As Livan Hernandez walked off the field Sunday afternoon to a well-deserved standing ovation after what is likely to be his final appearance of the season, I was struck with one major thought: Will the Nationals re-sign Livan for next season or was this, in fact, the last start for this icon as a Washington National? After his subpar performance Sunday, Hernandez, 36, finishes 2011 with a record of 8-13 with a 4.47 ERA, 1.40 WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched), a 99/46 strikeout to walk ratio covering 29 starts and 175.1 innings. His season has been marred with inconsistency, as Livan was terrific in April and June (ERAs of 3.23 and 3.66 respectfully) while toiling in May (4.54 ERA) and struggling like the U.S. economy since the All-Star break, producing a 5.50 ERA, 1.463 WHIP and merely 22 strikeouts in 54 innings.
Fortunately, not all of Livan’s value shows up in the box score, as a large amount lies in intangibles difficult tough to evaluate, specifically his ability to pitch every fifth day and be relied upon to pitch 175+ innings each season as he has since 1998, the solid fundamentals (bunting, fielding his position, etc.) he brings to the field each day, and most importantly, his remarkable presence in the locker room. Not to mention, Livan is the Nationals all-time leader in wins (44), innings pitched (828.2), and strikeouts (476). Livan has been the backbone of the starting rotation since they returned to Washington in 2005 and will likely be remembered to National’s fans similarly to how Walt Williams, Joe Smith, Johnny Rhodes, Exree Hipp, and Keith Booth are for basketball fans at the University of Maryland, as the heroes that laid the foundation for a decade or more of team success.
So should the Nationals re-sign Livan for 2012 and for what role? I believe the Nationals need to upgrade from Livan in 2012 but I can envision a role for Livan next season in which he started 10-12 games as a spot starter accumulating about 50-75 innings, in addition to perhaps another 20-25 appearances adding another 40-60 innings in long relief, for a total of 100-125 innings; I can see Livan filling the same role that Miguel Batista did in 2010 for the Nats. Also, Livan would provide the Nationals a nice security blanket in case of injuries to the rotation (remember Strasburg will likely be on an innings limit next year and Zimmermann is a Tommy John survivor) and provide a veteran presence to the youngsters on the pitching staff. Livan made $1 million in salary for 2011, and while he is likely looking for a salary increase, I think he will keep his salary demands reasonable because he truly wants to stay in Washington. If the Nationals could sign Livan to another one-year contract for less than $2 million plus incentives, with the understanding that he likely will be a long reliever/spot starter, I would fully endorse the Nationals re-signing Livan for another season. I hope GM Mike Rizzo and the Nationals front office can come to an agreement for 2012 with Livan before the end of this season and let him retire as a Washington National.
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