Back in March,
I asked an esteemed group of individuals for their predictions for the
2025 Nationals season. Want to see how everyone did? Or would rather bury the
original post and hope that it never sees the light of day again? Well, since I
already created a blog post title, feel free to see how we did. Or don't.
1. There are
high expectations for 2023 #2 overall pick Dylan Crews. What do you expect from
him this season?
Crews, the #2
overall pick after some guy named Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh, only played in 85
games thanks to injuries. His overall stats of 10 home runs and 17 stolen bases
seem encouraging. 27 RBIs, a .208 batting average, and .280 on-base percentage
are not so encouraging. Crews was one of the best college hitters of the last
20 years, so it seems unlikely that he forgot to hit overnight. Still, it's
been a difficult adjustment to the major leagues. Most of the group had high
expectations for Crews, and he didn't live up to them. Frank probably was the
closest in his predictions of putting "some pressure on the defense with
his base stealing ability."
2. Who will
lead the Nationals in home runs in 2025?
This ended up
being an easy one. Nearly everyone (Ryan, Frank, Richard, Chris, Marc, and
Sean) picked James Wood who led the Nats with 31 home runs.
3. Will
the Nationals be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
Pretty much
everyone through the team would be sellers and they were though not really any
big names. Kyle Finnegan went to Detroit, Amed Rosario to the Yankees, Michael
Soroka to the Cubs, Alex Call to the Dodgers, and Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia to the Angels. You have to be very good at Immaculate Grid or really, really,
really follow the Nationals to know most of these players. (Maybe Josh Bell was frustrated not getting traded?)
4. Will CJ
Abrams go to a casino this season?
Probably a mean
question. I'll just pretend that I didn't ask
this.
5. Who will
be the team's surprise/breakout player this year?
Richard wrote
that this player isn't on the opening day lineup and he was right. Daylen Lile joined the Nats in late May and excelled after the All-Star break. Lile hit
.304 in August with 1 home run and 8 RBIs to go along with a .353 on-base
percentage. In September, Lile hit .391(!!!) with 6 home runs, 19 RBIs, a .440
on-base percentage and .772 slugging percentage. That's a 1.212 OPS! (OPS is
On-Base plus Slugging.) While I understand that this stat is for only one
month, as a comparison, Aaron Judge led the majors with a 1.144 OPS and Ohtani was next with a 1.014.
Partial credit
to Ryan for predicting Jose Ferrer. Ferrer pitched pretty well in the closer
role after the team traded Finnegan.
6. Which
Nats Summer Concert are you looking forward to the most?
OAR and Nelly were the right answers, but there really weren't any wrong answers.
7. Finally,
what's your overall prediction for the Nationals? (ex. record, finish in
the NL East).
Well, the team
was pretty lousy this year finishing 66-96 and last place in the NL East. The
record was only better than the Chicago White Sox and dreadful Colorado
Rockies. The team fired the manager and general manager mid-season. While I'm
not sure anyone would call this rock bottom, I think it's an understatement to
say that the Nationals 2025 season was a disappointment. No one thought the
Nationals would be THIS bad, though Frank was the closest predicting 70 wins.
I started this blog in January
2005, and the Washington Nationals moved from Montreal and played their first
home games at RFK Stadium nearly three months later. While I will always
consider myself to be a Pittsburgh sports fan, I have attended dozens of Nats
games over the last 20 years including the Max Scherzer near perfect game / no-hitter and Stephen Strasburg's debut. I think I have some Nats credentials here. Therefore, in addition, to my annual Pirates predictions blog post, I decided to create a Nationals predictions blog post
this year. I reached out to a variety of people, and I think you'll enjoy their
thoughts. Here's the starting lineup.
Well, different starting lineup.
Ryan Clary: Host of the Locked on Nationals podcast and producer of Grant & Danny on 106.7 The Fan. (Twitter)
Frank Hanrahan: WTOP sports
reported and fellow Ithaca College graduate (Twitter)
Sean: Author of Sean’s Ramblings
which you’re reading right now. Still hoping for media credentials to cover a
game at Nats Park someday. (Blue Sky)
There are also some special guest participants at the end of this post.
1. There are high expectations for
2023 #2 overall pick Dylan Crews. What do you expect from him this season?
Ryan: I expect Dylan Crews to be a
very impactful defender in right field. He’ll establish himself as one of the
best defensive right fielders in baseball, that’s one of my bold takes. I think
offensively he will have a middle of the road season, with some highs and lows
throughout the season. He’ll have to learn how to hit the off speed/ breaking
pitches.
Frank: I would expect Crews to be
the every day right fielder for the Nats and be a real threat at the top of the
lineup as well as put some pressure on the defense with his base stealing
ability. Team needs a spark plug like him.
