tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post4500181496322834963..comments2024-03-28T10:50:33.234-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: Monday Quickie - Soto AscendantHarperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-81733296653315019232020-08-18T07:59:01.043-07:002020-08-18T07:59:01.043-07:00Amazing how similar this shortened year is to last...Amazing how similar this shortened year is to last year. As good as the team appears on paper, and as intelligently constructed as it is, the team still manages to find a new way to lose --- or injuries have a way of finding the team.<br /><br />Starlin. Great pick-up (with Cabrera 2.0) to partially replace Rendon. Gone with injury.<br /><br />Scherzer, Strasburg. Typical random injuries early on. <br /><br />Bullpen. Supposedly a strength, some real exciting young guys with the vets. But not.<br /><br />Oh, well. Whatever happens, it will be nice to watch the Soto and Garcia show from the DR. Even Kieboom and Robles are entertaining now. <br /><br />Nattydreadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03893360732342616110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-19850731060003102612020-08-17T15:58:44.748-07:002020-08-17T15:58:44.748-07:00Echoing second Anon, we have to factor in position...Echoing second Anon, we have to factor in position here, and LF is where you stick your worst defender who can still run (1B being the place for those who can no longer run). While the eye test tells you he's not exactly graceful out there, he takes good routes, makes the routine plays, and occasionally makes a tough one. That's all you can hope for from your LF, and is why he was a Gold Glove finalist last year.<br /><br />I don't love where the Nats sit right now, largely because the offense is Soto and nobody else. Until some other people start stepping up, I'm not convinced the Nats can finish things out at .500. This feels a lot like the 2018 Nats that were near the top of the league in runs scored and failed to make the playoffs, largely because they'd score 10 runs one game, then score 2 the next gameCautiously Pessimisticnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-30489579355632035052020-08-17T13:27:19.040-07:002020-08-17T13:27:19.040-07:00Re Soto's defense:
Maybe. But you're aski...Re Soto's defense:<br /><br />Maybe. But you're asking an awful lot of 90 innings if you expect them create a meaningful datapoint here.<br /><br />His 2020 definitive states look terrible right now, and maybe last year's improvement was a fluke and he's never going to be better than bad defensively.<br /><br />But my money is on the improvement being real, and Soto being an average to above average LFer (so, admittedly, still not great on defense) for the next 5-10 years.<br /><br />We will see.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-53391366878063785432020-08-17T10:49:09.541-07:002020-08-17T10:49:09.541-07:00I mean, Acuña and Albies aren't *dead*, nor is...I mean, Acuña and Albies aren't *dead*, nor is there any particular reason to think they won't be back soon. Braves' rotation is a shambles, but they've got three games on the Nationals with 37 left to play. This is a big series. If the Braves take 2 of 3, the Nationals should start looking towards division 2 or maybe a wild card.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com