Final thoughts on the final homestand
The season is coming to a close and while it has certainly been challenging, there are some nice moments to reflect on.
Who can forget Ryan Zimmerman taking center stage on Opening Night? He is the face of the franchise and this reporter hopes the Nats are able to lock him up for years to come.
Jesus Flores was supposed to start the year in the Minors and play there all season. With injuries, he was called to duty at the big league level sooner than expected, and he did an outstanding job. He is a sweet man with a pleasant personality. He's also a hard-nosed player who knows how to win.
To me, the Nats' biggest acquisition in the offseason should be finding more players who have won in the past. Having that taste of winning is something these current players lack.
It takes a certain attitude to turn things around. At times, this current team was too complacent with losing. To me, that's a huge concern.
Recently, the Lerner Family has taken a lot of hits on the public relations side of things. I urge their critics to take a page out of New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft's book of building a champion.
Mr. Kraft relied on his personnel people to determine the team's biggest needs on the field. He listened to them. He signed their players and he built his championship teams around a core of young players that he locked up early.
The Nats should do this with Zimmerman and then find a few more key pieces to make the overall team better. There's no doubt that their starting pitching overall needs an upgrade. Can you imagine the improvement with legitimate number 1, 2 and 3 starters ahead of John Lannan and Collin Balester?
We've seen teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies go from worst to first, so why can't the Nationals? Hope springs eternal, and there is reason for believing next season can be something special.
You could take any team in baseball and apply to them the injuries the 2008 Nats sustained, and that team would finish last. Decimated is the only way to describe their roster. But if there are any silver linings to this stormy season for the Nats, I think they would be:
-Christian Guzman exceeded all expectations as a tablesetter at the top of the order. The Nats all-star batted .316, good for 4th in the league and 46 points over his career average. With good gap power and terrific glovework at short, Guzman was easily the Nats most consistent offensive player.
-Ryan Zimmerman really came to life after coming back from the DL, posting a 2nd half BA, OBP, and SLG of .306/.370/.455 respectively, compared to .257/.291/.427 in the first half.
-Willie Harris showed the value of versatility, allowing Manny Acta to sub him in all over the infield and outfield whenever there were holes, and there were plenty. Harris, who started the season as utility man and ended up 4th on the team in at-bats, also showed surprising power by hitting 13 home runs, compared to just 7 in his first seven seasons combined.
-Jon Lannon exhibited all the composure and ability required of a major league starter.
-Jesus Flores won the catching job over some seasoned veterans and did an admirable job before his injury, exhibiting maturity and instincts beyond his 23 years. Over the course of a full season Flores could be a 15-20 HR hitter.
-Despite his two stints on the DL, Elijah Dukes took another step towards being the elite player he's capable of being, showing ferocious power combined with an excellent eye at the plate. If healthy, Dukes could be a 40 HR/ 100 BB hitter, maybe even as soon as next season. And after a mid-season skirmish with the skipper, he seemed to get focussed and really thrive.
Looking forward, the Nats have a few players they can build around, and if healthy should have a much better showng next season. Anyone who watched this team this year knows they're not nearly as bad as the record indicates.
Tonight the Nats have a chance to become only the 3rd team in their combined franchise history to lose 100 games. What a record!
And their wonderful young manager is in contention, if I read my history correct, of finishing the year with the worst 2-yr. record ever for the Expos/Nats.
Way to go team!!!!!