John: You always worry about
lofty, rookie of the year type expectations. Just ask Jackson Holliday
last year. But the experience Crews got last year will definitely serve
him well. If he wins Rookie of the Year, then great, though that award
isn’t often indicative of stardom. At 23 you just hope for a solid
year. If he’s simply “good” this year – say .270 and 15-20 homers – then
you have to feel great. But with young guys who have amazing tools, I
hesitate to get too specific because you never know when it’ll actually
click. The Nats will feel great if that’s this year, but if you have to
wait a year to see him explode, that’s fine too.
Richard: It will be interesting to
see Crews at the Major League level all season. I am expecting big things from
him and a breakout year and will live up to all the hype that has been
placed on the rookie. However, he will fall short in ROY voting, but it will be
fun to watch for Nationals fans.
Chris:.265, 15 HR, 70 RBI if he
plays the full year. Which is great!
Marc: I really think that Crews is
going to win Rookie of the Year in the NL. Yes, Roki Sasaki brings high
pedigree, but Crews already has MLB experience. Additionally, I think Crews has
played really well during Spring Training and done a great job of hitting the
play to RF with authority. I can clearly see him going 20/20 this year.
Andrew: Big things - 30+ homers, 90+ RBIs. Breakout year.
Sean: Solid season and finishes with
15+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases. (Not quite a 20/20 season.) Finishes top 3
in the NL rookie of the year voting.
2. Who will lead
the Nationals in home runs in 2025?
Ryan: James Wood will lead the team
with 30 homeruns in 2025.
Frank: I think James Wood is going
to have a breakout season and lead the team in homers.
John: Does CJ Abrams take another
leap this year and club the crap out of the ball? On a team lacking a
consistently menacing threat – unless Crews takes that big leap this season –
it is probably Abrams.
Richard: I predict James Wood will
lead the Nationals in home runs this season.
Chris: Wood. (I hope).
Marc: I think that James Wood will
lead the team in homers. He nearly led the team in homers last year despite
only being called up in July, so he is the obvious pick. I could also see
someone like Josh Bell or Nate Lowe leading in HRs though.
Andrew: Crews
Sean: James Wood with at least 25.
3. Will the Nationals be
buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
Ryan: I think we will be on the
fence. I don’t see us selling anyone big outside of Kyle Finnegan, but I also
don’t see us moving off of any prospects. I think we stay put for the most
part.
Frank: Nationals will be cheap
as they usually are and be sellers at the trade deadline.
John: This is a team that has to be
sellers again. They have a few talented pieces for a future playoff run,
but not nearly enough just yet. That said, how many guys look like
someone who will fetch you a big return? Though with what relief pitching
commands near the trade deadline, get a dominant arm or two in the pen and you
might get a couple dudes who can be pieces in 2027 or so.
Richard: Sellers
Chris: Still sellers. One more
year!
Marc: I don't think that Nats will
be buyers or sellers actually. I think they will stand pat or flip some of
their veteran players on expiring contracts, if anything. Players like Jorge
Lopez, Kyle Finnegan, Amed Rosario and Mike Soroka are all trade candidates if
the team decides to sell. That being said, I doubt Rizzo will want to sell
based on the last few deadlines.
Andrew: Sellers
Sean: Sellers. Josh Bell will
continue of streak of getting traded for the 17th straight season.
4. Will CJ Abrams go to a casino
this season? (Sean’s
note: CJ Abrams was essentially suspended near the end of the 2024 season for
apparently spending all night at a casino. It was a big deal. With that
written, I probably should have asked this question differently. At least one
person didn’t participate in this prediction post because of this question.)
Ryan: No, CJ and the team has out
that in the rear view mirror and we are all good on that front.
Frank: CJ Abrams better be
attending gamblers anonymous meetings and not even thinking about heading back
to a casino.
John: Bet you no one cares as long
as he’s hitting…
Richard: I just wanted to let you
know that I won't be able to answer this question.
Chris: GOD I HOPE NOT
Marc: CJ is going to silence a lot
of doubters this season. I have been really pleased with his answers to
everything from the press so far have demonstrated he is past the issue.
Whether he actually goes to a casino, I am not sure. Maybe he does, but it
likely will not be as late with a game the next afternoon or in the public eye.
Andrew: No
Sean: I feel like CJ and the
Nationals probably have some type of agreement stating that he can’t go to a
casino.
5. Who will be the team's
surprise/breakout player this year?
Ryan: I think your surprise
breakout will be Jose Ferrer, I think he will be the best bullpen piece that we
have and he could look to make his first All-Star game. He’s got all the goods
to be an elite arm for the next decade plus.
Frank: Opening day starter McKenzie
Gore showed flashes last season as being a pretty solid major league starter
but I expect Gore to take a bigger step with a bigger role and dare I say a
near 20 game winner.
John: I’m going to say James Wood,
not necessarily a huge surprise, but I think he blows up this year.
