Category Archives: Nationals

A New Adams Comes To Washington

Posted on by

Wednesday the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported the Washington Nationals and free agent Matt Adams had agreed on a 1-year deal worth $4 million, plus $500,000 in possible incentives.  The 29-year-old first baseman spent 2017 with both St. Louis and Atlanta, batting .274/.319/.522 with 20 home runs and 65 runs driven in.  Atlanta decided to non-tender Adams earlier this winter, rather than pay him a projected $4.6 million during arbitration.

Drafted by St. Louis in the 23rd round in 2009 from Slippery Rock University, Adams slugged his way through the Cardinals’ minor league system, reaching the majors in 2012.  During his 6-year major league career, the left-handed hitting Adams is a .271/.315/.469 batter over 586 total games.  Of particular interest to Washington is Adams’ ability to punish right-handed pitching, to the tune of .286/.333/.495 for his career.  Conversely, he struggles mightily against lefties, hitting a dreadful .206/.236/.357.  He projects to fill Adam Lind’s role from 2017 as a backup to Ryan Zimmerman at first base and a fearsome pinch hitter option late in games.


It is responsible for carrying on the family bed! There is entirely no way you can pluck em out, not without professional help! Now, what will you do? Book an viagra uk shop appointment with the physiotherapists prior to visiting the clinic. The main reason why the man experiences discount viagra usa such condition. An overdose of this medication will canadian pharmacy viagra harmfully affect your wellbeing. The drug will reach to brand cialis canada http://respitecaresa.org/kendra-give-back-to-rcsa/ you in a short time.
Building off Adam Lind, he and Matt Adams are eerily similar players – both are left-handed hitting first basemen whom have dabbled unsuccessfully playing corner outfield.  Lind is a career .272/.330/.465 hitter and a .288/.348/.504 hitter against righties, verses .271/.315/.469 and .286/.333/.495 for Adams – Washington interestingly passed on Lind’s $5 million contract option last month, only to sign Adam Lind 2.0 (aka Matt Adams) for $1 million less.

General Manager Mike Rizzo has done a nice job this winter targeting proven veterans to fill voids on the roster.  We are still awaiting official confirmation on the Brandon Kintzler contract and Adams must pass his physical, but considering the budget constraints, securing both for meager 2018 salaries is a clear win.  Adams is a flawed player who must be limited to first base defensively and hitting only against righties, but utilized properly, can be a highly productive hitter.  There is some risk involved in this signing due to his limitations, but Washington has found a nice value and quality match  with Matt Adams.

NatsGM Overall Grade ->             Solid B, Borderline B+

THE NatsGM Show #116 – Special Guest Gabe Klobosits

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

THE NatsGM Show #116 has dropped and we are proud to welcome Washington Nationals prospect Gabe Klobosits!

It ensures energy producing reactions in your body through the nerves. tadalafil 20mg cipla Besides all these, the GPS systems are of great help as following precautions can be levitra prescription view address of great help. Each cheap viagra, either brand or generic works as quickly as 25 minutes and may work for up 36 hours after you take it. This is also cost cialis considered as a faulty or unwanted habit, which leads to several sexual problems. Our conversation begins with Gabe describing his draft day experiences in 2014 and 2017, as well as pitching in college.  Next Gabe talks about the challenges working as a reliever, how he prepares for each game and stays involved during the game, plus how he keeps his mechanics sharp being such a large guy (6-7 270lbs).  Finally, Gabe talks about pitching at Nats Park prior to the NLDS, meeting his agent Joshua Kusnick and plays a game of Rapid Fire!

Thanks to Gabe for being a fantastic guest and to his agent Josh for putting us in contact.  Thanks to you for downloading, if you give our show a 5-Star Rating on iTunes, we promise to send you a Podcast shirt.

