@starsstrikesbb I assumed from the moment he was signed he was just holding a spot until both Herz & Gray were back.
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Tom
1.5K posts
The other encouraging thing is this isn’t the Davey/Rizzo era.
If Mikolas keeps shitting the bed and someone looks ready at AAA (after multiple outings, not one nice start), they’ll have no problem giving them this rotation spot.
Ford will be coming at some point, too.
Stars and Strikes - Daily Nats Content@starsstrikesbb
Even though Mikolas is getting smacked around, the guys that matter are mostly doing what you want to see. It sucks we’re still in the stage where that’s what you’re looking for to cope. But, we are where we are. So I’m at least glad to see that.
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@AlexMurphyJour I hope you are right.
One issue that was undercovered before & I've seen no coverage of since new management is what appears to be major issues w/ Nats pitchers recovering from injuries-Strasburg, Cavalli & now Gray. Hopefully the team has better luck w/ Herz, Susana & Sykora.
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@TomQ71 From what I’ve seen at the lower levels, this new crop of prospects coming in since Toboni took over and DeBartolo looks promising
Susana & Sykora were two solid holdover from Rizzo & co.
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The Nats have done a great job at replenishing the farm to create a bright future for the org
Five top-100 prospects (4 of them with @FXBGNats ties) is wildly impressive
Talk Nats@TalkNats
5 #Nats in the updated @MLBPipeline Top-100 🔥
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@randomduck It is also completely different from a land use perspective & the number of events - maybe she doesn't understand the distinctions or knows many residents are too lazy to think critically about the distinctions.
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This is a very rosy view of things. Nationals Park succeeded because the team got *very* lucky: had a streak of successful years, culminating in a World Series championship. Fans filled seats, loans paid.
The Commanders are a cut-rate team that can't fill their current digs. 1/
Mayor Muriel Bowser@MayorBowser
A reminder of what happens when DC bets on DC:
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@pete_dui @RyDawg93 @federalbaseball I really think he has focus issues (ADHD?) I was at a game in Sept on what appeared to be a failed hit & run K & the catcher(forget his name) popped up to throw out the runner who would have been out by 10 feet & Abrams had his glove off & was playing with the webbing so he held.
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@TomQ71 @RyDawg93 @federalbaseball The biggest thing holding Abrams back is himself. You can see it with the effort, admiring his fly balls, etc. part of it is coaching but part of it is also him just maturing. If he can put it all together he has star potential, you can see flashes of it all the time.
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The Nats decided not to sign a veteran stop gap like Rhys Hoskins or make a swing on a guy like Murakami. This decision already looks costly federalbaseball.com/washington-nat…
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@pete_dui @RyDawg93 @federalbaseball Maybe Nunez is pushing him? It was always odd going to games and watching both Garcia & Abrams barely try to chase down anything - Garcia clearly doesn't have any range but it felt like Abrams decided he also didnt need to bother trying to range to balls.
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@TomQ71 @RyDawg93 @federalbaseball Abrams defense has already improved according to the metrics, his OAA is no longer negative. Small sample size but he looks a lot more comfortable there already.
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@CommiesDaily @CJC_95 I think that is likely-he has a favorable contract & will be much better with faster linemates & I think they can get something in return. Alternatively if Ovi doesn't come back he could return & Ovi is replaced with someone with speed.
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The Capitals need to consider doing something down the middle this summer.
I'm not going to elaborate yet.
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@alex_danelon @CJC_95 Strome is a very good & smart center but he cant be paired with slow wingers again-he has a favorable contract so make him the 3rd line center with fast wingers like McMichael & Sourdif. But that complicates finding a spot for Cristall next year.
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@DmVsports550 @CJC_95 Yup & its a particular problem when he is centering Ovi & Wilson who are also slow- the 1st line has to get a lot faster next year - if Ovi comes back I think they have to move Strome (or make him 3rd line C & play w/ McMichael & Sourdif) much as I really like him.
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@kobenats1 @WeAreAllShack His range at 2B was poor but his hands and throws were actually very good so Im a bit surprised he is struggling so much particularly since he came up as a SS!