That’s also partly because a buddy of mine coached him in high school, but he
put up good numbers at a young age and as he gets older, you figure he’s only
going to get better. Him and Crews together in the outfield can be really
special. Maybe not this season, but pretty soon.
Richard: Honestly, this player
isn't in the lineup just yet.
Chris: Wood. I am also a Jacob
Young guy.
Marc: A surprise/breakout player,
for me, is two fold. Offensively, I think that Jacob Young is going to the next
steps to be a contributor outside of his blazing speed and defense. He put on
some muscle this offseason and has done well in ST. On the mound, I think that
three pitchers will break out. The first is Jake Irvin, who already broke out
to a certain extent in the first half last season, but really fell off in the
second half. If he limits the home runs, he can be one of the best pitchers in
the starting rotation. Another one I think will break out is Mitchell Parker. I
really like his stuff from the left side and he has a year of big league
experience under his belt already. The third one is Jose A. Ferrer. He is a
lefty that throws a 100 mph sinker. How much more needs to be said? I think
that Ferrer can become the closer by the end of the season if the Nats trade
Finnegan. If nothing else, he will be a strong relief option for the back end
of the bullpen.
Andrew: Not sure he's a surprise but Crews will breakout bigtime this year.
Sean: Pitcher Brad Lord. The Nationals
bullpen has been an adventure for years. Maybe the rookie can bring some
stability. More importantly, lots of potential nicknames. Lord of the Bullpen. Sith
Lord. Lunch Lord (for any Girls5eva fans).
6. Which Nats Summer Concert are
you looking forward to the most: O.A.R., Natasha Bedingfield, Nelly, Sam
Hunt, Ja Rule/Ashanti, or Riley Green (who is apparently not the Detroit
Tigers' outfielder)?
Ryan: Gotta be Nelly! Nelly has
some big hits so I’m excited for him.
Frank: Sam Hunt is a concert I
would stay after to watch. I am a deep undercover country fan and Hunt has some
bangers!
John: My heart says OAR, but you
gotta have a little nostalgia for Nelly too. What’s happening now?!
Richard: O.A.R. Shattered.
Duh!!
Chris: Uh, this is not exactly a
murderer’s row of music. Ja Rule probably.
Marc: For the concerts, I am
excited for Sam Hunt and Nelly. I am a country music fan so those names are the
ones I am most interested in.
Andrew: OAR
Sean: I asked this question to my
oldest son who replied Nelly. If we go, I hope he plays Hot In Herre.
7. Finally, what's your overall
prediction for the Nationals? (ex. record, finish in the NL East)
Ryan: I think the Nats finish
78-84. The NL East will be too tough for them to break .500 but they will be a
sneaky decent team and will be a hard out. Young, fun, scrappy team.
Frank: In 2025, the Nationals will
win 70 games as the cheap rebuild continues and they will finish fourth in the
NL East. I need a reason to watch this team and hopefully Crews, Wood or Abrams
will play well enough to make the Nats summer time appointment viewing.
John: Thanks to the eternal
ineptitude, or apathy, of the Miami Marlins, the Nationals figure to
be solidly in fourth place in the division. If Crews has a monster year
this season, maybe they threaten for third, but I think there’s a wide
disparity between them and the contenders that have much higher expectations in
the division. This Nats team could be a bit scrappy sometimes, a definite
pain in the butt for opposing pitchers if you have to play them enough, but
it’s hard to win 8-7 every game. And with a pitching staff that still
seems anonymous and lacking for the most part, it’s hard to envision them being
better than a mediocre team this year. But I also say that as an Orioles
fan who knows teams can come out of nowhere faster than you think. So if
I’m wrong, well, I won’t be surprised. But from out here my expectations
aren’t very high.
Richard: I predict the Nationals finish
a couple of games over .500 and will be third in the division.
Chris: 3rd in NL behind Mets and
Braves, 81-81.
Marc: Predictions: I think the Nats
finish somewhere between the range of 75-85 wins. In my most optimistic
opinion, I think the young core can lead the team to a Wild Card berth, much
like the O's in 2023. Conversely, this core has yet to play a full season together
and relying on a team that has an average age in the late 20s is a risk. The
lack of veteran leaders like Jayson Werth/Scherzer can easily hurt this team in
a maturity standpoint. It is easy for me to look at the NL East and say they
will finish in 4th, but I genuinely think one of ATL/NYM/PHI will falter and,
if the Nats play well, they can finish in 3rd. Every season, a team
overperforms and a team underperforms. Who says that team to overperform can't
be the Nats?
Andrew: Finish 4th in the NL East
Sean: 75 wins. Slight improvement
from last season, but they can’t compete with the Mets, Braves, and Phillies.
