Ronnie Belliard now a Nat (sort of)

I’m still not sure what to think of this signing. It is a great signing as far as depth goes. Belliard can hit, and play 3rd base with consistancy. I’m actually mostly surprised someone didn’t give him a Major League contract, as that is the only reason he would have taken this Minor League deal. The only way I see Belliard getting any real playing time is if Guzman falls off the wagon.

I feel as if Belliard is Darryl Ward’s replacement. He might be good as a clutch hitter. He can pound in a run or two. He also has experience on his side, something that the nationals severely lack. At least now we have extra extra extra insurance if Guzman or Lopez go down. I think our money could have been spent better else where. For instance, shipping Church to a small island.

Will Christian Guzman succeed?

It seems that the fans in DC hate Guzman. Many Minnestota fans would wonder why that is? Well, basically he has been awful offensively, and was out all of last season. As a matter of fact, offensively he probably did better by not even playing last year due to injury than he did when he played the full season with us in 2005. He only batted a miserable .219 for the season. That .219 was more like a .189 through August. This is a big departure from his All Star appearance in 2001. I think Nats fans should be excited for this year and Guzman.

As bad as Guzman was offensively, he was excellent defensively! I really do not see him losing that, and that is his biggest strength. Last year he left spring training with a shoulder injury that he mentioned had been bothering him for the past few years. He mentioned he had been working through the pain all that time. He also received laser eye surgery. I think between this two physical fixes to him, that he will come back, and come back strong. Also keep in mind that in 2005, he faced National League pitching for the first time, and as the season went on, he was batting *much* better. I would expect that trend to continue. He has a lot to prove this year to DC.

I think Nationals fans should be excited to see what Guzman has to offer this year, instead of asking for his beheading before he even gets a chance to redeem himself.

Young invitation a sign that Johnson isn’t healthy?

Yesterday the Nationals announced that they had invited Dimitri Young to the minor league spring training camp. Young is a first baseman that has made headlines the past few years. Not for his performance of the field, but his apparent skills at boxing and drinking alcohol off the field. Young is supposedly rehibilitated, but can he play? On the field he is probably most noted for his 2003 season as a Tiger where he made the All Star team. He batted .297, 29 HR, 34 2B and 85 rbi’s.

Why is this important for the Nats? Young plays first base. Nick Johnson is still a huge question mark on whether he has recovered from his broken leg at the end of the last season. This signing shows me that Johnson isn’t ready and that they needed to add more big league depth to 1B in addition to Larry Broadway and Travis Lee. If Young can produce 2002-2003 numbers, this will be the best signing of the season. Just keep him away from the vodka.

Nationals Win Arbitration Against Patterson

From www.nationals.com:

The Nationals won their arbitration case against right-hander John Patterson on Tuesday. Patterson will receive $850,000 instead of the $1.85 million he was seeking.

This is not a surprise to me at all. Patterson, while having a lot of promise, has yet to prove himself. In 2006 he pitched in only 8 games, winning just 1. In 2005 he faired a bit better with a 31 games, 9-7 record and an outstanding 3.13 ERA in 198 innings pitched. Sure he is our ace, but what other choices do we have?

If he can prove this year that he can stay healthy and produce like he did in 2005, he can expect a better paypay.

The Church of Ryan

Browsing through the many Washington Nationals forums and boards, you would think that there are actually people out there that worship Ryan Church. As a matter of fact, he is even known to post in the Nationals message board on mlb.com commonly defending himself against the media. The fact is, the fans love the guy. The media, and from the way the nats treat him, hate him.

Ryan Church has a lot of potential. Lets just look at his Major League stats. Lets ignore his Minor League stats for now. This guy has a good amount of power. In 196 at bats, he knocked in 35 RBI and 10 HR. For a team that could never get on base last year, 35 rbi is an amazing feat in 196 at bats. In 2005 his power wasn’t quite as big, but it was still there as potential. Church also has the makings for a double machine, although those numbers could be inflated due to RFK.

I am not a Ryan Church fan. I will come out and say that. Why do I say that when his numbers look fantastic? Watch him play. He never seems like he cares. Whenever I see a ball go to him in the outfield (whichever position out in the sticks he is playing in) and it looks like it will be close, he will never take the risk of going for the ball. He just seems to look and act like he is more deserving of what he has. That might be the case! I am pretty sure the Frank Robinson did not like Ryan. Of all the flaws of Frank Robinson, one thing he was good at, was his expectation of playing as hard as you could, every day. Ryan Church simply did not do that defensively.

What Church needs is a change of scenery. Frankly, I am especially surprised that the Cubs did not go after him. He would have been a much cheaper Soriano, and I would expect him to put up some great numbers in Wrigley. The good news is that the Nationals have a new manager in Manny Acta. This might just be the 2nd chance that Church needs with the media and the fans. He even opted to report to spring training early ahead of the pitchers and catchers! For the National’s sake, I hope that this is the change of scenery he needs for a change of attitude.

If he goes back to 2005/2006 Church, expect him to be traded by the deadline.