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@WeAreAllShack I dont get what people expected. He wad a bad fielding 2nd basemen hes not all the sudden becoming jesus at 1st. Just a way to keep him in the lineup
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Small sample but Garcia’s tenure at 1b is off to a rough start
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@RyDawg93 @federalbaseball Abrams clearly has an elite skill set & his poor D (and chronic lack of focus) seem like stuff a new coaching staff can fix but he (& Garcia) have both had a lot of MLB innings so it should not take long to make decisions on both but team D has to improve for pitching to improve.
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@TomQ71 @federalbaseball I believe the team thinks they can get more out of both. Abrams I believe much more in and if your price to move him wasn’t close to being met than I’m fine with passing on him. The defense just has to be much better. Even average would be a massive boon vs Garcia.
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@ericjdesigns @klwoodjr Im ok testing some new guys & seeing if a new coaching staff gets a bunch of guys straightened out before moving on from but the team should have at least brought in a couple of veteran bullpen pieces & someone for DH/1B which I think would have been a great role again for Bell.
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@klwoodjr Yeah, I get that, but the Lerners need to pony up more money if they want to, in their own words, "get back to where we were before". No talented first baseman on the market is going to sign with the Nats for single-digit AAV. Lowe was the only double-digit AAV player we had.
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I believe Toboni and company wanted to assess their current roster before making any substantial changes to it
Time will tell with how long of a leash they have on their players’ performance
federalbaseball@federalbaseball
The Nats decided not to sign a veteran stop gap like Rhys Hoskins or make a swing on a guy like Murakami. This decision already looks costly federalbaseball.com/washington-nat…
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@jayteekay_ @optimistic5518 It is true Wood has shown he belongs in MLB & has elite bat speed & power - most important question is where does he get the best coaching to learn to ID pitches & have good approach each AB & what is the best environment? Seems like MLB to me but dunno about the coaching.
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@optimistic5518 I think you keep him up and let him work on it in the big leagues.
The difference between Crews and James is Crews has done nothing in the bigs. James has the resume and is still hitting the ball hard
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at what point do you send him down for a bit? he really hasn’t been the same since the home run derby last year
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@RyDawg93 @federalbaseball I think the team dodged hard decisions on Abrams & Garcia - Abrams is not good enough defensively to stay at SS & Garcia doesn't have the power to play 1st & his D is shaky too - Garcia should have been traded w/ Abrams moving to 2B & I would have brought Bell back for 1st/DH.
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@federalbaseball I am not THAT upset about it because there are multiple internal options I’d like to see the team try out. Ortiz and Morales are largely unknown commodities and have some level of upside for example. Murakami I think would’ve been in play if this were next year’s team.
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@granthpaulsen He’s terrible. I thought the Ruiz experiment was over. Swings at trash. Can’t throw out runners. Can’t frame pitches and doesn’t understand the strike zone.
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Keibert Ruiz needs to work on his challenge philosophy. He has twice challenged on pitches that were clear balls. Catchers shouldn’t be doing that.
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@TheIanLang @SleeperNats He's been on a pretty steady descent-he looks completely lost at the plate (he is both swinging at breaking balls nowhere close & looking at strikes right down the middle) & opposing pitchers are just eating him up - you cant stick in MLB with a 50% strikeout rate.
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James Wood really peaked in 2025 first half man…
This just isn’t the same player.
#Natitude
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@TalkinNats Great start especially from the bullpen but still a lot of room for the defense to improve but especially relieved that Wood finally had some good ABs tonight.
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I don’t want to get ahead of myself and it’s only game #4 but this is a totally different Nationals team.
Professional at bats, players hustling, pitchers executing, and actual good vibes.
Refreshing.
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@JW_Lumley @ajflax Yup - that is the big decision the team needed to make this season & punted on, presumably because Abrams has more value as a SS in a trade. They at least moved him down in the lineup opening day which needs to stick unless his ABs improve.
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@ajflax Why in the world is Nunez playing 2B instead of Abrams, makes zero sense.
Also, James wood is not going to be fine, the book is out, he is getting exposed and unless he adjusts this ain't good.
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Interesting thing in here: Spencer seems to think Garcia and Chaparro are largely platooned at first. If so, is Nasim Nuñez the everyday 2B? Or is he platooning with Vivas/Tena?
Spencer Nusbaum@spencernusbaum_
Some thoughts from an Opening Day rout — or rather, during an Opening Day rout — on James Wood (should be fine) Cade Cavalli (quick hook) base running (something to monitor) and more: nytimes.com/athletic/71517…
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