BONUS PREDICTIONS:
You may know Mike Ploger as the in-game host for Nationals and Capitals games (as well as being a realtor). While he was unable to provide predictions based on his role in the organization, he shared that the Nationals will go 162-0 and a World Series (with a winking smiley face emoji). (Sean's note: Since the Nationals lost on Thursday, I will amend Mike's prediction to the team going 161-1 and a World Series!) (Instagram)
Caroline, the lead vocalist and guitarist, for the DC-area band Cinema Hearts also shared this:
I'm just proud to say I was a Nats fan since they started in 2005. My only prediction is I hope everyone has a great summer watching baseball and that I will one day sing in the stadium!
Thanks to everyone for participating. Please feel free to leave your own predictions in the comments below.
Photo Credits:
Dylan Crews by Geoff Burke-USA Today
CJ Abrams by G Fiume-Getty
Nelly by John Amis-AP
Cinema Hearts from their Instagram page by Natania Krebs.
Sure, there's a pretty big election tomorrow, and I still want to write about my Winnipeg-North Dakota trip, but today, I feel like sharing pictures. Warning: Some of these are not very recent.
I had no idea there are large groups of people who thought Honey Nut Cheerios are too big and need to be smaller.
I found a Wegmans-mobile in the wild (assuming you consider a Wegmans parking lot the wild).
Here's a fresh and current picture. While I knew that the Nathan's hot dog eating contest on July 4th wasn't aired live, ESPN really killed any suspense by showing that Miki Sudo won with the number of hot dogs eaten in the middle of the telecast.
For any of my Ithaca friends, my parents kept a bowl full of matches in their home. While we didn't keep any while cleaning out their place, I enjoyed coming across this one from Simeon's on the Commons (now called Simeon's American Bistro)
From a Nationals game this summer, I liked the look of these Japanese heritage jerseys.
Deer (and geese) really like "my" golf course at dusk.
It's a rainbow!
At the end of his time in first grade, Luigi drew George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Pretty good!
When I first saw The Moose's socks, I questioned why we bought him a pair with the picture of some type of angry bird
Turns out, that it's actually the Under Armour logo.
I took my kids to the
Washington Nationals-Chicago Cubs game on Wednesday. The Nationals lost 3-2 and
are now 39-80. They are a bad baseball team and that says something from
someone who follows the Pittsburgh Pirates! While looking around the stadium, I
noticed that Jayson Werth’s name is included in the team’s Ring of Honor.
Apparently, this induction occurred in 2018, but I have no recollection of this
happening, and I guess I never noticed this before.
I’m not a Jayson
Werth fan. I think he’s a bully who should have got suspended for attacking a mascot and is a jerk for pouring chocolate syrup on Nationals' reporter Dan
Kolko. Nats fans like Werth though. My question is this: why does Werth deserve
to make the team’s Ring of Honor? According to this September 2018 article, the
team credits Werth for changing the culture from the Nationals being a mediocre
(and sometimes awful) team to a team that won 4 NL East titles in his 7 years.
Pay almost anyone $126 million over 7 years, and I’m sure they will help bring
a winning culture too. Of course, let’s not forget the addition of guys like Bryce
Harper Stephen Strasburg, and later Max Scherzer. Ryan Zimmerman was also
really good during this time. They helped the culture too. Oh, and for all of
that winning culture Werth brought, do you know how many playoff series the
team won with him? It rhymes with “Hero.”
In 2012, the first
year the Nationals won the division, Werth had 5 home runs and 31 runs batted
in over 81 games in an injury-filled season. Adam LaRoche, Danny Espinosa, Mike
Morse, and even Tyler Moore had more, and in some cases, significantly more
home runs that season. Werth ended up with a 9.0 WAR (wins above replacement)
during his time as a National. He made 0 all-star teams. For $18 million a
year, I think you would expect more. You know who should have been inducted
into Ring of Honor before Werth? Ian Desmond who had a 16.5 WAR and an all-star
appearance in his 7 seasons on the team. Maybe Alfonso Soriano with his 6.1 WAR with
40 home runs/40 stolen bases 2006 season. Maybe
even Mike Morse who had 67 home runs in 1353 plate appearances during his 4
seasons in DC compared to Werth’s 109 home runs in 3427 plate appearances. And
if you want to talk about culture, put Howie Kendrick, Adam Eaton, and
especially Gerardo Parra in the Ring of Honor. Everyone loved Baby Shark during
the team’s World Series run.
Basically, what I’m
writing is Jayson Werth was a good baseball player in DC, but the team put him
in the Ring of Honor to justify $126 million contract. And that’s one of my hills
I’m willing to die on.
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and have lived in
Northern Virginia for about two decades. So while the Pittsburgh Pirates have
always been my favorite baseball team, I follow the Nationals closely too. Yes,
following these two teams in 2022 has been challenging. At the all-star break,
the teams are a combined 70-117 with the two worst run differentials in all of
baseball. For weeks, I’ve considered writing a blog post about which team has
the brighter future or even if either team has a bright future. Today is the day I finally did it.
