D-Backs still stink but Bad Fedde stinks more.
Fedde who is 29 has survived by simply being here and available and cheap. I often say health / availability is something to be understood to be a positive not just tossed aside in favor of a slightly better player who can't stay on the field.* But Fedde was below average at 25 and 50 starts since have shown no improvement. He's maybe the 5th man on a bad team. Lucky for him the team became bad around him so he IS the 5th man on a bad team now.
Anyway. The bigger news from yesterday is Doolittle is hurt. Elbow stuff. Probably gone for a while. This stinks because when right he's very good and he was basically perfect this season. And going forward, the better he was the better the return would be on a trade. And also people like him. So hopefully he's back right quickly and looks as good.
Also Josh Bell went out. He hasn't been carrying the team, but he's been the Sundance Kid to Juan Soto's Butch Cassidy. It's been asked in the comments what I think about Bell and if he can really hit and I think so. I think the "alternating year" thing isn't a thing, not really. It speaks to inconsistency but not a pattern. When you look at it closer that 2018 PIT year, which was meh at the plate, had him learning patience but it not coming through thanks to an unusual drop in HR/FB rate. That hasn't been repeated. The 2020 PIT year, with it's big drop in BB rate, big increase in K rate seems completely an anamoly as if he was trying to do something or be something and lost his way in the process. I think you have to take his average stats and assume that's what he is. Ok average, OK patience, pretty decent power, doesn't strike out too much. A good bat. Not the worst fielder at first. His start is a fluke, and there are plenty of 1B who can hit but he's a decent player and the Nats are getting value from him. Nothing wrong with that. Looking at the lineup who else can you say for certain should be a decent bat this year except Soto and Cruz?
But to recap the Nats lost their best reliever to start the year and might have lost no less than their 3rd best hitter and they were already bad. They weren't the worst team in the NL as of Tuesday Night. But maybe now they are? Who's up for 6 against the Giants in the next 9?
*Yes I did say Don't sign Aaron Hicks long term. What about it?
Well at least Bell was in the lineup today. Got that RBI on the interference (or do you get credited an RBI...?). But otherwise walking pretty gingerly so not 100%.
ReplyDeleteI am still trying to figure out what the fun narratives could be this year. Veteran guys beefing up their numbers to get traded is practical, but it's not that satisfying as a fan.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my list of potential cool things consists of Soto going for the walk record (not really on track but not completely ruling it out), how Ruiz develops, and determining which of the pitchers can last long-term. Gray is promising, but it's hard to picture anyone else currently on the team in the rotation with him in a couple years. There has never been a real reason to think Fedde should also be in the conversation, but we're stuck with him for the time being so it's tempting to scrounge for any scrap of hope.