.72 ERA.
Washington, DC: Tom - You're response above about Garland / Washbrun / Padilla / Sheets suggests that you prefer the stable, predictable vet (Garland and Washburn) as the last starting pitcher. You don't seem as enthused about maybe taking on a riskier vet (e.g., Wang, Bedard, Smoltz, Martinez) with better peak performance. With Olsen on board, and several 4th / 5th system guys on board, do we really need the 200 IP more than the potential better performance in the 3d/4th slot?Tom Boswell: If you want a one-hour "fun" project, go to baseball-reference.com or your fav site and look at the rotations of every team in '09. If you want to be even a close-to-.500 team (let alone good), you absolutely have to have three stable starting pitchers who can give you 600 innings with a 4.00-to-4.30 ERA. You don't come to camp hopin' and wishin'. The Nats now have Lannan and Marquis. That is IT. Nobody else counts. Stammen, Martin and the rest are projects, possibilities, the same old Nats song and dance. Olsen may come back to his nold form, but probably won't, imo. Believe me, even after adding a third starter on a 1-2 year deal, the Nats have plenty of rotation room to accomodate anybody who wants to Arrive On The Scene. And pitchers get hurt every year. But Lannan, Marquis and Garland (so far) haven't. In '11, you're going to have Strasburg and maybe Zimmermann and Detwiler. That's why you probably hope for a one-year deal on your last rotation piece for '10. But "too much starting pitching" would be a ridiculous worry for a team that gave up the most runs in baseball last year. Also, there's no high end on Martinez, Smoltz. They're ancient. Bedard has never stayed healthy or been popular on any team. Though he'd interest me the most. He's smart, silent and arrogant. I can live with that.
Boswell ratted him out. NotLD is Scott Olsen
Ken_Rosenthal #Nats sign former #Braves lefty Chuck James to minor-league contract. Missed all of last season recovering from extensive shoulder surgery.
Ken_Rosenthal: Nats add another reliever - RHP Tyler Walker on 1-yr deal pending physical.
Tyler Walker last year with Phils:35.1 IP 31 H 12 ER 4 HR 9 BB 27 K (2-1, 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)
His velocity was the lowest of his career in 2009, but the right-hander still averaged 91 MPH on his fastball. He also features a low-80s slider and a changeup with nice velocity differential in the high-70s.In 35.1 innings with Philadelphia last season, Walker posted a 3.06 ERA. His decreased velocity equated to more control and fewer strikeouts. Opposing batters also only managed to hit .237 off him. That opposing batting average was aided a bit by a .271 BABIP, but the low batting average has been a recent trend. Walker has not allowed opposing hitters to bat more than .238 against him since 2006.This recent low opposing batting average is likely due to his shift in approach on the mound.Like most pitchers with an above-average fastball, Walker used to rely on his fastball and supplement it with a slider and changeup. Recently, however, his fastball percentage has dropped below 50%. The percentage of sliders is up dramatically. With the uptick in sliders thrown, the opposing batting average has plummeted from .274 in 2006 to .238 in 2008.
While Walker has never given an explanation for the nickname's origins, former Cal team captain Jonathan Petke says the nickname started in college, according to his account given to the University's student paper, the Daily Californian April 15, 1996 Issue. Apparently, as Walker was making the transition from catcher to relief pitching, and fighting nerves, Walker would take a shot of Wild Turkey (bourbon) whiskey before jogging down to the bullpen. Walker had played the large majority of his 10 previous years of organized baseball behind the dish, and relieving took some adjusting. Walker recorded one save and maintained a 3.58 ERA that season.
mlbtraderumors Nationals Sign Chris Duncan http://bit.ly/7mgtOK #mlb