Here’s a quick,
quick summary of both teams:
Pittsburgh Pirates
* Signed Ke’Bryan Hayes, arguably the top defensive 3B in
baseball, to an 8-year contract
* OF Bryan Reynolds was an all-star and MVP candidate in 2021.
* 5 minor leaguers (Henry Davis, Oneil Cruz, Nick Gonzales,
Quinn Priester, and Liover Peguero) in the preseason Top 50 of the Top 100 prospects.
“Unusually tall” for a SS Oneil Cruz and his incredible arm is now starting for
the Pirates.
* Possibility that Roansy Contreras and/or Mitch Keller could
become quality, top-end starting pitchers.
* Rookie OF Jack Suwinski had 13 home runs in May and June. Of course, he just got sent down to the minors after going 4 for 37 (.108) in
July.
* One of the lowest payrolls in baseball and have traded away
any decent player over the last few years.
Washington Nationals
*Juan Soto is only 23 and put up numbers in his first four
seasons comparable to Mike Trout, Frank Robinson, and Ted Williams. In 2022, he’s
having a “down” season batting only .250 though he still has 20 home runs and a
.405 on-base percentage. More on him soon.
* Keibert Ruiz is already one of the best defensive catchers
in baseball.
* 22 year-old SS Luis Garcia is starting nearly every day.
* 24 year-old Josiah Gray could become a top-tier starting pitcher.
* Only two top players (Cade Cavalli and Brady House) in the preseason
minor league top 100 prospects. Cavalli started the season terribly but has
pitched significantly better in AAA over the last few months.
* Traded away or failed to re-sign many top players over the last
few years. Josh Bell will probably be gone soon too. The two big signings haven’t
worked out well either. The team owes Patrick Corbin about $60 million for 2024 and
2025. Corbin is 4-12 with a 5.87 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 100 innings this season.
Meanwhile, Stephen Strasburg has pitched 30.1 innings since winning the World
Series MVP in 2019. His base salary is $140 million for 2023-2026 with a full
no trade clause though there’s $80 million of deferred money for 2027-2029 in
there somewhere.
* Team is for sale.
Even with the ownership uncertainty, the Nationals larger
payroll and having a generational talent in Juan Soto gives the DC team a
slight edge in my opinion. However, this changed after this past weekend.
Earlier this season, Soto declined a 13-year, $350 million contract offer.
While this is an incredible amount of money, everyone who follows baseball
understood that Soto deserved more. The Nationals responded by offering Soto a
15-year, $440 million deal. Although the $29.3 million annual salary would rank
15th among players based on their 2022 salaries, this would have
been the largest contract in MLB history. Soto declined this offer too.
Apparently, he feels like he could get more and/or he doesn’t want to play in
DC. I don’t think the team will go higher, so with Soto set to be a free agent
in 2024, it is being reported that the Nationals are open to trade offers. If
Soto leaves, this would continue a trend of the Nationals letting free agents
sign elsewhere (Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon) or trading away All-Stars (Trea
Turner and Kyle Schwarber). The Nationals would essentially turn into the
Pirates but with a worse farm system though you’d think they would get a ransom
for Soto. Without Soto, I'd take the Pirates.
What do you think?
Photo from the Colorado Rockies scoreboard by Brian of RTJR.
The Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series. Living in Northern Virginia, this is kind of a big deal. Of course, I also saw a guy wearing a Steelers long-sleeve T-shirt on the Metro this morning, so maybe it's not a big deal for everyone.* Anyway, if you're a baseball fan, I think you have to appreciate this series and the Nationals. The road team won every game of this 7-game series which has never happened before in major league baseball, the NHL, or the NBA. Juan Soto just turned 21 and is about to become a superstar. Stephen Strasburg represented San Diego State well too. Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick are also awesome. I thought I would share a few videos to celebrate the Nationals.
This is from the final out of the game.
I'm really happy for Daniel Hudson, the Nationals pitcher who got the final out. I'm also really happy that there is a net behind home plate and down the third base line. That glove being thrown at approximately 200 miles per hour could have really hurt someone. Anyway, Jeff Passan's book "The Arm" followed Hudson after he went through Tommy John surgeries. After reading this, I've rooted for the guy, even though he struggled in Pittsburgh.
The next video is one that I took from Washington's FOX affiliate. I apologize in advance that the sound is poor. I love the guy saying, "I don’t know how I feel right now. I feel amazing.” Then, watch how he interacts with the camera after they go to someone else. And by someone else, I mean the woman who has been a die-hard Nationals fan from all the way back in 2012.
Finally, one of the reasons why this team is fun to watch is Gerardo Parra and his walk-up music of Baby Shark. (Another reason is because Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth are no longer on the team.) This is a video of Parra at bat during an August 30th game I attended with The Moose and Pedro Tulo.
