The Sunshine Squad 2023: Gotta be better, right?

[Chelsea_Phil]

Well then , let’s talk about spotsvania court house and the removal of the cannons from the salient by REL.

Or the crappy treatment of Watren by the bastard Sheridan.

[Chelsea_Phil]

Oh, wrong web site for that?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

4-8 gets us to 70 wins. That's 1 win each series. 69 wins ties 2010.

[DPMOmaha]

On pace for a 16 game improvement over last year. Improve by a mere 8-10 games next year and you're in shouting distance of .500. Improvement may not be linear, though, if they call up a lot of the guys in AA right now.

[imref]

with last night's loss, the Nats are officially eliminated from playoff contention, much later than most of us expected.

[Senatorswin]

with last night's loss, the Nats are officially eliminated from playoff contention, much later than most of us expected.

Not long ago the Nats were breathing down the necks of Miami. Now Miami is a half game out of the wildcard.

I don't how much Stone Garrett's injury has to do with the Nats stinking again, but if Garrett's injury coincides with their downfall than how I wonder how much a few guys like Crews, Wood, House etc. might turn the Nats around next year. Maybe sign a solid free agent starter too.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Not long ago the Nats were breathing down the necks of Miami. Now Miami is a half game out of the wildcard.

I don't how much Stone Garrett's injury has to do with the Nats stinking again, but if Garrett's injury coincides with their downfall than how I wonder how much a few guys like Crews, Wood, House etc. might turn the Nats around next year. Maybe sign a solid free agent starter too.

yes re: Garrett and the timing. I think his replacement on the roster might have been Young or Kieboom?  At any  rate, when Garrett went down also coincided with the decision to give Kieboom and Alu playing time regardless of the results. Garrett was worth playing to see what he has and he was performing. The next few auditions did not work so well. I'd also say that Kieboom up meant Vargas to the bench. I don't necessarily disagree with that, but the good August also coincided with Vargas Every Day Every Play.

[imref]

Three keys to WC contention next year:
1. Replacing Williams in the rotation with an actual front-of-the-rotation starter
2. Upgrading 1B/DH
3. Continued idevelopment of Ruiz, Abrams, Gore and Gray

That's without even accounting for the potential arrivals of Wood, House, and Crews.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Canha, Hoskins, Cavalli -> Wild Card!

[imref]

Canha, Hoskins, Cavalli -> Wild Card!

Cavalli, if he's ready on OD, is only available for 150 innings or so.  I'd love for a repeat of the "Strasburg shutdown" if we are heading to the playoffs and he's dominant.

Figuring the OD rotation at Gray, Gore, Corbin, Irvin, and Rutledge, with possibly Cavalli.  I'd still like to see us sign someone. Maybe trade Corbin or push him into the bullpen as a LHR.

[imref]

Washington is 25–20 (.556) in one-run games, the fourth-best winning percentage in team history.

The Nationals are 6–2 (.750) in extra innings this season, the fourth-best win percentage in Major League Baseball and the third-best in Nationals history (2005-pres) behind the 2015 Nationals (9–2, .818) and 2020 Nationals (4–1, .800).

https://curlyw.mlblogs.com/nationals-open-final-homestand-with-3-game-set-vs-white-sox-f3a83cf604eb

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://curlyw.mlblogs.com/nationals-open-final-homestand-with-3-game-set-vs-white-sox-f3a83cf604eb

IOW, we are the Marlins, except with less talent.

[Smithian]

Sixteen win improvement with a young team.

Successful step forward season after three dreary and depressing seasons.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Sixteen win improvement with a young team.

Successful step forward season after three dreary and depressing seasons.

thing is, except for a stretch in June and for much of September, this was a fun team to watch. They were in most of the games. I think the broadcast crew said they had 7 walkoff wins. Add in some come from behind games and late rallies, and they were quite fun.

[imref]

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/looking-to-the-past-to-predict-the-nationals-rebuild-timeline

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/looking-to-the-past-to-predict-the-nationals-rebuild-timeline

I do think that the expanded playoffs means there are scenarios where this team could push for the WC were there an ownership willing to spend a bit (say, $30 million more in AAV).

There's a decent chance they don't have to spend a dime on relievers beyond arb raises. Relievers are a crap-shoot, but I am very comfortable with a potential bullpen of Finnegan, Harvey, Robert (Hunter Jerry) Garcia, Weems, Rainey, Ferrer, and a low leverage guy or two, depending on whether they have a 5 or 6 man rotation. Ideally, that last guy might even be Williams, who has a good track record in relief.

