Somewhat overlooked amidst the Nationals current losing streak, Friday afternoon the Nationals agreed to a 1-year contract extension worth $1 million plus incentives with veteran reserve infielder Chad Tracy.  After spending the 2011 season playing in Japan, Tracy made the Nationals roster this spring as a non-roster spring training invitee and has carved out an excellent niche this season as a valuable left-handed pinch hitter with power and occasional starter at the corner infield positions.  Tracy, 32-years old, has batted .274/.343/.500 in 62 at-bats in 2012, and this contract extension virtually guarantees he continues his role as the leader of the Goon Squad, aka the Nationals bench, next season.

There is precious little to quibble about with this extension, as Chad Tracy provides the Nationals a strong veteran presence in the clubhouse, and has shown a propensity toward pinch hitting in 2012 (.296/.375/.481 with 1 HR and 10 RBI in 27 at-bats), one of the most difficult skills to master in major league baseball.  True, that is a small sample size, but his career .278/.337/.447 batting line and 82 home runs in 8 professional seasons show he has good contact skills and power in his left-handed bat.  In addition, most of the available defensive metrics count Tracy as an average fielder at both corner positions.  Davey Johnson has long preached the importance of having a strong bench, and the success of the bench and the team this season has driven the point home to me the immeasurable value of a good bench. Certainly this is not to be considered a major move, but Chad Tracy’s left-handed bat, experience, and versatility make him an asset off the bench, and he would have received interest this off-season as a free agent: the Nationals avoided any possible “bidding war” for his services this winter by acting now and signing him for next season.  Because of the short duration of the signing and the relatively small terms of the agreement, this deal carries little risk for the Nationals and his intangibles and knack for a timely pinch hit gives this signing a relatively good chance of returning value next year.

NatsGM Grade ->       B
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For weeks I have tried my best to avoid commenting on the topic of the Stephen Strasburg innings shut down, as I am quite sure I have never seen a more hotly debated baseball topic amongst those that have little to no vested interest in the decision, not to mention on a subject that was decided upon months ago, prior to the Nationals 2012 breakout season.  In general, I think the majority of the Nationals fan base has come to accept that Strasburg will not be pitching in the playoffs, assuming the club reaches the postseason for the first time since arriving in Washington eight years ago.  In fact, the NatsGM fan poll last month asking “If the decision were up to you, would you shut down Stephen Strasburg” resulted in 77% voting in favor of ending his season early.   However, when popular stand-up comedian and Washington Nationals fan John Conroy emailed me asking what the Nationals should do, I quickly got to writing.

What do we know as facts? We know that when he was drafted in 2009, the Nationals signed Stephen Strasburg to a major league record $15.1 million dollar contract which included a $7.5 million dollar signing bonus, quite an investment especially for a pitcher.  We know that Stephen Strasburg injured his pitching elbow in August 2010 while pitching in Philadelphia, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery, and kept him out the majority of the 2011 season.  We know that Jordan Zimmermann suffered the same injury almost one year to the day prior to Strasburg, and after the Nationals monitored and limited his innings to 161 in 2011, he is now a candidate for the National League Cy Young Award, leading the Nationals to want Strasburg to mimic the same rehabilitation schedule Zimmermann previously followed. Finally, we know that injuries to pitchers has reached an epidemic level in major league baseball, with many theories as to why, yet there is little knowledge as to how to prevent them.

Now the problem… what do we not know?  If the Nationals shut Strasburg down in a few weeks, will that keep him healthy for the duration of his career, or even for just a few seasons?  On the other hand, if the Nationals continue to pitch him until the final day of the season, whenever that might be, will the extra stress of the increased workload hinder the length of his career?  The Nationals made a considerable investment when they signed Stephen Strasburg, and they should do everything within their power to protect him from further injury in future seasons.  There is little to nothing more valuable than a true #1 starter in baseball, and the opportunity to have someone with his ability and talents front the rotation for the majority of the decade makes the Nationals a fearsome organization.

What else don’t we know?  Assuming the Nationals make the postseason, will the absence of Strasburg hinder the team winning a World Series? Look at this problem through the lens of the Texas Rangers – they have made the World Series two years in a row and see themselves as a legitimate contender again this season, do you think Texas GM Jon Daniels and the Ranger clubhouse would not sacrifice almost anything or anyone to win a championship: I certainly believe they would.  Then again, who is to say that the Nationals are not “good enough” to overcome his absence and win a championship?  Obviously Stephen Strasburg makes the Nationals a better team, but Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler are more than capable of replacing him in the rotation and leading the team to a playoff victory.  None of us, including the only person making the decision GM Mike Rizzo, will know the answer to any of these questions prior to the shut down.