Bryce Harper is a good baseball player, but not a great baseball player like he and others think he is. Yes, he was great during his 2015 National League MVP season and yes you would probably like to have him on your team. The question is at what price. There has been talk that Harper seeks a deal of $300 million or more when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2018 season. Someone may pay this. It's the baseball owners' money, so they have every right to spend it as they please. If I was a baseball owner or GM, I would never pay Harper this though. (In full disclosure, I cut out coupons and regularly look for discounts and deals, so I may not be a good example.)
When the ball was hit, the score was tied at 1-1 in the 9th inning against a team the Nationals are chasing in the standings. This should have been a double with runners on 2nd and 3rd and the Braves taking a 2-1 lead. Instead, Harper seemed nonchalant as he threw the ball to home plate.
I'm sure you're thinking, Harper didn't have a chance to get the out at home, so it doesn't really matter. Fine. What about WAR, or wins above replacement? Harper currently has a WAR of 0.9 which is good for tied for 95th...in the National League! Todd Frazier, Alen Hanson, Gorkys Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, and Adam Frazier are all better than Harper in this category. And none of these players are going to earn $300 million!
If you want a guy to hit home runs, Harper (tied for 3rd in the NL) is your guy. If you want a guy to get on base, Harper (12th in the NL), is solid. If you want a guy who strikes out a lot, Harper (4th in the NL) is also your guy. For $25 million or more a year, I'll pass.
Even though it is mid-August and there is still a month and a half left in regular season, the Washington Nationals have essentially won the National League East division barring one of the biggest collapses in baseball history. Therefore, the team can afford to lose a few games and let some of their best players rest. (The Washington Post's Barry Svrluga basically wrote the same thing on Monday.) That's what happened Sunday when I attended the Nats-San Francisco Giants game.
Meanwhile, prior to Sunday, the Moose (now 6) has been to two Major League Baseball games. In his first game, Max Scherzer threw a no-hitter and was one strike away from a perfect game. In the second game, the Pirates defeated the Nats in 18 innings. Although we left in the 15th, we saw two Presidential mascot races and participated in both the 7th and 14th inning stretch. The Moose was due to attend a regular, normal game.
With the Friday night game postponed due to rain and thunderstorms, the Nationals and Giants played a split double-header on Sunday with the first game starting at 1:05 and the second at 7:05. Apparently, Nats manager Dusty Baker gave Max Scherzer an option about which game he wanted to pitch. He picked the night game, meaning that we got to see the highly anticipated A.J. Cole-Chris Stratton pitching duel. Baker also seemed to give most of his veteran players the option of playing the day or evening game, meaning that we got to see Adrian Sanchez instead of Daniel Murphy, Andrew Stevenson instead of Michael A. Taylor or Howie Kendrick, and Jose Lobaton instead of Matt Wieters. With Bryce Harper going on the DL, we got to see a truly lousy Nationals line-up.
Let's go to the notes:
- We had really, really great seats. As an extra bonus, we were in the shade!
- Sunday was Boy Scouts game at Nats Park, so Baker and the Nats clearly DID NOT THINK OF THE CHILDREN when making the line-up.
- Due to the double-header, the Nats also cancelled the kids run around the bases activity they usually have after Sunday games. WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
- Chris Stratton's parents missed a golden opportunity to name their child Briggs. The middle name could have been "And" or just something that starts with N.
- If Stratton becomes an All-Star, this will be his breakout game, meaning that perhaps The Moose's streak of seeing something significant stays intact. Stratton struck out 10 in 6 & 2/3 scoreless innings. This was his 2nd major league win and first as a starter.
- After the 8th inning, The Moose declared that he needed to poop. I asked him at least three times if he was sure but he said yes. Stadium bathrooms, especially after 8 innings, are disgusting. I asked an usher if there were any family restrooms nearby, and she looked at me incredulously and simply pointed us to the nearest men's room. Fortunately, we found a stall that wasn't awful, I cleaned it the best I could, and placed three layers of toilet paper between the toilet seat and The Moose.
- After an awful weekend in Charlottesville, I totally understand Thomas Jefferson just wanting to watch a baseball game.
Me: Would you like to take a picture with one of the President mascots?
The Moose: No. They're kind of scary. (I'm slightly paraphrasing The Moose here.)
- Random question #1: People remove hats for the national anthem, but are you supposed to remove your hat for G-d Bless America?
- Game one of the double-header ended with Howie Kendrick striking out. Game two ended with Kendrick hitting a walk-off grand slam. I wonder if this was the first time in baseball history where the same player was the last player to hit in both games with these results.
- Random question #2: After the first game, everyone had to leave the stadium with the gates reopening at 6:00 for game #2 of the double-header. How difficult would it have been to hide somewhere in the stadium for an hour?
