Nationals Journal

Afternoon reading

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:58:29 -0500

Thomas Boswell in chatting online right now about the Nationals and other sports topics. Here's some of what he had to say about Stephen Strasburg's injury: The Nats dodged half of a bullet with the diagnosis that Stephen Strasburg "only" has a subluxation of the patella. But only half. This is a bad injury and, imo, until he is throwing at his pre-injury level it is perfectly reasonable to wonder if he has an injury that can simply be "fixed" by proper rehad exercises between now and spring training. I'd say he probably will come all the way back, but I'd add that I'll "believe it when I see it." In other Nats news, Ryan Zimmerman is among 10 "Dream Team for Public Service" winners from 53 nominees selected for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which recognizes the top athletes who have given back to their community. The winners

Strasburg's injury won't require surgery

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:38:49 -0500

The Washington Nationals were never so happy to hear the words "patellar subluxation" as they were Friday night, when they received word of that diagnosis--essentially a dislocated kneecap--in the left knee of prized phenom Stephen Strasburg, who injured the knee Thursday prior to an Arizona Fall League game. The news means the 21-year-old right-hander will avoid surgery and should have no trouble being ready for spring training in February. "It was the best result that we could have hoped for," General Manager Mike Rizzo said Friday evening from his office at Nationals Park. "It's something where he just has to rest and follow a physical therapy regimen to strengthen all the ligaments around his knee. We think we dodged a bullet. From what you hear, and from what [witnesses] saw on the field, you always think of the worst and hope for the best." Strasburg, who signed a record $15.1

Lett, Radison join Nationals' coaching staff

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:49:24 -0500

The Nationals have announced that Jim Lett and Dan Radison have been added to their 2010 coaching staff as bullpen and first-base coach, respectively. The team also made official the hiring of former Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren as bench coach, and that Pat Listach (third base), Rick Eckstein (hitting) and Steve McCatty (pitching) are all returning. Lett, 58, has 15 years of big league coaching experience, including stints as a bench coach in Toronto, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Dodgers) and Pittsburgh. As bullpen coach for the Dodgers from 2001-04, he worked alongside current Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman, who was Jim Tracy's bench coach at the time. Most recently, Lett worked as a coach in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system. Radison, 59, was a coach during both of Riggleman's previous full-time managing jobs -- with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. He has also worked in the Yankees, Cardinals and

So, how bad is the Strasburg injury?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:29 -0500

When I started on the Baltimore Orioles beat at The Post in 1999, the Baltimore Sun beat writer -- my competition -- was a veteran scribe named Joe Strauss, who remains one of the best beat guys in the business. He taught me many valuable lessons, most of which involved me picking up The Sun to find he had whupped my rookie tail on another news story, but the best of which was this: You can never over-write an injury to a star player. I thought about Strauss and that lesson when I got word of Stephen Strasburg's knee injury Thursday night, as I was in the middle of reading "Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire!" to my 3-year-old daughter. (Reminder to self: Leave Blackberry in other room when putting kids down for nighty-night.) Strasburg may not be a "star" yet, in the traditional sense, but in terms of value to the

Strasburg hurts knee, out of Saturday's AFL title game [UPDATED]

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:50:08 -0500

Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals' prized pitching phenom, twisted his left knee while shagging flies during batting practice before the Phoenix Desert Dogs' regular season finale in the Arizona Fall League on Thursday, and has been scratched from Saturday's scheduled start in the AFL championship game, the team said in a news release Thursday night. According to the release, the injury is not considered serious, and an MRI exam taken shortly after the incident showed only "inflammation." Still, Strasburg is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Friday to be examined by orthopedist Lewis Yocum. Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo did not immediately return voice and text messages seeking additional information, and players and coaches in Arizona were instructed not to discuss the injury with the media. According to two sources who were briefed on the injury, Strasburg, a 21-year-old right-hander, stepped awkwardly while shagging flies in the outfield, heard a

Nats add three to 40-man roster, but not Wilkie

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:48:41 -0500

The Nationals added three minor league pitchers -- right-hander Juan Jaime and left-handers Atahualpa Severino and Aaron Thompson -- to their 40-man roster on Thursday afternoon, in essence protecting them from the Dec. 10 Rule 5 draft. However, right-hander Josh Wilkie, the subject of Tracee's featureThursday, was not added to the roster and his future with the organization is now unclear. The Nationals' 40-man roster is now full, and barring any changes Wilkie will now be subject to the Rule 5 draft, where another team can claim him for $50,000. Jaime, 22, went 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) split between Class A Vermont and Class A Hagerstown. Severino, 25, went 10-0 with 15 saves and a 2.62 ERA in 44 relief appearances in Class A Potomac and Class AA Harrisburg. Thompson, a 22-year-old acquired in August from the Marlins in the Nick Johnson trade, posted

The status of the Nats beat, going forward

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0500

Typical, that I'd get scooped on the news of my own departure. According to a tweet from the Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg -- and OK, let's make it official, according to me as well -- the WaPo will soon be looking for a new Nats beat writer, and I will soon be heading for new pastures. (And certainly they'll be less green in the literal sense.) The Post's internal e-mail went out yesterday, and it explains the basics. For the last two seasons, I've covered, or at least tried to cover, the Washington Nationals. It's a demanding job, both rewarding and unrelenting like a marathon. Some do it for years, with a grace and vigor that makes me envious. But sometimes for me, it felt more like a test of endurance than journalism. I started to miss the journalism. No doubt you've got a few questions. Such as, "What happens

