Wednesday evening the weary Washington Nationals bullpen suffered a collapse and got smoked like a Willie Nelson “cigarette”, to the tune of 9 runs in the 8^th inning.  The dagger came when AJ Cole, now pitching in relief after losing the 5^th starter role to Jeremy Hellickson, served up a mammoth grand slam home run to Yoenis Cespedes.  This elevated his ERA this season to 13.06 and left many Nationals’ fans, myself included, wondering what the next step is for AJ Cole’s career in Washington.

Cole does not have any minor league options remaining, meaning the Nationals would have to expose him to waivers before sending him to the minor leagues, where he would likely be claimed by another team.  This leaves Washington’s front office in a difficult spot, as Cole needs work in the minor leagues to refine his mechanics and regain his confidence, yet they do not wish to lose him for nothing.

For the record, I have probably been Cole’s biggest fan in NatsTown the past several years, as I watched him in high school and imagined his projectable frame and intriguing 4-pitch repertoire developing into a mid-rotation quality starting pitcher.  While raw like sushi, the 18-year-old Cole possessed a low-90s sinking fastball, a promising changeup and the ability to spin a breaking ball.

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Today the 26-year-old Cole still has those attributes, but has not been able to improve the consistency of his breaking pitches, nor his fastball command.  This leaves him susceptible to plenty of walks and lengthy home runs.  However, when he finds his groove, as he did against Atlanta earlier this month and in 52 innings last year, Cole has major league quality stuff and can get major league hitters out.  Other major league teams have certainly taken notice of this, and would be foolish not to claim him, gambling that a change of scenery could unlock his potential.

Considering the number of teams actively “rebuilding” this year, it would be shocking to see Cole go unclaimed through waivers, as clubs always need extra pitching during the season.  It would not surprise me to see the White Sox claim him and allow noted pitching guru Don Cooper the opportunity to work with him.  Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates and pitching coach Ray Searage might want the chance to revamp his repertoire to improve his performance.  Or could Tampa Bay attempt to work their magic on another talented, yet inconsistent young pitcher.

Unfortunately due to his poor start to the season, roster limitations and the team’s goal of winning in 2018, it feels like AJ Cole’s time as a Washington National is rapidly coming to a close.  I fear Cole will emerge in a new situation and become a productive major league pitcher, a habit Washington has recently developed.  Just in the past two years, the Nationals have traded inconsistent young pitchers like Felipe (Rivero) Vazquez, Nick Pivetta and Blake Treinen, only to see them establish themselves for other teams.  Circumstances have boxed the team into a corner, but I predict a Change of Scenery will make AJ Cole the latest pitcher Washington wishes they had kept in the organization.

*Originally published at MASNSports.com on 4/20/18*

In a rather quiet spring training for the Nationals, one of the biggest storylines for the team leaving West Palm Beach was the unique decision by Ryan Zimmerman to play only in one spring training game.  Zimmerman instead preferred to get his work accomplished on the back fields, in games consisting of predominantly minor leaguers.  Certainly the fans that traveled to watch the team were disappointed to miss the “Face of the Franchise”, but also left themselves questioning the wisdom of this decision.

Ryan Zimmerman believes spring training is too long and there is merit to this, as the multiple weeks are more important to stretch out starting pitchers than getting hitters prepared for the opposing pitchers.  And Zimmerman has struggled with injuries the past several years, except in 2017, when he was one of the top first baseman in baseball, so he felt that playing in a more relaxed environment would be more conducive to staying healthy.

Unfortunately through the first 13 games of the season, this experiment looks like a bigger bust than Homer Simpson’s “The Homer”, as Zimmerman is batting .103/.186/.231 with 11 strikeouts in 39 at-bats.  He appears to be out of rhythm at the plate, avoiding fastballs in the strike zone and swinging at breaking pitches in the dirt. Furthermore, he has looked shaky defensively at first base, failing to make a couple plays in the field, and has not looked spy on the bases.

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Which goes back to his decision to essentially avoid facing major league quality pitching all spring in order to protect himself from injury.  Manager Davey Martinez is new to the organization and a first-time manager, so he is in a difficult position to challenge Zimmerman on this unusual decision in February or move him down in the order before May 1^st.

If I can digress a moment – A few years ago I was at a minor league game watching a big league player on a rehab assignment, and I was sitting next to an experienced scout.  I asked him his thoughts on the value of these rehab games for established major leaguers and he responded “good for their confidence but how can you prepare for big league stuff against guys in A-ball?”

This leads back to my point – While I do not believe this slump will have a large effect on his overall production in 2018, Zimmerman’s decision to avoid spring training games is perhaps the biggest reason Washington is currently 6-7 and in 4^th place in the division.  Without question, it is early, but Washington will continue to struggle offensively until Zimmerman rounds into form or is dropped in the batting order.