- I didn't expect to see this being sold at the stadium. I wonder if I'll see them during Rosh Hashanah services.
- With the Nationals offense doing little, the crowd was its loudest when booing San Francisco relief pitcher Hunter Strickland. Strickland purposely hit Bryce Harper with a pitch in May. Strickland then gave up a 2-run home run to Anthony Rendon. AND WE NEVER HEARD FROM STRICKLAND AGAIN! (Unless you watched the 2nd game of the double-header where he pitched again.)
For more about the game, check out MLB.com and ESPN.
On Sunday, I took The Moose to his second professional baseball game to see the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Washington Nationals. The Moose witnessed a no-hitter and near perfect game in his first game last year, so there was no way that this game could match its significance, right? Please note that this post mixes a recap of the game with my own thoughts and quotes from my five year old. For example, upon seeing Pirates first basemen John Jaso, The Moose said, "He has girl hair." Back to the game.
All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, the pitcher who threw the no-hitter last season, matched up against Pirates rookie Chad Kuhl. Not an ideal match-up for the Bucs. As I know now though, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE CHAD KUHL. All Kuhl did was throw 6 scoreless innings of one-hit baseball. More on Kuhl later. With the Pirates leading 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals played AC/DC's Thunderstruck as Pirates pitcher Mark Melancon warmed up. The Nats probably thought they were pumping up the crowd, but this is also Melancon's entrance music. Arguably the best closer in baseball over the past 3-4 seasons, Melancon retired the first two Nationals before All-Star and this season's best hitter, Daniel Murphy pinch hit. With a 2-2 count, Murphy did this.
And this was The Moose's reaction.
(Actually this picture came later, but seemed appropriate to go with the huge home run.)
And what was a not too exciting of a game turned very interesting. The game went on to the 10th inning and then the 11th. And the 12th. Throughout this, my friend and I discussed how long we would stay. Although we were in the shade, it was still over 90 degrees and we had three boys ages 5, 6, and 9, who we knew only had so much patience. In the middle of the 13th, there was a second Presidents race. The Moose was a bit freaked out by the giant Presidents. (Yet, when we left, he wanted to stay to see another Presidents race even though that wouldn't have happened until the 22nd inning! By the way, major props to the people in the Presidents costumes who were still there well after all beer sales ended and most food concessions closed.) And then there was the traditional 14th inning stretch! We moved our seats a few times, once in the 10th or 11th inning to get out of the sun which started hitting our backs and then to seats on the third base line about 20-25 rows from the field. Again, being in the shade was huge!
We interrupt baseball for The Moose's thoughts on Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth.
"He has a scary beard."
"That's the bad guy."
(When in the on-deck circle) "The bad guy is going to be next."
I can't disagree with any of these assessments!
We made it through the 15th inning, approximately 5 hours in the stadium, and that was it. Of the announced attendance of 32,775, we outlasted at least 20,000 people. That's a lot of baseball for three little guys. While walking to the parking lot in the 16th, we heard a loud roar. Did the Nationals have a walk-off win? Fortunately, no. As I heard on the radio, Pirates Josh Harrison hit a double, but Eric Fryer was thrown out at the plate by a perfect relay from Nats' center fielder Michael Taylor to SS Danny Espinosa to catcher Wilson Ramos.
My reaction:
With no traffic around the stadium and (amazingly!) on the drive back home, the 17th inning just ended when I turned off the radio. A few minutes later, I turned on the TV to see that the Pirates were ahead 2-1. WHAT HAPPENED? Starling Marte happened:
Jon Niese gave up two hits in the bottom of the 18th, but struck out Espinosa to give the Pirates the win. A few more thoughts about the game:
- Including Sunday, Chad Kuhl has started four baseball games. He pitched against probably the best pitcher in baseball Clayton Kershaw, the May 2016 AL pitcher of the month and should have been all star Rich Hill, three-time all star Jon Lester and now Scherzer. The Pirates are now 4-0 in his starts. Can he start against some below average pitchers some time?
- When I was in college, I had an internship with a Pittsburgh-area Congressman. We also had an office softball team and played against a local fire department twice (and against a Senator's staff too...we destroyed them). Anyway, I annoyed many of the firefighters for constantly getting on base in our games. I was not a power hitter, yet I managed to get hits through seeing-eye singles or balls that landed between the infielders and outfielders. Why do I mention this? Pirates rookie Adam Frazier is me 20 years later. (Well, at least in this analogy.) When you look at the Pirates line-up, teams are going to be concerned with Marte, McCutchen, Freese, Harrison, Mercer, and others. Yet, Frazier went 3 for 6 Sunday with two walks. For the season, he's now hitting .355 with a .412 on-base percentage. He must be such a pest for opponents.
- The Moose's thoughts on National's 23 year-old Trea Turner: "He is a kid."
