Today was my first day in Viera and a full workout day for the Nationals, with most of the 25-man roster staying inside Space Coast stadium, which unfortunately I was unable to access without a press credential.  However, I did get a nice opportunity to watch many of the minor leaguers hitting in the batting cages early this morning, then watched live batting practice from Tyler Clippard and Ryan Perry against some non-roster invitees and others a bit further down the 40-man roster.

Tyler Clippard looked rusty but solid in live batting practice, as the batters seemed to take a number of his pitches, assumingly because they were not strikes, but none of the batters he faced made solid contact, and by my recollection only one ball left the infield.  After Clippard was finished, Ryan Perry, the right-handed pitcher the Nationals acquired from Detroit in exchange for Collin Balester, entered and was particularly impressive.  Perry has the smoothest pitching motion I have seen in quite a while, and generates incredible velocity while looking like he is innocently throwing to a child.  Although Jason Michaels ripped one of his pitches to the left field gap (it was a rocket), Perry induced multiple swing and misses and weak ground balls.  Perry faces a difficult challenge to make the opening day roster but his talents should provide nice bullpen depth for the team this season.

Quick thoughts

I have always thought of Nationals prospect 1B Tyler Moore as a bat only prospect because of his 62 home runs in the past 2 years and position profile, but I was quite impressed to see him fielding ground balls at third base this morning.  It appears as though Moore trimmed up this winter and he looked agile playing third base, with an impressive, accurate arm.  True, infield practice cannot compare with game speeds and situations, but if Moore can become more versatile defensively, he could find himself a major component of the Nationals bench later this summer.  Keep an eye on him Nationals fans, I was pleasantly surprised.

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Tomorrow will see the Nationals playing an exhibition game against Georgetown University, beginning at Noon.  The scout in me is excited to see Georgetown players OF Rand Ravnaas and SS Mike Garza face quality professional pitching as both are draft-eligible this June.  Also, I am curious to watch Nationals LHP Matt Purke tomorrow to see if his velocity has returned and if the Nationals tinkered with his throwing motion this off-season.  Finally the uber fan in me is excited to see Bryce Harper, as he was hitting inside the stadium today, and Anthony Rendon, whom I only saw for one round of live BP.

This “Tip of the Fedora” goes out to my readers and especially some of the nice people I met today in Viera.  It’s very touching how complimentary people are to me about the site, so thank you for that.  I will be down here a few more days, so if I can answer any of your questions, email me at nationalsgm@gmail.com or contact me on Twitter @NatsGMdotcom.  And if you happen to be in Viera, please do not hesitate to tap me on the shoulder and say hello.

Early Sunday morning, the Nationals accomplished their top off-season priority, not to mention bringing a big smile to most every fan’s face, by announcing the signing of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to a long-term contract extension that should keep him in Washington for the duration of his career.  According to published reports, Zimmerman and the Nationals agreed to a 6-year extension worth $100 million dollars, including a 2020 club option for $18 million dollars with a $2 million dollar buyout: in addition, this contract includes a full no-trade clause and $10 million of this contract is deferred until after his playing days are finished in a personal services contract with the organization. This extension, when coupled with his current contract, guarantees Zimmerman $126 million dollars through 2019 if his buyout is exercised, with a maximum value of 9-years and $142 million dollars if the 2020 club option is exercised.

Ryan Zimmerman, the first ever draft pick of the Washington Nationals as the 4^th overall selection in the 2005 draft, has been the “Face of the Franchise” ever since that day.  Zimmerman, already a seven year veteran at the young age of 27, possesses a career .288/.355/.479 batting line with 128 career home runs, one gold glove and two silver slugger awards to his credit.  Over the course of the last three seasons, using the metric WAR (Wins Above Replacement) Zimmerman has accumulated a 17.0 total, good for 12^th best among position players in major league baseball, ahead of more recognized superstars such as Robinson Cano, Prince Fielder, and Matt Kemp and behind only one third baseman, Evan Longoria. (Thank you, Fangraphs.com)  In light of this evidence, it is difficult to argue that Ryan Zimmerman is not one of, if not the most underrated player in major league baseball.

All well-deserved accolades aside, this still does not answer the question: Was this a smart signing for the Nationals? It is worth noting that only five other players in baseball are currently signed through 2019, namely Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp, exclusive company indeed for Zimmerman.   While the Nationals are undoubtedly happy with the positive response to the signing by the fan base and appreciate the good will, did the team make the smart move locking him up now, two years prior to free agency and coming off an injury-marred season with only 12 home runs in 101 games?  The history of similar extensions is mixed; surely the St. Louis Cardinals do not regret signing Albert Pujols to a 7-year $100 million dollar contract in 2004 three years prior to his free agency and similarly, the Detroit Tigers must be pleased with their 6-year extension in December 2007 to Miguel Cabrera two years prior to his free agency.  On the other hand, I am sure the San Diego Padres regret signing Jake Peavy to his extension, as Toronto regrets the long-term deal to Alex Rios and the Minnesota Twins with Justin Morneau.  The common theme amongst long-term extensions is that the team does well if the player remains healthy and poorly if the player becomes injury prone, thus deals of this magnitude often are easy to conclude if the team made a wise decision or not.

