GUZMANIA! Squared

With their second round pick in the today's Rule 5 draft the Nationals selected OF Garrett Guzman from the Minnesota system. This is an excellent selection on a number of levels:

• First, Trader Jim clearly noticed the distinct lack of GUZMANIA! on last year's squad. If history has taught us anything, it's that you can never have too much money or too much GUZMANIA! Uncle Teddy is well on his way to taking care of both.
  

• Second, mugging the Twins is always a good thing. Sure they got Harmon Killebrew and decades of Washington baseball history. But we got Levale Speigner, Justin Jones and Garrett Guzman. What can I say, the wheels of cosmic justice turn slowly.
  

• Third, Guzman's a decent choice as a fourth or fifth outfielder. Plus he's a lefty, a handedness sorely lacking on the roster with the departure of Church and Schneider. Guzman figues to compete with Ryan Langerhans for a roster spot, setting up a potentially cataclysmic GUZMANIA! vs. LANGERHANSCENDENTALISM! showdown.
  

From Baseball America's Rule 5 preview:

[T]he undersized lefthanded hitter profiles as arguably the best fourth outfielder candidate on the Rule 5 eligible list, drawing comparisons to Orlando Palmeiro. While Palmeiro was a bit better runner and defender, Guzman offers more power and offensive upside. Guzman, who batted .312/.359/.453 at Double-A New Britain in 2007, has solid gap power and the ability to play anywhere in the outfield, though he profiles best in left.

• Fourth, and frankly most importantly, this doubles the odds that my Guzman jersey (purchased at retail price in 2005) will remain relevant for another season and outlast both Dave's Wilkerson frock and Watson's Nick Johnson memorial jersey.

Nationals Farm Authority, per usual, has the complete Rule 5 rundown.