So The Moose has now been to two games, one a no-hitter and the other went 18 innings. He's going to be disappointed someday when we attend a regular 4-2 game!
I attended The Pirates-Nationals game back in June where Max Scherzer threw a no-hitter. After the game, I received an e-mail from the Nationals offering a special commemorative ticket with a $5 donation to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation. Since I did not have a formal ticket stub for this game, only a print out on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper (I hate the trend of there being fewer and fewer actual tickets now), I bought two tickets to commemorate my son's first baseball game. Here's the ticket that I received on Wednesday:
Pretty cool. There's just one big problem. There is no section 31 at Nationals Park. There is no Row MS at Nationals Park either.
Plus, why are both of my tickets seat #1? We can't both be in the same seat. If we were, I'd hope the Nats would only charge me for the price of one ticket (especially since my 4 year-old sat on my lap for probably 7 of the 9 innings).
One of my dreams/bucket list items is to attend a no-hitter in person. In July 2001, I saw Todd Ritchie (yes, Todd Ritchie) go 8 1/3 innings before giving up a single. After seeing probably over 100 baseball games in my lifetime, that was the closest I've come to seeing a no-hitter. Meanwhile, I took my son (The Moose, age 4) to his first baseball game on Saturday night. He has now attended one single baseball game and has witnessed a no-hitter (and almost the 22nd perfect major league game since 1900). He has no idea that this is a big deal. On to my notes and thoughts on the game and taking The Moose to his first game.
- Breaking news: Max Scherzer is really, really good. Maybe that's why the Nationals paid him over $200 million. I'm a Pirates fan and definitely wanted the Bucs to win, but I can appreciate an amazing pitching performance and found myself rooting for a perfect game in the top of the 9th.
- After the first inning, The Moose told me that he wanted to go home. That's when I went into food mode. I offered him a fruit bar that I had in my bag and then we quickly went to the concession stand to get french fries and a Sprite. He loved the Sprite and made it through the rest of the game (sitting on my lap for nearly all of it) without any complaints.
- In either the 7th inning or top of the 8th inning, I looked at the scoreboard and mentioned to my friend that we were watching a perfect game. We knew it was a no-hitter but had no idea we were watching a potential perfect game until then.
- I did a terrible job of taking pictures during the game. Really, I just wanted to make sure my kid was happy and that I didn't lose him in the crowd of over 40,000. I did take this picture of several members of the Pirates walking to the bullpen before the game. Plus, both Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen sat in my section!
- I also should have taken a picture of someone wearing a Pirates' Garrett Jones jersey.
- Unwritten rules in baseball are stupid. In the 8th inning, the Nats shifted against Pedro Alvarez. Pedro could have bunted towards the deserted third base line to reach on a single, but that's not permitted in baseball. Well, if it was a 1-0 game, maybe that would have been a little acceptable, but baseball folks would have gone insane if Pedro did this on Saturday. If you think the reaction to Jose Tabata reaching on a hit-by-pitch was crazy, Pedro would have been vilified even more.
- The Nationals had a promotion on Saturday where after the game, Seniors could stroll the bases. During the game, I talked with my friend about the fact I tweaked my knee (for the second time in a month) earlier in the day working as a soccer referee), probably will need bifocals soon and that I recently went to the dentist and learned that I have receding gums. Basically, I could have been eligible to run the bases!
- When we got home, all The Moose talked about to my wife was chocolate syrup. Naturally, she had not idea what he was talking about. I mean why would there be chocolate syrup at a baseball game? Here's the answer:
MASN's Dan Kolko did not look happy about Jayson Werth dumping chocolate syrup on him. I'd bet $10 that Werth doesn't pay the dry-cleaning bill.
- The Moose wasn't very impressed by the Presidents/Pierogi race. I think he found the characters a little scary.
- I'd like to give the Nationals credit for posting the artist and song title for each hitter's walk-up music on the scoreboard. That was a nice touch particularly since I didn't know many songs.
- Quick rant: I love keeping ticket stubs of sporting events/concerts I attend. However, there are less and less ticket stubs these days and you generally print off your tickets now. Even Nats season ticket holders get a card that they swipe or scan at the gate instead of receiving individual tickets. Here is part of my ticket from Saturday's game that is now folded up on a regular 8.5 x 11 piece of paper.
- I don't ever want to drive through a hurricane, but I feel like I got a taste of what it's like to do so going home after the game. There were massive thunderstorms on Saturday evening with extremely heavy rain and lightning everywhere. I'm glad that the game was at 4:05 since a 7:05 game would have been postponed.
Welcome to Sean's Ramblings! If you're looking for thoughts on pop culture, music, fun and informative links, random DC and Pittsburgh info, sports (particularly Pittsburgh sports), and just what's going on in my life, then you're come to the right place.
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