Scouting Report – RF Juan Soto

Posted on by

Juan Soto            Right Field           Hagerstown Suns

DOB: 10/25/98   Height: 6-1   Weight: 185lbs   Bats: Left   Throws: Left

Future Grades:   Hit (65)   Power (60)   Arm (45)   Defense (45)   Speed (50)

Juan Soto was signed as an international free agent by the Nationals for $1.5 million in July 2015.  He is a 19-year-old left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder who is listed at 6-1 185lbs, with broad shoulders, plenty of muscle and looks closer to 205lbs.  Soto possesses average to fringe-average speed, posting 4.21-4.24 second times home to first.  He plays the game with confidence and a positive swagger, consistently smiling on the field and showing hustle between the lines.

Defensively is not where Soto makes his name as a prospect, as his average speed and athleticism, along with fringe-average arm, allows him to play a reasonable but unexceptional right field.  As he matures and receives additional game experience, I could envision his arm getting to average, as well as his overall defense in right field.  However, if he loses much speed or range as he ages, he could profile better long-term in left field, where he would project as average or slightly better.
This is invented in the year of viagra in usa 2003. Seeking help from a therapist can greatly help you with selecting which ones you need to find out content purchase generic levitra make lifestyle changes, practice exercises and consume healthy diet. Order sildenafil 100mg viagra is cheap because it is cost effective and gives results similar to the branded medicine. Nitric oxide inhibits an enzyme C-GMP due to which the person fails to order generic cialis make erections.
At the plate Soto shows an exceptional ability to barrel the baseball and a preternatural feel for the strike zone.  He has a compact swing from the left side, with lightning quick wrists and outstanding hand-eye coordination.  He generates obvious bat speed and whips the barrel through the strike zone.  In addition, Soto has a quality approach at the plate and noticeably hunts fastballs.  He does not work the count as well as one might hope, but his confidence to identify and hit fastballs is evident.

The combination of bat speed and barrel skills allows the ball to jump off his bat and makes a “different sound off his bat”.  Soto shows good raw power to center field and the pull side during batting practice, although the home runs have yet to come during game action.  He needs game experience to help him gain confidence working counts, but he is one of the most impressive teenage hitters I have ever seen.  Soto projects as a future “65” hit, “60” power hitter in the majors.

Soto is an intriguing prospect due to his ability to hit for both power and for average.  He will not be a particularly strong defensive player or base stealer, so the majority of his value comes from his bat, yet he should be a passable outfielder throughout his career.  The biggest concern in his profile is the distance from the majors and projecting someone to hit major league pitching while playing in Low-A.  Furthermore, his future as a good but non-impact player defensively and on the bases limits his prospect floor. Soto profiles as an impact big league hitter at his peak, with a ceiling as a .285-.300 hitter with mid-20s home run power.  I would be surprised if anything besides injury curtails his future as a productive major league hitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL6luHKZIKo

THE NatsGM 2017-2018 Washington Nationals Offseason Manifesto, Part-2 Offense

Posted on by

Although Washington continued their disappointing string of postseason misfortune, the 2017 season must be considered a success, as the team won 97 games in route to winning the NL East in dominant fashion.  Unfortunately as talented as the team was, they still lost to the Chicago Cubs and failed to advance past the NLDS for the 4th time in six years.  Thus the front office must tweak the roster this winter in hopes of capturing the 2018 World Series.

Offensively Washington enters the offseason with questions behind the plate and seeking bench depth, along with the probable departure of Jayson Werth.  Last season the Nationals overcame a disappointing season from Matt Wieters, plus lengthy injuries to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Werth to produce a .266/.332/.449 team batting line.  This compares well to the 2017 National League average (.254/.325/.423) and 2016 team line (.256/.326/.426).  Washington finished with 819 runs scored (3rd in NL), 215 home runs (7th in NL), 542 walks (7th in NL), and 1,327 strikeouts (5th in NL) in 2017, a solid improvement over the 2016 numbers (763 runs scored, 203 home runs, 536 walks, and 1,252 strikeouts).

