Beyond Baseball

WaPo's Barry Svrluga was the chronicler of baseball's return to Washington, D.C. in 2005, so it's only fitting that he authored this heart-breaking, inspiring story of Chad Cordero's most recent return to the game following the sudden death of his infant daughter.

For those of us who mark the spring of 2005 as the return of our interest in baseball, the members of that inaugural Nationals team will always hold a special place in our hearts. Livan, John Patterson, Nick Johnson, Joey Eischen, Brian Schneider, Jose Vidro, Jon Rauch, and, of course, The Chief will always be connected to D.C., regardless of where they've gone and what they've done since.

More on the story, and back-story, here. It's a useful counter-point to stories of athletes living outsized lives who are in the news for all the wrong reasons. Svrluga's piece is also a poignant reminder of what a great writer Nats fans lost when Barry was "promoted" to his current beat. Take a break from Spring Training and read it.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chad and his family, with best wishes for his current comeback effort.

Not Quite Good to the Last Drop

Look, when the Nationals DFA Justin Maxwell to make room for Todd Coffey you're going to get puns. Deal with it.

There was a time when I thought Justin could be another homegrown draw for a franchise that desperately needs to forge connections to its community. A Maryland native and University of Maryland grad, Maxwell would have formed a great 1-2 punch with Ryan Zimmerman. Both were 2005 draft picks. Justin would have been UMD to Zimm's UVA, cannon-armed outfielder and slick-gloved infielder, Stevie Wonder to Ryan's Frank Sinatra. Alas it was not meant to be.

A series of Nick Johnson-esque injuries prolonged Maxwell's road to the majors, and walk-off dramatics aside, he never showed enough with the bat to earn regular playing time. He never hit for contact, struck out more than you'd like to see in a guy who had just okay minor league power numbers, and didn't hit either lefties or righties well enough to distinguish himself as a platoon candidate. Justin peaked as a 5th OF/defensive replacement/pinch hitter, and his fate was more or less sealed when the Nats signed Rick Ankiel earlier this offseason.

This may not be the end of the road for J-Max in DC, but it is a sizeable pothole. The team has 10 days to trade Justin, release him, or attempt to clear him through waivers back to the minors. A 27 year-old outfielder with a 201/319/379 career line isn't likely to be enticing trade or waiver wire bait, so there's a fair chance Maxwell will be back at AAA Syracuse in 2011.

Mike Rizzo's Chemistry Experiment

Dammit all, I was doing so well ignoring Spring Training. The scores don't mean anything because half the players won't see a major league roster this season. The stats don't mean anything because the players are working on things rather than trying to hit the ball, score runs or get batters out. Aside from overwrought "Ian Desmond for Opening Day shortstop" movement, (which conveniently ignores the whole "spring training stats are meaningless" thing) there hasn't really been any reason to follow the Nats too closely.

Until today, when out of the clear blue sky the Nats released presumptive Opening Day right fielder Elijah Dukes with a terse statement. Not traded, not optioned to minor league camp... released. Here's a list of guys who have been released by the Nationals this spring: Shawn Estes, Ron Villone, Eddie Guardado, Logan Kensing, Elijah Dukes. One of these things is not like the others, and it ain't Kensing.

When the Nats released Everyday Eddie Guardado after over-hyping his minor league contract and NRI earlier in the offseason, there was a minor groundswell of chatter around the Natmosphere. How could Mike Rizzo cut loose a guy who was previously touted as a mentor, clubhouse guru and stabilizing force after two bad innings? Though I resisted the urge to publish it at the time, (see above re: ignoring Spring Training) here's my quick hitter on the Guardado kerfluffle:

Eddie Guardado's release proves that Mike Rizzo is the second worst General Manager in Washington Nationals history. When Jim Bowden went dumpster-diving for a washed up reliever on a minor league contract with a spring training invite, he stuck with him for at least a dozen early season bullpen appearances. Mike Rizzo knows nothing about that kind of commitment to a bit.

The popular reaction to Guardado was way overblown, but the reaction to Dukes' release may be, if anything, too understated. Rob Neyer has a thoughtful post on why this probably isn't nearly so bad as it looks, and I don't disagree with his analysis. Dukes did seem to be regressing, was chronically bothered by nagging lower body injuries and while still young-ish he wasn't really a prospect anymore.

Still, to completely jettison a 25 year-old one year removed from a great season while he still has a minor league option remaining is bizarre and worthy of additional investigation. While steadfastly insisting that this was a pure baseball decision, Rizzo cited "clubhouse matters" and "chemistry" issues surrounding Elijah. OF Justin Maxwell likewise alluded to Dukes-related
"distractions."

If "toolsy" was watchword of Jim Bowden's tenure as GM, "chemistry" has been Rizzo's guiding star. From ripping Stephen Shell's aura to selling low on mercurial outfielder Lastings Milledge Rizzo seems to have an exceptionally low tolerance for anyone who disrupts his cherished clubhouse vibe. Fans who disparaged Bowden's penchant for valuing potential and flash over performance and results may find that Rizzo's yen for solid, steady reliability isn't the key to a championship either.

