Where is Ryan Zimmerman helping/hurting us? (2018)

[PowerBoater69]

You don't think he'd use it?

It's in his best interest to not play in the field, he has that foot issue and that arm issue. He'd be better off getting 4-5 at bats and otherwise staying off his feet.

[DPMOmaha]

It's in his best interest to not play in the field, he has that foot issue and that arm issue. He'd be better off getting 4-5 at bats and otherwise staying off his feet.

That wasn't the question.

[Ray D]

That wasn't the question.

The question was would he veto a trade, and the answer seems to be "no".  I don't agree.

[DPMOmaha]

The question was would he veto a trade, and the answer seems to be "no".  I don't agree.

I don't see Zim leaving DC unless he signs somewhere after this contract is done.

[PowerBoater69]

I don't see Zim leaving DC unless he signs somewhere after this contract is done.

Give him the option to be a pinch hitter for the Nats or a DH elsewhere, what does he choose? Moot point now, what value he had has evaporated.

[DPMOmaha]

Give him the option to be a pinch hitter for the Nats or a DH elsewhere, what does he choose? Moot point now, what value he had has evaporated.

I think he chooses to stay in DC. And it takes just one hot streak for that value to rematerialize.

[HalfSmokes]

I think he chooses to stay in DC. And it takes just one hot streak for that value to rematerialize.

This, he’s probably on his last large contract, why bother uprooting his family?

[dcpatti]

Give him the option to be a pinch hitter for the Nats or a DH elsewhere, what does he choose? Moot point now, what value he had has evaporated.

There is no way Zimmerman doesn’t veto a trade away from DC, even if you could find someone who would want to take him, even if we covered a bunch of his salary. You could give him a choice between being the bullpen catcher in DC or taking a trade and he would veto the trade. The whole concept of trading Zim is straight from Imagination Land.

[varoadking]

The whole concept of trading Zim is straight from Imagination Land.

Sadly... 

[UMDNats]

Give him the option to be a pinch hitter for the Nats or a DH elsewhere, what does he choose? Moot point now, what value he had has evaporated.

He would stay in DC, obviously. players aren't robots.

[PowerBoater69]

He would stay in DC, obviously. players aren't robots.

Well once again it's all irrelevant since it's too late, but if the team approached him with AL options and he vetoed them he'd be screwing us over.

Hitting clean up again tonight. Martinez going with the play possum early strategy.

[bluestreak]

I’m relatively new to following this team and I know I’m the sunshine guy, but this guy has been the Washington Nationals. He’s been involved in the community, and always behaved in a commendable way and by all accounts is a good guy.
I know it’s all about performance, but this guy is 16 games removed from a season in which he got MVP votes and was an All-Star starter. You would think it wouldn’t be 90-10% of people just wanting to ship him out (as if that were possible).
Is this a joke that’s way over my head? I may be missing the stichk.

[GburgNatsFan]

No. Most of us have no patience.

(Honestly, I'm not too concerned with how nice a guy is - he's made a very nice living here, it all evens out. But Zimm never hits in April. Why would we expect him to now?)

I’m relatively new to following this team and I know I’m the sunshine guy, but this guy has been the Washington Nationals. He’s been involved in the community, and always behaved in a commendable way and by all accounts is a good guy.
I know it’s all about performance, but this guy is 16 games removed from a season in which he got MVP votes and was an All-Star starter. You would think it wouldn’t be 90-10% of people just wanting to ship him out (as if that were possible).
Is this a joke that’s way over my head? I may be missing the stichk.

[UMDNats]

Well once again it's all irrelevant since it's too late, but if the team approached him with AL options and he vetoed them he'd be screwing us over.

No, he'd be exercising his contractural right.

[dcpatti]

No. Most of us have no patience.

(Honestly, I'm not too concerned with how nice a guy is - he's made a very nice living here, it all evens out. But Zimm never hits in April. Why would we expect him to now?)

This. Zim usually doesn’t hit his shoe size in April and on the odd season where he does hit, he hits .480 and everyone thinks he’s ‘roiding.

 

No, he'd be exercising his contractural right.

And every single one of us would do the same thing if we were in his shoes.