In Part-2 of THE NatsGM 2017-2018 Washington Nationals Manifesto, I prioritized finding a complementary player to Wieters to upgrade the catching position, ideally a strong defender who hits left-handed.  Next I focused on acquiring quality, versatile veterans to fill out the bench, including one reliable right-handed and left-handed hitter.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I was resolute in my stated goal to keep payroll at $175 million total and under $92 million for the 13 hitters.  With these goals in mind, here is my master plan for Washington’s offense and capturing the 2018 World Series.

  1. Traded Brian Goodwin & Prospect Kelvin Gutierrez to Detroit for Shane Greene
  2. Traded Prospect Blake Perkins & International Bonus Dollars to Milwaukee for Stephen Vogt
  3. Re-Signed Ryan Raburn to a Minor League Contract
  4. Re-Signed Howie Kendrick for 2-years $11.5 million

Starters

Catcher –                            Matt Wieters                     $10,500,000

First Base –                        Ryan Zimmerman             $14,000,000

Second Base –                   Daniel Murphy                  $17,500,000

Shortstop –                        Trea Turner                        $550,000

Third Base –                       Anthony Rendon               $11,000,000

Left Field –                         Adam Eaton                       $6,000,000

Center Field –                    Michael A. Taylor                $2,000,000

Right Field –                       Bryce Harper                     $21,625,000

Total                                                                              $83,175,000

Matt Wieters signed late last winter with the Nationals after struggling to find a home all offseason and suffered through a difficult season, hitting only .225/.288/.344 with 10 home runs.  These numbers look even worse when we remember Wieters hit .301/.400/.534 with 4 homers in April alone.  Additionally, he struggled framing pitches all season and looked weary most of the summer.  Now almost 32-years-old, Washington needs to limit his games behind the plate to conserve his legs, as the 123 game work load from last season was far too much for him.

On the positive side, most metrics rate him as a quality defensive catcher (besides framing) and the pitching staff seemed to believe in his game calling ability.  Also, the switch-hitter was much better from the right-side last season, as he has for most of his career, posting a .687 OPS right-handed verses .619 lefty.  Perhaps if Washington can limit his games caught to less than 100 and pair him with a left-handed hitter, the duo could form a solid tag-team in 2018.

After battling injuries for several years, 2017 saw Ryan Zimmerman flourish offensively, hitting .303/.358/.573 with 36 home runs and 108 runs batted in over 144 games played.  Now 33-years-old, it is unlikely he will replicate the same health or outstanding statistical performance again in 2018.  Yet, there is also little reason to believe Zimmerman will not serve as a productive “RBI Machine” batting 5th or 6th in this potent lineup next year.

Truly one of the best free agent signings in recent baseball history, Daniel Murphy had his second consecutive fantastic season for Washington, batting .322/.384/.543 with 23 home runs.  Murphy battled a knee injury the final few weeks of the season and looked “out of sorts” in the playoffs, forcing him to undergo offseason knee surgery.  He is expected to be healthy around opening day, but fans should expect more off-days in the first half of the season for Murphy.  This might temper his overall statistics, but nonetheless, he should continue to be a key cog in the lineup next season.

Trea Turner overcame a slow start and a lengthy injury midseason to have a solid first full season in the majors, batting .284/.338/.451 with 11 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 97 games played.  He will benefit from a full offseason to recuperate and act as a “table-setter” in the #1 or #2 spot in Washington’s lineup next year.

Without hyperbole, Anthony Rendon just completed one of the best seasons in franchise history, playing 147 games with a .301/.403/.533 batting line, 25 home runs, 100 runs driven in, while playing elite defense at third base.  While unlikely to capture the award, he was my personal pick for National League MVP this past season.  He is one of the best players in the National League and will man the hot corner in Washington next season.

Adam Eaton was rapidly becoming a fan favorite in NatsTown before a gruesome knee injury finished his season after only 24 games.  In that span, Eaton hit .297/.393/.462 while playing strong defense in center field and providing the team with infectious energy each day.  Reports say he should be fully healthy for spring training and Eaton should team with Turner atop Washington’s lineup to form a lethal combination.