You know who has good chemistry? Winning teams. You know who has bad chemistry? Losing teams. If the Nats fought, bitched and backstabbed their way to a Wild Card berth, that'd be fine by me. On the other hand, a united, cohesive group of guys pulling together professionally for a 70 win season? Pass. Rizzo says this is a baseball decision, which means that he thinks starting Mike Morse, Justin Maxwell or Roger Bernadina in rightfield will make the Nats a better baseball team than they were with Dukes. I'm not sure I believe him.

Postscript: If this move has anything to do with getting Ian Desmond regular at-bats as a rightfielder then Rizzo, Riggleman and Kasten should join Dukes on the unemployment line tomorrow. If Desmond is one of the 25 best players on the team the Nats should make a place for him on the infield. If they need to release or bench somebody to make that happen, well, that's a baseball move. Otherwise Mike Rizzo is a really bad liar.

Josh Whitesell Goes Back To The Future

Think back to 2007. Barbaro sired a line of champion glue bottles. The Nats were bad, but nowhere near as bad as they would become. And Josh Whitesell assumed a prestigious position within the Washington Nationals organization: the "Larry Broadway Memorial marginally-talented first baseman who's destined never to sniff the big leagues." Previous award winners included perennial "First Baseman of the Future" Larry Broadway and, well... pretty much just Larry.

Josh was all set to bridge the gap between failed prospects Broadway and Chris Marrero when things went sideways. Claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks in early 2008 the unthinkable happened; Arizona gave Whitesell his ticket to the show. After some success with a 2008 cup of coffee Josh struggled with extended exposure in 2009. Non-tendered by the D-Backs, Whitesell is now back with the organization that drafted him, ready to resume his rightful place in the hierarchy.

Bustings Milledge

Whatever the immediate merits of the great Morgan-Burnett for Milledge-Hanrahan swap of '09 (the P-Rats clearly won the letter sweepstakes) it's hard to see this as anything but a loss for the Nationals. Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett may be competent major leaguers, an honest-to-goodness upgrade from the routine incompetence of the 2009 Washington baseballclub, but it's hard to see either of them being part of the "first great Nationals team," as much as I abhor the phrase. Weren't the Nats supposed to be in the business of stockpiling talented youngsters and building for the future? Unless "the future" has been radically redefined as 2010, I'm missing something here.

Sure, Lastings Milledge was a self-aggrandizing headcase with a gift for turning routine defensive plays into highlight reel-worthy miscues. That said, he was still just 24, an age when many good-if-not-great players are still figuring out their game in the high minors. Despite his well-documented struggles, he was one of the franchises most talented offensive prospects. Read into that what you will. Maybe this move is Milledge-specific, in which case there's not much more to say. It's hard to leverage a guy who was demoted to AAA a week into the season only to break his finger. Still, selling low on him for a guy who looks for all the world like Brandon Watson fulfilling his potential is a failure, regardless of spin.

On the other hand, maybe we really are seeing the first fruits of a Bowden-free organization. Couple the Milledge trade with a June draft low on toolsy, projectable high schoolers and heavy with more developed college and JuCo players. Perhaps the front office is developing a healthy scepticism of unfulfilled "potential". After all, who is really more valuable to the franchise, Lastings Milledge in Syracuse or Willie Harris in DC? Of course, the answer is the most value comes from developing Milledge to the point where he can supplant Harris. But these are the Nationals we're talking about.

Joel "Gas can"rahan is another story. He seems to have lost whatever fairy magic allowed him to get through the 2nd half of 2008 as a semi-reliable closer. If he can get his groove back in the Steel City, more power to him. Getting anything for his 7+ ERA at this point is a bonus. Sean Burnett is a lot like Hanrahan, a talented guy who seemed cursed to never figure it out. This season he has, so far. Is it an illusion? Who knows, who cares.

If this is the opening round of the purge, let me be the first (or the 1,000,001) to suggest that Ronnie Belliard, Dmitri Young, Austin Kearns and Jesus Colome can be liquidated without posing much threat to that aforementioned first great Nationals team. Sell, Rizzo, sell!

Trader Jim Resurfaces

Neither rain, nor wind, nor potential federal indictment will keep Jim Bowden from the public eye. ESPN Deportes is reporting (as best my feeble translation skills can tell) that Bowden has been spending time in the D.R. with fellow ex-Nat Jose Rijo. From the article:

"Rijo and Bowden are in discussions with officials from the Liga Dominicana to purchase a new expansion baseball team, the San Cristobal Pantalones de Cuero."

I assume the team will be based out of Rijo's newly vacant academy. No word on whether Carlos Alvarez has been tapped to manage, or if there's a handshake agreement to bring Dmitri Young on board this winter.