[Ray D]

I’m relatively new to following this team and I know I’m the sunshine guy, but this guy has been the Washington Nationals. He’s been involved in the community, and always behaved in a commendable way and by all accounts is a good guy.
I know it’s all about performance, but this guy is 16 games removed from a season in which he got MVP votes and was an All-Star starter. You would think it wouldn’t be 90-10% of people just wanting to ship him out (as if that were possible).
Is this a joke that’s way over my head? I may be missing the stichk.

We all love Ryan Zimmerman.

 But it is mind numbing and inexcusable to continue to bat a guy cleanup who is hitting .122 with one homerun.  You can look at it as"geez it's only 10% of the season". Or you could look at it as "holy crap it's already 10% of the season".  Sure he may snap out of it but there is no reason to believe it'll happen anytime soon, anytime before June, by which time batting him 4th could put us in a hole we cannot possibly climb out of. 

Like I said, we all love Ryan Zimmerman.

[dcpatti]

We all love Ryan Zimmerman.

 But it is mind numbing and inexcusable to continue to bat a guy cleanup who is hitting .122 with one homerun.  You can look at it as"geez it's only 10% of the season". Or you could look at it as "holy crap it's already 10% of the season".  Sure he may snap out of it but there is no reason to believe it'll happen anytime soon, anytime before June, by which time batting him 4th could put us in a hole we cannot possibly climb out of. 

Like I said, we all love Ryan Zimmerman.

I don't think anyone is saying to keep him in the 4-spot.  I think Blue's response is specifically in the context of the crazy "shoulda traded him to the AL" craziness.

that said... *somebody* has to bat 4th and right now all our choices suck.

[DPMOmaha]

We all love Ryan Zimmerman.

 But it is mind numbing and inexcusable to continue to bat a guy cleanup who is hitting .122 with one homerun.  You can look at it as"geez it's only 10% of the season". Or you could look at it as "holy crap it's already 10% of the season".  Sure he may snap out of it but there is no reason to believe it'll happen anytime soon, anytime before June, by which time batting him 4th could put us in a hole we cannot possibly climb out of. 

Like I said, we all love Ryan Zimmerman.

When the lineup gets healthy again, I'd probably put him in the 6th or 7th spot. We're not gonna see ideal lineups until some of those guys start getting back into the lineup. I'm firmly in the "geez, it's only 10% of the season" camp.

[bluestreak]

We all love Ryan Zimmerman.

 But it is mind numbing and inexcusable to continue to bat a guy cleanup who is hitting .122 with one homerun.  You can look at it as"geez it's only 10% of the season". Or you could look at it as "holy crap it's already 10% of the season".  Sure he may snap out of it but there is no reason to believe it'll happen anytime soon, anytime before June, by which time batting him 4th could put us in a hole we cannot possibly climb out of. 

Like I said, we all love Ryan Zimmerman.

I absolutely believe he should be moved down in the lineup. I don't think he is above criticism at all. As dcpatti noted above, I was referring very specifically to the talk of "he needs to be traded" and "he'd be screwing us if he rejected a trade to the AL"

[dcpatti]

When the lineup gets healthy again, I'd probably put him in the 6th or 7th spot. We're not gonna see ideal lineups until some of those guys start getting back into the lineup. I'm firmly in the "geez, it's only 10% of the season" camp.

Yeah, we aren't exactly spoiled for choice here. I suppose Wieters could slot in 4th but he's fresh off the DL and do you really want to flip the lineups around every 3rd day when Sevvy plays in his place?  Kendrick maybe, but he hits for average more than for power, so he's not the type of guy you usually think of as a cleanup hitter.   Adams isn't hitting, Taylor isn't hitting, there's not really any good choices.

[mitlen]

This is a good discussion  ....  thanks.

[Ray D]

, I was referring very specifically to the talk of "he needs to be traded" and "he'd be screwing us if he rejected a trade to the AL"

Understood, and my point was, there's a middle ground between getting rid of him and batting him 4th.

[aspenbubba]

This. Zim usually doesn’t hit his shoe size in April and on the odd season where he does hit, he hits .480 and everyone thinks he’s ‘roiding.

 

.420 last April and .319 in May. Less than .300 May - August and .329 last Sept. Sucked in July  and August .234 and .233

[UMDNats]

Before last season, the last time Zimmerman played more than half the month of April and hit over .250 was 2009. He's been hot for 8 games or so in other years but too small a sample to really weigh it. Usually, he's just hurt.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=zimmery01&year=Career&t=b

[LoveAngelos]

I wonder if the training staff had any input in his unique training schedule in the spring