[welch]

Corbin, Gray, Gore, Irvin, Rutledge

Plus Cavalli by July (rehabs at Harrisburg and Rochester in June), then minus Corbin. Adon is next callup, in case of injury. Or he's a sixth starter. Williams to long relief / spot starter.

The rotation looks respectable. Maybe not Strasburg-Zimmermann or Strasburg-Scherzer, but decent. With the current bullpen, the pitching will be OK...without many injuries.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Cherry picking on Irvin, but from his skipped start through his second September start, he had 15 starts, 82.2 innings, 3.59 ERA with 7.51 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, 14 HR allowed. Perhaps a bit lucky (.266 BABIP, 83.3 LOB%, 4.88 FIP), but looks like at least a decent #4/  #5. 143 innings between AAA and MLB for the year.

I'm not saying he's a core piece, top of the rotation guy, but at least he's a guy you have to be good to beat out.

[Slateman]

I'm not saying he's a core piece, top of the rotation guy, but at least he's a guy you have to be good to beat out.

Its the kind if depth that good organizations have

[Senatorswin]

Cherry picking on Irvin, but from his skipped start through his second September start, he had 15 starts, 82.2 innings, 3.59 ERA with 7.51 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, 14 HR allowed. Perhaps a bit lucky (.266 BABIP, 83.3 LOB%, 4.88 FIP), but looks like at least a decent #4/  #5. 143 innings between AAA and MLB for the year.

I'm not saying he's a core piece, top of the rotation guy, but at least he's a guy you have to be good to beat out.

Irvin has a really nice curve and mid 90's fastball. It would be nice if he could develop another effective pitch.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Irvin has a really nice curve and mid 90's fastball. It would be nice if he could develop another effective pitch.

I think you may be old enough to remember Jerry Quarry. He was the guy every heavyweight had to beat to show they were good. Irvin may be our Jerry Quarry.

[welch]

Irvin has a really nice curve and mid 90's fastball. It would be nice if he could develop another effective pitch.

Irvin is a solid MLB starter. So much better than the barrels of trash that the Nats used in 2022. He is a good-to-have even if he is not Stephen Strasburg or Jordan Zimmermann. And yes, it would be good if he developed another another primo pitch. Let's hope that's his off-season homework.

The Nats rotation at the end of 2023: Corbin, Gray, Gore, Irvin, Rutledge. While Corbin is not great, he will pitch decently maybe two of every five starts. The others are young and improving. By August of next season, Cavalli should be pitching for the Nats. Biggest worry will be injuries, since the team does not have another up-and-coming starter until Bennett has recovered and Travis Sykora. Maybe DJ Herz.

Seems likely that Rizzo will draft pitching next year.

[Senatorswin]

I think you may be old enough to remember Jerry Quarry. He was the guy every heavyweight had to beat to show they were good. Irvin may be our Jerry Quarry.

Exactly, it seemed if you wanted to fight for the championship you had to fight Quarry first. Ali, Ellis, Frazier, Shavers, Patterson.... he beat a couple and almost bled to death against others.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Irvin is a solid MLB starter. So much better than the barrels of trash that the Nats used in 2022. He is a good-to-have even if he is not Stephen Strasburg or Jordan Zimmermann. And yes, it would be good if he developed another another primo pitch. Let's hope that's his off-season homework.

The Nats rotation at the end of 2023: Corbin, Gray, Gore, Irvin, Rutledge. While Corbin is not great, he will pitch decently maybe two of every five starts. The others are young and improving. By August of next season, Cavalli should be pitching for the Nats. Biggest worry will be injuries, since the team does not have another up-and-coming starter until Bennett has recovered and Travis Sykora. Maybe DJ Herz.

Seems likely that Rizzo will draft pitching next year.

Herz may have been a steal if his body is durable. If you are K'ng 36% of the hitters you face, as he was doing in AA, it can cover for a lot. You hope he gets his walks down, but his K%-BB% is around 20 every level except for his first exposure to AA in 2022. Very intriguing. I've not seen Mitchell Parker, but he seems similar in scouting and results so far at the same levels.

Adon, not mentioned, seems like he can get through the order a couple of times. I'd really like to see him used with an opener for an inning or so next time he is up in the majors.

[IanRubbish]

Harm City's big season goes down in a three game sweep.  Meanwhile, the D-Backs were outscored by their opponents, and have the Dodgers on the ropes in the ALDS.  There is hope for this dysfunctional franchise, just a little luck with these expanded playoffs and you're back in it.