The Nationals and sabermetrics

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:13:53 -0500

Lots of great reading material to spotlight this morning, beginning with Tracee's excellent feature on pitching prospect Josh Wilkie, who was little-known outside our circle of hard-core Nats (and GW) followers, but who is certain to have lots of folks rooting for him now thanks to Tracee's piece. Here is my news story on the announcement of the Davey Johnson hiring. And here is Boswell's solid take on the Nats' newly revamped front office. (Also, remember to tune in for Boz's chat Thursday at 11 a.m.) Here's a look at how the new hierarchy (still missing a couple of pieces) looks, straight off the team's official Web site. Interestingly (or not), Bob Boone, one of the few remaining high-level holdovers from the Jim Bowden regime, has the spot just below Rizzo under the Baseball Operations heading. In his column, Boz makes mention of Mike Rizzo's firm stance on the issue

Mandel, Baby Nats want that title

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:51:53 -0500

The Arizona Fall League is not quite six weeks spent in the desert playing before a smattering of diehard fans and a slightly larger smattering of scouts. So do the players really care about the AFL championship? Nats reliever Jeff Mandel says yes. Mandel and his Phoenix Desert Dogs teammates, champions of the East division, will play the Peoria Javelinas at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday. The game will be televised on the MLB Network and also available on mlb.com. The Desert Dogs and Javelinas had identical 18-12 records going into Wednesday's games. "When you're in the hunt it makes it a lot more fun," Mandel said. "Six weeks is not a full season but it's always a lot more fun. Everybody's in a better mood. It's only an extra day, we're not spending too much extra time here. We might as well win the whole thing."

Nats nuggets: bench coach, Guzman, Flores, et al.

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:46:34 -0500

Just got done speaking to Nationals GM Mike Rizzo and meeting the majority of his new front-office hires -- the amassing of which Rizzo called "the most important part of our offseason." Suffice it to say there is a lot of optimism around the organization these days. The bulk of the new guys had been to Arizona this fall to see the team's prospects in the Arizona Fall League. (Jay Robertson, the newly hired special assistant to Rizzo, said this about Stephen Strasburg: "I told a scout from another organization, 'He's two grades better than anyone you've ever seen.'") Here is a short-and-sweet summary of some news that came out of this afternoon: *The Nationals have hired former Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren as Jim Riggleman's bench coach. (This was told to me by a source outside the organization and confirmed by a source within the organization.) This will be

Desert Dogs win East; see Strasburg and Co. Saturday

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:52:07 -0500

As a lot of you noted in the comments, the Devil, er, Desert Dogs have won the East Division and will play the dread Peoria Javelinas on Saturday for the AFL championship. The game is at 2:15 ET on the MLB Network and Stephen Strasburg is lined up to be the starter. Danny Espinosa was the star of yesterday's clincher with four RBI. Josh Wilkie pitched an inning in relief, giving up no hits, no runs and getting a strikeout. The one Nat I didn't get to talk to in Arizona, Jeff Mandel, called me last night but I was already in dream land, so I'll talk to him, hopefully today, and get a post up on what he has to say. You will remember that he is the starter being converted to a reliever this season and his numbers are very good. Editor's note: Chico Harlan is on vacation.

Reshaping of Nationals' front office continues

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:02:56 -0500

The wholesale revamping of the Nationals' front office continued Monday when the team announced it had hired Jay Sartori as director of baseball operations. Sartori previously served as the contract administration manager in MLB's labor relations department, and will bring expertise in interpretations of contract language, the Basic Agreement and salary arbitration rules to his new job. The team also made official the hiring of Bryan Minnitti as assistant general manager, after he spent the previous nine seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, most recently as director of baseball operations. The Nationals now have made seven high-level hires to their front office since the end of the season: Roy Clark (vice president of player personnel), Doug Harris (director of player development), Kasey McKeon (director of player procurement), Minnitti, Jay Robertson (special assistant to the general manager), Sartori and Ron Schueler (special advisor to the GM). In addition, the team is

Zimmerman hauling in more than hardware

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:05:43 -0500

Let's start this morning with some reading material, because there is plenty. Here is the news story I wrote for the dead-tree edition off the Riggleman presser, and here is Boswell's typically excellent column. We also have this poll running on our home page -- take a second and weigh in. Over at the Washington Times, Thom Loverro gives his take, theorizing (as I have) that the Riggleman hiring is an indication the Nationals' top brass doesn't see the team as being close to contending in the next couple of years. At MLB.com, Bill Ladson got Riggleman to reiterate that he views Cristian Guzman as a second baseman at this point, which meshes with this report from Foxsports.com that the Nationals are interested in defensive-minded free agent shortstops Adam Everett and Alex Gonzalez. And that brings us to the FOF -- the Face of the Franchise. It was another good

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Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:05:43 -0500

Rizzo and Riggleman

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:23:47 -0500

There were only two people on the stage in the interview room at Nationals Park on Thursday afternoon -- Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo and Manager Jim Riggleman. President Stan Kasten was in the room, as was principal owner Mark Lerner, but both were off to the side. The message was clear: This was Rizzo's hire. (Kasten said as much explicitly, after the news conference had ended.) Like Riggleman, Rizzo had done his job for several months on an interim basis, before being named to the permanent job. As an ice-breaker while introducing Riggleman, Rizzo cracked, "You know how much I love those interim titles." Here are some other interesting quotes from Thursday's news conference. We'll have more here on the Riggleman hire later. *Rizzo (on Riggleman): "He did a masterful job in very trying circumstances [in 2009] ... We did an extensive search and came back to the

Riggleman news conference

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:30:36 -0500

Click here for a live feed of the news conference at Nationals Park.