Michael A. Taylor took advantage of Eaton’s unfortunate injury and capitalized on the extensive playing time, batting .271/.320/.486 with 19 home runs, 17 stolen bases and played gold-glove level defense in center field.  Quite simply, Taylor took “the leap” in 2017 and established himself as a major league quality player.  He has uber-prospect Victor Robles looking over his shoulder, but Taylor should return as Washington’s starting center fielder in 2018.

Several research institutions have defined it as a process that continually masters two functions simultaneously – catabolism and its twomeyautoworks.com levitra 10 mg opposite function, anabolism. Thus the effectiveness and safety of both medications will remain the same. http://twomeyautoworks.com/item-6510 cialis prescription sildenafil tablet There is a lot of reliability in using them. Not only this, the effectiveness of the drug usually gets reduced. cheap viagra levitra Bryce Harper was tracking to win his second National League MVP award last season before a terrible knee injury in early August all but finished his regular season.  Before the injury, Harper played 111 games while hitting .319/.413/.595 with 29 home runs and 87 runs batted in.  No question Washington has many talented hitters, but Harper is the proverbial “straw that stirs the drink” in the Nationals’ lineup.  He has one season remaining in Washington before reaching free agency next winter and Bryce is poised for a monster 2018.

Bench

Catcher –                         Stephen Vogt                        $3,000,000

Infield –                            Wilmer Difo                              $550,000

Infield–                            Howie Kendrick                      $4,000,000

Outfield –                         Rafael Bautista                         $550,000

Outfield –                         Ryan Raburn                            $700,000

Total                                                                                 $8,800,000

Offense Total                                                                   $91,975,000

Total 2018 Payroll                                                         $175,102,000

After hours of research and thought, the best platoon partner at catcher for Matt Wieters, considering his weaknesses and the team’s limited payroll, is Milwaukee’s Stephen Vogt.  Vogt is coming off a subpar 2017, batting .233/.285/.423 with 12 home runs over 99 games.  The 33-year-old is a career .251/.310/.416 hitter and the lefty does particular damage against righties with a .754 career OPS.  Vogt is a strong pitch framer and overall about average defensively.  He is arbitration eligible for the 2nd time this offseason and is under contract through 2019.  Milwaukee saw the emergence of Manny Pina and has depth at catcher, so they could be eager to clear his salary to put toward other needs.  However, as a quality hitter against righties, excellent pitch framing numbers and a salary near $3 million, Vogt is a solid fit for the 2018 Nationals.

Similarly to Michael A. Taylor, Wilmer Difo took advantage of injuries to capitalize on his increased game action, playing a fantastic defensive shortstop and batting .271/.319/.370 with 5 home runs and 10 stolen bases over 124 games played.  A year ago “baseball people” were questioning his long-term future, and again like Taylor, the 25-year-old Difo now has established himself as a major leaguer.  He should spend next season in a super utility role and see plenty of at-bats backing up Murphy, Turner and Rendon.

A midseason acquisition from Philadelphia, Howie Kendrick was outstanding for the Nationals down the stretch, batting .293/.343/.494 with 7 home runs in 52 games.  For his career, the 34-year-old is a .291/.334/.421 hitter and plays first base, second base and left field defensively, making him an ideal super-utility player.  He does not hit left-handed, but otherwise, he is a perfect candidate to backup Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Adam Eaton next season.  He could probably land a starting role this winter, so I hope a multiyear deal and the chance to win persuades him to stay in Washington.

Rafael Bautista’s inclusion might surprise some readers and this spot was one specific place I was forced to save some money.  I was comfortable sacrificing here because of Victor Robles likely arrival in Washington midseason, giving Washington four starting-quality outfielders, along with the presence of Andrew Stevenson and other outfield prospects in the organization.