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This topic has been discussed and over-analyzed in recent weeks, and I feel the only point that has yet to be made is this: Since this decision was made by Mike Rizzo last winter, no variable involved in the decision has changed except that the team has exceeded expectations thus far in 2012.  While many of us would be tempted to let this sway our decision, this likely was never a variable in Mr. Rizzo’s decision, and therefore, is the reason he will stay the course.  As Rizzo pointed out a few weeks ago, this choice is his and only his, and at this point, he knows and has accepted that this decision will be the defining moment in his career as a general manager.  He will receive criticism from the media, a few veteran players, and from the vocal minority of Nationals fans, but his track record since taking over should earn him the benefit of the doubt that this decision is correct.

As a baseball guy and someone with GM in the title of his website, I completely sympathize and appreciate the unpopular stance GM Mike Rizzo is taking with Strasburg, foregoing potentially short-term gains in an effort to protect Stephen’s future health and prioritizing the Nationals long-term success.  After studying Strasburg’s last 4 starts rather closely, his fastball velocity has decreased from 95-97mph earlier this season and settled in closer to 93-95mph, and his fastball command and control has been inconsistent as well, early signs that his workload is beginning to take its toll.  Considering the higher injury risk and shorter career duration for pitchers that throw with well above-average velocity, and the indisputable fact that Strasburg makes the Nationals better in the short-term, these reasons naturally tempt me to change my mind.  That said, the only known fact is that every doctor with knowledge of this surgery says one should limit the workload of a pitcher in his first healthy season returning from Tommy John surgery, and bearing in mind every other factor and consideration is an unknown and in the hands of the baseball gods, I fully support the organization’s decision to shut down Strasburg at the appropriate time next month and hope the rest of the fan base does as well.

I encourage you to Follow me on Twitter @NatsGMdotcom, Like my Facebook page by searching NatsGM, and email me your comments at NationalsGM@Gmail.com.  Thanks!

Thursday afternoon the Baltimore Orioles placed injured second baseman Brian Roberts on the 60-day disabled list, optioned right-handed pitcher Steve Johnston to Triple-A Norfolk, and promoted 20-year-old uber-prospect shortstop Manny Machado from Double-A Bowie, in expectation that he acts as Baltimore’s everyday third baseman.  Machado, the Orioles 1^st round selection (3^rd overall) in 2010, is recognized by most scouts as the top middle infield prospect in the minor leagues and one of the top 5-10 prospects overall.  Prior to his promotion, Machado was batting .266/.352/.438 with 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 402 at-bats this season in the pitcher friendly Eastern League.

Manny Machado has risen quickly through the Orioles minor league system due to his prodigious talents, in particular his strong throwing arm, impressive defensive skills, and above-average bat speed and hitting skills with developing power.  Scouts envision Machado at his peak as an above-average defensive shortstop with a .280-.300 batting average and 20-25 home run power.  With only 219 games and 820 at-bats above the high school level, in addition to his solid but not overwhelming statistics in Double-A this season, the knee-jerk reaction is the Orioles are rushing Machado to the major leagues.

The Orioles find themselves, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, currently tied with the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics with a record of 60-52 atop the wild card race in the American League.  Many are still skeptical of the team’s fortunes thus far this season, as they have a run differential of –53, they lead the major leagues in errors with 87, and their team ERA is T-16^th at 4.06.  In addition, the Orioles have gone a staggering 22-6 in one run games and are 12-2 in extra innings games this season.  Upon closer inspection, the Orioles have also struggled at third base in 2012, as 5 different players have spent time there (Andino, Betemit, Flaherty, Reynolds, and Tolleson) and defensively they have a combined .914 fielding percentage and 24 total errors, and offensively, the team has seen only mediocre production with a .246/.319/.406 batting line with 13 home runs and 42 runs batted in.  In order to improve defensively and upgrade the position overall therefore bettering the team, the Orioles intend to shift Wilson Betemit from third base to the primary designated hitter, leaving Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis to share at-bats at first base, and making Machado the everyday third baseman.

