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Teddy Must Go

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The Time To Move on From Dusty Baker Is Now

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After Another Disappointment, Reject The Tired Narratives

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Are Trea Turner’s Struggles the New Normal?

2018 Articles Leave a Comment

Five to ten years ago, talking heads in baseball may have been calling for 24-year-old phenom Trea Turner to be sent down. After all, the NC State product is hitting just .236 in the first month of the season. Forced into the leadoff spot following Adam Eaton’s absence, it has been frustrating to see him unable to produce base hits. Yet there he is halfway through April, sporting a .368 OBP thanks to a 17.2% walk rate. While nowhere near a guy like Bryce Harper (27%), this is a rate on par with players like Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Judge, or Paul Goldschmidt. Essentially, we are talking about a walk rate prototypical of a slugger, not a leadoff man like Dee Gordon (3.9% career BB%), Ender Inciarte (6.7%), or Adam Eaton (8.2%).

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Bryan Harper Exposes a Double Hairdryer Wielding Brother Bryce Harper in the Wild

2018 Articles Leave a Comment

(Update: We regret to inform you that the video was a marketing stunt. Maybe next time, kids.)

Bryce Harper has very good hair. Our compliments to his mom, who is clearly responsible for the golden thread growing out of our unseated MVP’s head. When his baseball career winds down in 237 years, and before he is inducted as the grand master of the Hall of Fame, he could probably have a long and fruitful career as a (hopefully not-creepy) Johnny Bravo impersonator.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A strange Start to Nationals Baseball

2018 Articles Leave a Comment

In retrospect, riding camels might not have been a good substitute for working on the fundamentals. This a common refrain surrounding the Washington Nationals’ 4-5 start, including streaks of four wins to open the season followed by a five-game losing run. Still, not all is lost (Nats Reddit disagrees, of course), as there have been some positives, most namely that it is still so early that Mother Nature has yet to realize the season has started. Let’s go over a few of the important points thus far.

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Teddy Must Go

2018 Articles, Features Leave a Comment
Teddy was a loser. A laughing-stock. A shameful joke. He embodied the Washington Nationals’ franchise perfectly. From 2005 to 2010, Teddy finished last in every race. The Nats finished last in the NL East those years too. Enough was enough. In the winter of ought ten, the Natinals  Nationals decided to change their stars. Ownership had just drafted Bryce Harper first overall, a year after drafting Stephen Strasburg first overall and weeks before Strasburg’s elbow would pop. They finally wanted (after years of needing) someone to change the culture. So to the surprise of the baseball world, they signed former world champ and Philadelphia Phillie, Jayson Werth, to more money and more years than anyone thought reasonable. For the first year ever, the Nationals didn’t finish last in 2011. They’ve had winning records every year since. But Teddy still lost. Every time. He was still O-for-ever.

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The Nats Blog is Recruiting!

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Have you ever wanted to write for a press-credentialed Nationals blog? Here’s your opportunity.

The Nats Blog is recruiting! We’re looking for writers who can commit to writing at least once a week during the 2018 season. We’re looking for skilled, thoughtful writers who can contribute original content. In-depth knowledge of baseball is a must, as is a dedication to writing.

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Start Me Up! A Nationals 2018 Preview

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Well, here we go — the 2018 MLB season is upon us! The Washington Nationals are once again heavy favorites to win the NL East, as the rest of the division, while improved, is not ready for prime time. The Nationals are stacked—they boast one of the best lineups and rotations in the Majors. They have a very deep bench, and an underrated bullpen. Will the Nationals win a third consecutive division title? Will it matter in October? It begins…

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An Exploration of the Nationals’ 2018 Uniforms

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The 2018 baseball season is around the corner, and this week, we got a preview of the on-field look for the Washington Nationals. This season has Nats fans attention specifically as the All-Star game will roll through town in July. Overall, not much changed from what 2017 brought us for the regular season, just one jersey addition and a fresh slate of holiday uniforms. Let’s take a look at what the Nats will wear this season.

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NL MVP Finalists: Nobody’s Happy

2017 Articles Leave a Comment

Last year, you could’ve narrowed down MVP to a few candidates. This year, it’s open season. There were a number of players in the National League who had career years in many different ways. There were about 10 or 15 different players worthy of an MVP nod or win, and the nominees could’ve been picked out of a hat from that crop of players and it would have worked. With the number of players out there worthy of a nomination, somebody’s going to end up unhappy. Frankly, a lot of people are probably going to end up unhappy. Up until the announcement of the nominees, I had no idea who was going to make the final three; it all depended on what the voters were looking for. And once they were announced, I’m not afraid to admit that I was a little surprised with who ended up on the top of the heap.

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So, Now What?

2017 Articles Leave a Comment

After Dusty Baker‘s firing, Barry Svrluga wrote a column for the Washington Post analyzing the Nationals’ decision to not retain him —and what it means for the next manager. In his article, Mr. Svrluga states the Baker departure is both surprising and understandable. Baker was somewhat of a polarizing manager. He is lauded for his handling players and the clubhouse—a dimension this team sorely needed after Matt Williams ham-handed approach. However, his in-game decisions, particularly in the playoffs, are dubious. While the players love him, there are a few decisions that are objectively questionable:

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