Rick Ankiel signs with Nats

[Baseball is Life]

washingnats William Ladson
I have confirmed that Rick Ankiel has agreed to terms with the #Nats. I'll have more on MLB.com.
10 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Nationals have reached a one-year, $1.5 million contract with outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel can earn another $1.25 million through performance-based bonuses. The 31-year-old former pitcher is an incredibly gifted athlete, but he lacks the kind of plate discipline that you'd want in an everyday player and he's likely to serve in a platoon next year in Washington. Slick Rick batted just .232/.321/.389 with six home runs and 24 RBI over 211 at-bats in 2010.

Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter

[Coladar]

My first comment was going to be this is great news, excellent signing. Then it dawned on me, $1.5 mil is a hell of a lot for a bench player knowing this team. If we signed him to the bench, good move. But if he's going to block Morse in the OF, bad, bad news. Hell, if he so much as plays every day, bad news. Ankiel is an excellent bench and fourth outfielder. Anything more and it's a joke.

[PebbleBall]

Even though I agree that I like Ankiel as a bench player, more worries that Boras is playing the Lerners like a harp.

[Evolution33]

My first comment was going to be this is great news, excellent signing. Then it dawned on me, $1.5 mil is a hell of a lot for a bench player knowing this team. If we signed him to the bench, good move. But if he's going to block Morse in the OF, bad, bad news. Hell, if he so much as plays every day, bad news. Ankiel is an excellent bench and fourth outfielder. Anything more and it's a joke.

Wasn't Adam Kennedy making more than that last year as a bench player? Also what was Willie Harris' salary?

[Kevrock]

I imagine that this is a PH/Bench LH bat/OF depth signing who can start every once in a while against RH pitchers. Assuming that's the case, I like the move.

Hopefully we're getting close to Lee...

[PANatsFan]

This actually could lead to Morse at 1B

[HalfSmokes]

Great if Rizzo makes Riggs give Morse a shot, horrible otherwise

[PebbleBall]

This actually could lead to Morse at 1B

If they pencil him in during December with Lee and Laroche still available it really is panic time.

[hammondsnats]

i'm cool with this, but we still need Lee.

CF Morgan
SS Desmond
3B Zimmerman
1B Lee
RF Werth
2B Espinosa
LF Ankiel/Bernadina
C Rodriguez/Ramos

[Tyler Durden]

Even though I agree that I like Ankiel as a bench player, more worries that Boras is playing the Lerners like a harp.

This is interesting.  He's getting a little more than half what he got each of the last 2 seasons, but there are the incentives that could push him up into the same $3 mil range.  I hope they're not guaranteeing him AB's or anything.

Boras did push Werth here but it's not like he gave us a discount.  And for all the Pena talk, he signed for just 1 yr somewhere else.

I'm glad they're benefitting from being close to Boras - I just hope they're being smart about not getting in too deep with him.

[Obed_Marsh]

This entrenches our status as MLB's island of Misfit toys. We might as well suck it up and trade Morris; he'll never get a shot with little Jimbo calling the shots.

[hammondsnats]

god his on base percentage was .285 in 2009 (ops .672)

[hammondsnats]

This entrenches our status as MLB's isand of Misfit toys.

but we signed werth, were in it until the last second for lee, got more athletic by letting dunn/willingham go and almost pulled in greinke.  we are totally in phase 2!  buy season tickets. 

[Baseball is Life]

I read this as insurance against a Nyjer flameout and/or having to move Morse to 1B. Don't know where this leaves Harris, Maxwell, etc.

[PANatsFan]

I read this as insurance against a Nyjer flameout and/or having to move Morse to 1B. Don't know where this leaves Harris, Maxwell, etc.

Harris is a FA, Maxwell I think might get cut in ST.

[Obed_Marsh]

Willie Harris is a free agent. I doubt he is coming back.

[Tyler Durden]

I read this as insurance against a Nyjer flameout and/or having to move Morse to 1B. Don't know where this leaves Harris, Maxwell, etc.

I bet they're both gone.

I do hope both of them catch on somewhere, though.  Harris for what he's done in the past for us, and Maxwell because if Jeff Francoeur can get a starting job....

[Evolution33]

With Stairs, Ankiel, and Morse on the bench the Nationals will actually have guys that can hit homers to pinch hit.

[hammondsnats]

yeah i think the OF looks like:

LF Ankiel, Bernadina
CF Morgan
RF Werth, Morse

[EdStroud]

Wasn't Adam Kennedy making more than that last year as a bench player? Also what was Willie Harris' salary?

Kennedy  1.25m
Harris      1.50m

[Tyler Durden]

His 2010 L-R splits from Fangraphs.  He should never, never, never play agaist LHP.

Season Split BB% K% BB/K OBP SLG OPS ISO BABIP wRC wRAA wOBA wRC+
2010 vs L as L 9.5 % 41.8 % 0.26 .270 .182 .452 .018 .281 2.3 -4.9 .223 34
2010 vs R as L 11.3 % 30.8 % 0.42 .339 .462 .801 .205 .330 23.9 3.5 .346 117

Sorry for the formatting - it's just a cut and paste job.  If that's hard to read - he struck out 41.8% of the time against LHP and had a .452 OPS.

[hammondsnats]

2010 numbers vs. LHP
Willingham - .277 AVG, .409 OBP, .500 SLG, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 20 BB/20 K
Bernadina - .250 AVG, .328 OBP, .429 SLG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 BB/16 K

[DPMOmaha]

yeah i think the OF looks like:

LF Ankiel, Bernadina
CF Morgan
RF Werth, Morse

Why would you platoon two lefties in LF?

[EdStroud]

Why would you platoon two lefties in LF?

In case the Nationals play a doubleheader against a team throwing two righthanders

[hammondsnats]

Why would you platoon two lefties in LF?

thats what ladson said.  i'm just saying one could be the starter the other OF backup.