It is only recommended to those who eat excessively, and to those who eat excessively at cialis tabs 20mg night. If not sure about the medication having nitrate or not, buy tadalafil mastercard then answer these questions. What are Probiotics? As the name suggests, probiotics are gut bacteria that is extremely helpful in building cialis 20mg no prescription strong immune system required for maintaining a healthy body. Type III is divided into four types: acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic viagra generika online bacterial prostatitis, chronic nonbacterial prostatitis is a type of chronic prostatitis with special condition, which is not caused by an infection with bacteria. Although Machado has played shortstop the vast majority of his career, his soft hands and strong arm should allow him to quick adapt to third base and he instantly improves the Orioles defensively over Betemit and others.  If Buck Showalter slots him at the bottom of the order, thereby placing little to no pressure on him, he stands a reasonable chance to match or surpass the .245/.319/.406 the team has manufactured thus far in 2012.  That said, there is little reason to believe his numbers will be demonstrably better than what he has produced in Double-A this season, and as has occurred countless times in baseball history (Pedro Alvarez, Joba Chamberlain, Lastings Milledge, Justin Smoak, etc.), there is a real chance of hindering a prospect long-term by rushing him to the majors without sufficient maturation time in the minor leagues.  Considering the remote but real possibility of this stunting his long-term development, it is unwise for the organization to promote Machado in hopes of improving the team’s defense at third base, a position he has rarely played in his life, and realizing a potential 30-50 additional points in total OPS – even this best case scenario would result in less than a one game improvement overall in the standings over the final 50 games of the season.  In light of this, besides whatever intrinsic value a team places on the optimistic message you are sending to your fan base that “The organization is doing everything we can to win”, it is difficult to support the Orioles decision to elevate Manny Machado to the major leagues at this time.

I encourage everyone to Follow me on Twitter @NatsGMdotcom, Like my Facebook page by searching NatsGM, and email me your comments at NationalsGM@Gmail.com.  Thank you for reading!

Monday afternoon GM Mike Rizzo decided to improve the Nationals middle infield depth by claiming veteran shortstop Cesar Izturis off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.  In corresponding roster moves for the Nationals, Mark DeRosa was placed on the 15-day disabled list and Triple-A LHP Atahualpa Severino was designated for assignment.  The Nationals needed some insurance in the middle infield with Ian Desmond on the disabled list indefinitely with an injured oblique and Mark DeRosa struggling with an injured groin, leaving middle infield duo Danny Espinosa and Steve Lombardozzi without a backup.  The Brewers received noted infield prospect Jean Segura last month in the blockbuster Zack Greinke trade with Anaheim and were eager to promote him to the big leagues, thus making Izturis expendable.  The Nationals claimed Izturis, meaning they are responsible for the balance of his $875,000 salary for 2012, but were not forced to part with a player to obtain his services.

Cesar Izturis, 32-years old and a 12-year major league veteran, is batting .235/.248/.333 with 2 home runs and 1 stolen base thus far in 2012 and is a .255/.294/.323 career hitter spanning 4,217 total at-bats. A switch-hitter, Izturis for his career has superior numbers against left-handed pitching, with a .264/.298/.335 batting line with 7 home runs verses .250/.293/.316 and 8 home runs against right-handers – perhaps the Nationals use Izturis in a platoon with Steve Lombardozzi (career numbers .210/.269/.242 vs. LHP) until Ian Desmond returns, consequently shifting Danny Espinosa back to second base.  Although his hitting leaves something to be desired, Izturis’ reputation has been built on being a dynamic, well above-average defender, one whom is particularly proficient at both second base and shortstop.  Izturis won a gold glove in 2004 and his career fielding percentage of .981 is well above the average in that span of .973, further cementing his status as an outstanding defensive infielder.  Not to mention logic tells us any 12-year veteran with a career OPS (On-Base Percentage Plus Slugging Percentage) of .616 must be an outstanding defender to justify his being a starter in the major leagues.

This waiver claim should not be made into more than it is, but Cesar Izturis provides the infield depth the Nationals desperately needed as they anxiously wait for Ian Desmond to heal from his injury.  Izturis could receive some at-bats in the upcoming weeks providing a rare day off for Danny Espinosa and conceivably platooning with Lombardozzi against left-handed pitching at second base: eventually when Desmond returns, Izturis will provide excellent middle infield depth and versatility off the bench.  The Nationals may have to make a roster decision between Mark DeRosa and Cesar Izturis later this month when DeRosa returns, but if the injury lingers past September 1^st when the major league rosters expand, they would only have to make a choice between the two if and when they reach the playoffs in October.  While Izturis’ acquisition should not have a dramatic effect on the Nationals win-loss record down the stretch, this was a smart transaction for GM Mike Rizzo to protect the team in case they receive yet another injury to the middle infield, because Izturis is capable of managing either shortstop or second base for a week or two without hindering a team.  This is not a particularly exciting move but a productive, no-risk attempt by the front office to improve and protect the Nationals chances of reaching the playoffs this fall.
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