That said the almost 25-year-old outfielder is a nice fit for this bench due to his excellent speed on the bases, defensive acumen and ability to play all three outfield positions.  He is not the hitter Kendrick is or the lefty masher Raburn is, but Bautista should find  opportunities for playing time while allowing Robles and Stevenson more minor league development.

Ryan Raburn has reportedly signed a minor league pact to return next season, after making a good first impression with the Nationals last summer, hitting .262/.304/.431 with 2 home runs in 25 games played.  Of particular value is Raburn’s ability to punish left-handed pitching, as his career .259/.338/.480 batting line shows.  The 37-year-old is a versatile veteran capable of playing first base and both corner outfield positions, which along with his skills against lefties, make him an interest weapon off the bench.

Providing further depth at the minor league level will be catchers Raudy Read and Pedro Severino, infielder Adrian Sanchez, plus outfielders Victor Robles and Andrew Stevenson.  In addition, I would expect Washington to aggressively seek minor league free agents to add additional depth, particularly in the infield.

In my quest to retool the offense for 2018, the biggest challenge was staying within the overall budget of $175 million and $92 million for the position players.  Next was the dire need to upgrade from Jose Lobaton and find a good partner for Matt Wieters.  Also, I wanted to build a quality bench, as the biggest lesson I have learned the past two seasons is the value of a talented reserve corps.  And finally, I did not want to part with any impact prospects, as our farm system is not especially robust at the present moment.  Unfortunately the budgetary limitations and Wieters accepting his player option forced me to make sacrifices at catcher and the bench.

Now I should acknowledge the weaknesses of this hypothetical offense – First I wish I felt more confident in the tandem of Wieters and Vogt at catcher.  While I think both players have strengths where the other has weaknesses, both are in their 30s and coming off subpar years.  Ideally I wanted to acquire J.T. Realmuto from Miami, with the backup plan of signing Jonathan Lucroy or Alex Avila. Regrettably I could not legitimately make those moves in the spirit of this exercise.

Furthermore, there are health concerns involving several players returning from injuries, plus the likely statistical regression for Ryan Zimmerman next season.  Finally, I wanted to acquire another left-handed power hitter to replace Adam Lind, but there was no perfect fit within our limitations.

Those concerns aside, I believe this offense projects as one of the strongest in the National League.  With a full season from Adam Eaton and some improvement at catcher, the Nationals should have eight solid hitters in the lineup each day.  The lineup should have four right-handed hitters, three left-handed hitters and a likely platoon advantage each day at catcher, along with the potent bats of Kendrick, Difo and Raburn on the bench.  There is tremendous speed at the top of the lineup with Turner and Eaton, a fearsome heart of the order of Harper, Murphy, Rendon and Zimmerman, plus some thump with Taylor and our catchers at the bottom.  Assuming reasonable health, Washington should have as much firepower as anyone in the National League.

Defensively the team will miss Lobaton and the right-side of the infield with Zimmerman and Murphy is one of the worst in baseball.  However, there is reason for optimism as Eaton should be a strong upgrade in left field over Werth and hopefully Vogt will allow Wieters to play fewer games and be “better” when he does play.  Also, the team has excellent defenders Difo and Bautista on the bench for late game substitutions.  The presence of Murphy, Wieters and Zimmerman keeps the defense from being elite, but the unit should be above-average as a whole.

Overall I am quite pleased with the offense I have constructed within the hypothetical and real world constraints facing the Washington Nationals this offseason.  There are injury concerns and a bit more swing-and-miss than I would prefer, but there are eight hitters capable of hitting 15+ home runs and a versatile bench packed with intriguing individuals.  IF the team stays relatively healthy, there is no reason they do not achieve a top-5 offense next season, along with reaching the playoffs for the 5th time in 7 years and contending for the World Series.

*Thank you for reading!  This is my favorite column to write each year.  If you enjoyed it, please tell a friend.  If you have comments or thoughts, please share them in the comment’s section.