*Originally published at MASNSports.com on 4/13/18

Recently an entertainer in World Wrestling Entertainment named Buddy Murphy began calling himself “Professional Wrestling’s Best Kept Secret” – with all due respect to his creative catchphrase, I believe we should start calling Washington Nationals’ reliever Matt Grace “D.C. Baseball’s Best Kept Secret”.

Last season Grace was quietly effective for the Nationals, producing a 4.32 ERA, 1.360 WHIP and 31 strikeouts against 18 walks over 50 innings pitched.  An 8^th round pick by Washington in the 2010 MLB Draft from UCLA, Grace steadily rose through Washington’s minor league system before reaching the majors in 2015.  The 29-year-old Grace does a solid job minimizing home runs and inducing ground balls, with a career 61.1% ground ball ratio.  Grace is especially effective against left-handed hitters, allowing a meager .232/.315/.235 batting line in 2017.

In addition, Grace brings a unique element to the Nationals’ relief corps, notably his ability to throw multiple innings, as he threw 2 or more innings 8 separate times in 2017.  Grace does not overwhelm with his pure stuff, as his sinking fastball sits around 91mph and he has a good, but not great slider; however he locates his pitches well and has some natural deception in his delivery to disrupt opposing hitters’ rhythm.

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The National League East is filled with many top left-handed batters, namely Freddie Freeman, Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto – Matt Grace should see plenty of opportunities this summer to try and neutralize these talented lefties.  Also, Washington’s lack of a solid #5 starter and the absence of a true long-reliever should also give Grace multiple opportunities to pitch this season.  Therefore, the team’s bullpen will be counting on Grace’s ability to both neutralize quality left-handed hitters and occasionally pitch multiple innings in 2018.

Much like a Swiss Army Knife, you do not realize how valuable Matt Grace’s versatility is until you need him and Washington will be counting on him as a vital component of their relief corps this season.  Now, is there any chance we can convince him to enter each game to a loud “shushing” sound?

*Originally published at MASNSports.com on 4/6/18*

Happy Opening Day baseball friends!  After many months of battling cold temperatures and evenings without the soothing voices of Bob and F.P., Washington Nationals baseball returns today.

One of the many great things about Opening Day is the sense of optimism it brings with it – spring in Washington can be truly beautiful and the beginning of a baseball season leads one to think of the endless possibilities over 162 games.  Naturally, this leads fans to start making predictions for what will occur.

So I figured for my debut MASN article, I would make 3 bold predictions, plus a few honorable mentions, for the Nationals’ 2018 season.  Additionally, I hope this inspires you to share your prognostications in the comment’s section below.

#1           Adam Eaton Hits 20+ Home Runs

Washington’s big offseason acquisition prior to last season, Eaton was off to a breakthrough offensive season for the Nationals in 2017, hitting .297/.393/.462 over 23 games.  Unfortunately a fluke knee injury occurred running to first base, abruptly ending his season.  Now with nearly a year for his knee to recover and to build up his body, I am expecting a monster season for Eaton, with 20+ home runs and 55+ extra base hits.  Eaton’s career season high is 14 home runs, which he could match prior to the All-Star game.

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In a relatively quiet winter for all of baseball, one of my favorite low-cost gambles was the Nationals signing of Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract.  Washington was seeking a low-cost 5^th starter in case young pitchers A.J. Cole or Erick Fedde were not ready for the job, while Hellickson will look to rebound in the National League, pitching half his games against the mediocre National League East.  I am not projecting a return to his 2016 numbers in Philadelphia when he posted a 12-10 record with a 3.71 ERA and 154 strikeouts over 189 innings; however, I see little reason he cannot approximate his career NL numbers of a 4.27 ERA over 447.1 innings pitched.

The Nationals have done quite well in recent seasons finding valuable contributors on minor league contracts (remember Matt Albers, Matt Belisle and Hector Carrasco) and I believe Hellickson to be the next example, providing Washington with 10 wins, a 4.20 ERA and 150+ innings while solidifying the 5^th starter spot.

#3           Tanner Roark Returns To Form

Roark struggled through a difficult 2017, as he spent spring training with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and received irregular work throughout the tournament.  This caused him to start the season slowly and he never seemed to find his groove all year.  I attribute much of his poor 2017 to his unconventional spring.  This season Roark has had a full spring to prepare in West Palm Beach, and has made some mechanical adjustments in his delivery to improve his command.  Roark gets overlooked in a rotation with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, but I expect him to rebound with 15 wins and an ERA in the low-3s this season.

Honorable Mention Predictions ->             Bryce Harper hits a Home Run on Opening Day.  Victor Robles permanently joins the Nationals on Mother’s Day weekend.  Stephen Strasburg throws a no-hitter in 2018.  And finally, Washington wins 92 games this season and wins their 1^st playoff series!

*Previously published on 3/30 on MASNsports.com!