As with most long-term contracts in baseball, the Nationals are assuming most of the risk signing him for eight years through his age 34 season but Ryan Zimmerman represents one of the very few times when I believe a player has true intrinsic value to an organization and to a fan base.  If Zimmerman can continue to average a WAR of 5-6 per season for the next 5-6 seasons, the Nationals will be overjoyed with this extension, unfortunately anything short of this production and it will be viewed negatively.  While I question this contract as ultimately being a “hometown discount” as it was described, I believe this to be a fair deal for both sides as it provides Zimmerman the security of knowing he should be a career National and assuming he stays relatively healthy, these terms should not significantly hinder the Nationals financially in the future. I worry about the risk involved in any contract like this but ultimately the Nationals made a wise move to lock up Zimmerman for the rest of his career, and I fully support this decision from the Nationals front office.
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A “Tip of the Fedora” goes out to Ryan Zimmerman – stepping back from my usual critical analysis, as a Nationals fan, Zimmerman is everything that is right about baseball, has suffered through the darker days of this franchise, and deserves to be here for the good days ahead.  Congrats and cheers to you!

Follow me on Twitter @NatsGMdotcom, email me at NationalsGM@gmail.com, and “Like” me on Facebook search NatsGM – Thank you.

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Pitchers and catchers reported Sunday morning and prior to the first bullpen session being thrown, the Nationals revealed the bombshell that veteran outfielder Mike Cameron had announced his retirement rather than returning for one final season.  Cameron, who signed a minor league contract this winter, was expected to compete with Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina for playing time this season, and presumably his right-handed bat gave him an advantage over the other two.  Cameron struggled in 2011 with a poor batting line of .203/.285/.359, but it was thought that a combination of Cameron and Ankiel, with their impressive defensive skills and reasonable career platoon splits, could adequately manage center field until Bryce Harper arrives in Washington, or another suitable alternative could be found.  Congratulations to Mike Cameron on a tremendous career, now the Nationals must examine their current options in center field.

As it stands today, the club has Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina firmly entrenched into roster spots, with one of them the opening day starter in center field assuming Harper begins the year in the minors, and spring training invitees Jason Michaels and Brett Carroll in competition for the 5^th outfielder position.  Considering Cameron’s sudden retirement and the adequate but flawed in-house options, General Manager Mike Rizzo and the Nationals front office should look to acquire an alternative via trade or free agency.  I recommend the team check on the health of free agent right-handed hitting outfielder Maggio Ordonez and if his ankle has recovered, bring him to Washington to start against left-handed pitching, act as a designated hitter during interleague play, and serve as a pinch hitter in the late innings.

Magglio Ordonez, 38, struggled with injuries and poor performance in 2011, leading to a .255/.303/.331 batting line in 329 at-bats with Detroit. However, Ordonez is only one year removed from a .303/.378/.474 line in 2010, is a career .309/.369/.502 hitter, and furthermore, owns a career .322/.381/.554 slash line against left-handed pitching.  Unfortunately, Ordonez re-broke his ankle during the American League Championship Series last fall, and the combination of this injury, his age, and last season’s poor performance has him still available. The typical recovery from a broken ankle takes about six weeks to heal, although it can be several months before one can return to sports-related activities.  On a positive note, Ordonez’s BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) in 2011 was .275, some 41 points under his career average and his batting line from last September of .419/.444/.558 provides some semblance of optimism that his skills have not completely eroded and injuries were the root of his struggles.

I will be the first to admit this is not an ideal solution as his health is a large question mark, but unless the Nationals make a spring training trade from their pitching depth to acquire someone, there are very few options available this late in the offseason.  On occasions when the Nationals face a right-handed pitcher, they should start Jayson Werth in right field and Ankiel in center field.  However, when there is a left-handed starter, I would shift Werth to center field and play Magglio Ordonez in right field to maximize the offense’s potential.  If the Nationals can convince Ordonez to agree to a minor league contract, or a guaranteed major league deal with a low base salary and incentives, I think the Nationals should sign him and hope for 325-350 healthy at-bats this season, as the potential for a rebound season far outweighs the risk of such a small financial commitment.
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This “Tip of the Fedora” goes out to Mike Cameron on a terrific and underappreciated career.  Cameron was kind enough to sign an autograph for me as a kid, thus I have always been his fan, and selfishly wish he had played this season for the Nationals.  Congratulations and cheers to you!

I encourage you to follow me on Twitter @NatsGMdotcom, email me at NationalsGM@gmail.com, and “Like” me on Facebook search NatsGM.