The Nats keep hitting and scoring. Are they now good? Of course not. But they weren't "worst in baseball" bad either. Baseball is a long season. It generally evens out. The Nats should be a 70- win team* They started slow but if they get to 12-16 that's right on line with expectations. It looks like they will.
Of course this type of winning - scoring 1,000 runs - won't continue. Why? Because it's based on these numbers
Josh Bell : .366 /.464 / .549
Yadi Hernandez : .362 / .387 / .534
Now maybe, juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssssssst maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe Yadi and Bell are two HoF hitters who have up until now have been hidden. Or maybe this is the same early season vagaries that have Nelson Cruz sitting at .143 / .233 / .209** I know where I'm standing.
The Nats have beat up Alex Wood - who is good when healthy and bad when not - no one says he is hurt but this may be the first sign, Alex Cobb, who IS hurt, and German Marquez - the one Rockies pitcher who is not pitching oddly good and who gave up 7 runs to the Phillies in 3+ innings just the start before doing that for the Nats in 5. They were handled by Logan Webb inbetween all this. The Nats miss probably the Rockies best pitchers (the reliable but ok Freeland and the strangely really good right now Kuhl) but the other two guys they get in the next games have both been pitching pretty well. Beat them both up and I'll start to raise one eyebrow slightly.
But don't hate it because it's not real, enjoy it because it won't last.
Other notes :
Fedde looked good - which great! That'll happen one out of every three starts as it may with a true 5th. He's filling space.
Sorry kids the Fox was put down. I mean sent, sent down. DSG is back and replaces the one-hit wonder. Given the Nats demand that Garcia waste good ABs away in AAA I assume you'll get another chance to see him at some point.
*this assumes a moderately healthy Strasburg reappearing around Memorial Day
**although he IS old. Maybe someone like Whit Merrifield (.157 /.206 / .191) is a better example.
4 comments:
Are there any comps for 41/42 year olds having success worth 15mm? I think Ortiz was done by that age.
Fox had TWO hits. Show some respect.
Here's a list of age 41+ seasons since 1900 w/Qualified PAs. Pretty grim!
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2022&month=0&season1=1900&ind=1&team=0&rost=0&age=41,58&filter=&players=0&startdate=1900-01-01&enddate=2022-12-31
Here's the same list w/ at least 300 PAs (if you use Qualified it omits Barry Bonds' last two seasons and a Ted Williams and a Willie Mays)
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=300&type=8&season=2022&month=0&season1=1900&ind=1&team=0&rost=0&age=41,58&filter=&players=0&startdate=1900-01-01&enddate=2022-12-31&sort=23,d
You're really hoping for a 2013 Raul Ibanez or 1988 Darrell Evans
How much do I love that Rickey Henderson still had 36 stolen bases at that age!
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