Spring Training Thread

[balzig777]

I don't reckon we've seen the real bally yet.. there have been flashes of things to come imo. when he came up last year he was hurt with a side muscle rib cage thing. not giving out excuses by any means but that was the fact, I saw him throw a couple bull pens at his old high school in jan. and he looked great! Anything can happen......and will!

[blue911]

I don't reckon we've seen the real bally yet.. there have been flashes of things to come imo. when he came up last year he was hurt with a side muscle rib cage thing. not giving out excuses by any means but that was the fact, I saw him throw a couple bull pens at his old high school in jan. and he looked great! Anything can happen......and will!

Pitchers and Real Estate, location,location,location.

[balzig777]

its a new year!

[PANatsFan]

its a new year!

So the strike zone moved?

This year separates the men from the boys, because I think the team will be solid on the field and in the pen.

[balzig777]

basicly whats being said is that once a guy starts a certain way thats how he will always pitch, no chance for improvment, never will hit the spots again and lets move on to the next guy cause he has'nt failed us yet, any body in their early 20's that are reasonably athletic can improve geeze "so has the stike zone moved?" gimmy a break!

[PANatsFan]

basicly whats being said is that once a guy starts a certain way thats how he will always pitch, no chance for improvment, never will hit the spots again and lets move on to the next guy cause he has'nt failed us yet, any body in their early 20's that are reasonably athletic can improve geeze "so has the stike zone moved?" gimmy a break!

I'm just messing around. Balester+keeping his pitches down=happy fans.

There's plenty of opportunities, but these guys need to seize them. I think Detwiler did on his 2nd go round next year, and Craig Stammen till his injury, but the other guys not so much.

[tomterp]

Christina Kahrl, Baseball Prospectus, on "Camp Battles":

Barring something like Elijah Dukes finding some new way to blow his shot at everyday play in right field—all too believable, unfortunately—and the hope that Ian Desmond pushes his way into some sort of job-sharing arrangement up the middle despite the addition of Adam Kennedy to man the keystone, the Nats' camp is somewhat straightforward as far as its regular role melees: the back end of the rotation, and picking the balance of playing time between their best catching options. The only additional tidbit beyond my running through the options for fourth and fifth man in the rotation on Sunday after the signing of Chien-Ming Wang is that Matt Chico's the one contestant who is out of options, not that I really expect that helps his case all that much. I guess I see Scott Olsen, Garrett Mock, and J.D. Martin as the initial starters marking time and pitching to survive the eventual arrivals of Wang and Stephen Strasburg.

Behind the plate, the interesting issue is what they do. Placate Ivan Rodriguez with regular playing time, and send Jesus Flores down to get the at-bats he'll need to restore his status as one of the game's better catching prospects? Have Flores and Pudge share time, and risk a grumpy former icon? Not that it's a major factor, but token catch-and-throw guy Wil Nieves is out of options, so if they decide they'd rather let Flores get his at-bats in the International League, they'll manage to avoid the desperate question of whether or not anyone would snag Nieves on waivers. Nobody would, of course, and even if they did, the organization still has Jamie Burke around on a minor-league deal, but their keeping Nieves this long has already been a minor surprise.

[PANatsFan]

Christina seems to think Flores is ready for regular play . . .

[tomterp]

Christina seems to think Flores is ready for regular play . . .

Yep, obviously not up on the last week's reports.   I posted this in the comments section:

Regarding the Nats' Flores, he's reportedly not even able to throw 60' yet, so it unfortunately looks like the Nats are set at catcher with Pudge and Nieves for the foreseeable future.

Olsen is also nowhere near 100%, though he would presumably join the team if and when he's back to full speed. The sad truth is that both of these guys' careers are on the precipice.

[balzig777]

Christina Kahrl, Baseball Prospectus, on "Camp Battles":

why make any report at all when all you do is read whats already been said somwhere and re write it?

[PANatsFan]

why make any report at all when all you do is read whats already been said somwhere and re write it?

Christina has switched to full time writer and has had some very good posts lately. This is not one of them.

[Lintyfresh85]

washingnats

I just learned the #Nats are in serious talks with RHP Livan Hernandez, who played with the team late last year.

Lame.

[PANatsFan]

Lame.

Put him in the bullpen for blowouts and long relief on a league minimum deal, and it's a good signing.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Lame.

Agreed.

Brutus Longjohns tweeted Strasburg will make his ST debut on March 9th against the Tigers which is sweet. Guess who has tickets to that game right behind the Nats dugout?

[Kevrock]

Nats are in talks with Livan Hernandez.

Bill Ladson of MLB.com tweets that the Washington Nationals, who are still in search of reliable starting pitching, are "in serious talks" with Livan Hernandez.

If they bring the veteran right-hander on board, this would be Hernandez' third engagement with the team.  Acquired from San Francisco in a pre-season trade in 2003, Hernandez pitched for the Expos / Nationals organization through the middle of the 2006 season.  Hernandez was traded to Arizona in August 2006 and rejoined the Nationals near the end of the 2009 season after which he departed to free agency.

More as we learn it.

http://nationalspride.com/home/

[CJames0569]

Nats are in talks with Livan Hernandez.

http://nationalspride.com/home/

He will be a valuable asset as not only a reliable innings eater but a veteran presence in his tutiledge of the young prospects on how best to attack the after game buffet spread.

[balzig777]

ummmmmmmm...pete salsbury?

[HalfSmokes]

check those 2009 stats beginning the moment Safeco wasn't his home stadium anymore.

pass.

check Wang's stats and Marquis's career numbers. He's in the same ballpark

[JCA-CrystalCity]

check Wang's stats and Marquis's career numbers. He's in the same ballpark

Sorry HalfSmokes, but I do not see this the way you do.

In terms of IP, Marquis has an edge (190+ 5 of last 6 years for JM, 1 for JW), but it is in the ballpark if you drop the cut to about 160 IP.  Washbrun is a fly ball pitcher while Marquis is a GB pitcher. The purpose of the Marquis signing was innings eater / mentor for groundball, pitch to contact righties. Washburn fills one of those roles, not as well as Marquis.

Wang blows him away in terms of FIP, ERA, xFIP, HR/9, if you throw out last year.  Yes, Wang is an injury risk, but he has much higher upside than Washburn.  Different type of signing - risky / upside v innings eating barely average filler.

[houston-nat]

Livan Hernandez has signed a minor league deal with the Nationals.

[houston-nat]

We signed a minor league deal with Livan

[DPMOmaha]

I can deal with a minor league deal. 

[DPMOmaha]

Agreed.

Brutus Longjohns tweeted Strasburg will make his ST debut on March 9th against the Tigers which is sweet. Guess who has tickets to that game right behind the Nats dugout?

Now that we know the date of his debut, any one want to guess the odds of MASN or MLB Network or even ESPN picking up that one.  I'm going with 4:1 in favor of it being picked up.

[sportsfan882]

last resort. ugh. if he makes the 25 man roster we are screwed

[UMDNats]

so we'll be seeing livan on the OD roster. huzzah!