OFFICIAL 2013 Nats "Wait till October" thread

[bluehenbillk]

Let me understand the mindset here? The Nats aren't losing any part of their young team for next season. Jordan Zimmermann will be three years removed from TJ. SS two years removed. Harper won't be a teenager anymore. We had huge amounts of injuries for position players. Morse missing two months, Werth missing three months, Desmond missing a month. Ramos missing the entire year. Zimmerman playing through bone spurs that he will have cleaned up in the offseason and we still won 98 games. A two win improvement is supposed to be unbelievable?

Pitching

[eagleskins]

Pitching will be worse next year how? The massive jump JZ had from year one to year two is telling when it comes to Strasburgs improvement. Detweiler was a stud this year in his first full season. Gio is Gio.

[BlueHen86]

Pitching will be worse next year how? The massive jump JZ had from year one to year two is telling when it comes to Strasburgs improvement. Detweiler was a stud this year in his first full season. Gio is Gio.

You seem to be making the assumption that pitchers automatically get better every year. Doesn't work that way. The Nats pitching shouldn't be worse, but it might be. Guys have off years and injuries.

[tribe_pride]

People aren't claiming that the pitching was subpar this year, are they or that they'll just improve? Nats top 4 starting pitchers all had 3.40 ERA or better with 2 of them under 3.00 (neither named Strasburg). Will be tough to improve on this year's top 4 performance. And injuries to the Nats were no worse than they were for many other teams.

That said, the team is very young so injuries shouldn't be as bad of an issue and the core of the team will be together. 100 games is possible but tough and things need to go right.

This is the amt of 100 games winners in the last 10 year:
2012 - 0
2011 - 1 Phils 102
2010 - 0
2009 - 1 Yanks 103
2008 - 1 Angels 100
2007 - 0
2006 - 0
2005 - 1 Cards 100
2004 - 2 Cards 105 and Yanks 101
2003 - 3 Giants 100, Braves 101, Yanks 100

Interestingly enough, only the 2009 Yanks won the World Series out of all of those teams.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in about 3-4 years from now when a lot of these guys will need to be signed and see how many they can afford to pay to come back because many are relatively cheap now.

[eagleskins]

Pitching will be worse next year how? The massive jump JZ had from year one to year two is telling when it comes to Strasburgs improvement. Detweiler was a stud this year in his first full season. Gio is Gio.

You seem to be making the assumption that pitchers automatically get better every year. Doesn't work that way. The Nats pitching shouldn't be worse, but it might be. Guys have off years and injuries.

Not sure how many young elite pitchers get worse in subsequent years. But, I know Strasburg will be better. Just mentally. Jordan Zimmermann has become a bulldog, and Gio will be more comfortable in his second season in the NL. Detweiler is the guy that doesn't get enough cred. I believe he throws the hardest of any lefty starting pitcher. Him or Price.

[BlueHen86]

You seem to be making the assumption that pitchers automatically get better every year. Doesn't work that way. The Nats pitching shouldn't be worse, but it might be. Guys have off years and injuries.

Not sure how many young elite pitchers get worse in subsequent years. But, I know Strasburg will be better. Just mentally. Jordan Zimmermann has become a bulldog, and Gio will be more comfortable in his second season in the NL. Detweiler is the guy that doesn't get enough cred. I believe he throws the hardest of any lefty starting pitcher. Him or Price.

You're an optimist.

The baseball gods don't usually smile on any team all that much. On paper the Nats look to be set, but it's a long season and stuff happens.

[89Hen]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1406 ... vps-career

Bryce Harper isn't your average 19-year-old.

Harper cashed in on his preseason hype Monday night, winning the National League's Rookie of the Year award after his breakout rookie campaign.

The Nationals outfielder is the second-youngest player to ever collect ROY honors, trailing a barely younger Dwight Gooden in 1984. Collecting the honor doesn't immediately seal a Hall-of-Fame career, but the start couldn't get much better.

Harper finished the year with a .270 batting average, 22 home runs and 59 RBI, but it's his finish that put him where he wanted to be at season's end. Closing the year strong, with accolades and the postseason in sight, is the mark of a player that's destined to do big things.

According to ESPN, "Harper had the most Wins Above Replacement (5.0) of any player in his age 19-or younger season in baseball’s modern era (since 1900), surpassing the mark previously set by New York Giants outfielder Mel Ott (3.7) in 1928."

He also had the most extra-base hits than any player his age had ever had and the second-highest home run total.

[89Hen]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/na ... story.html

Davey Johnson had been out of major league baseball for more than 11 years when the Washington Nationals, stunned and desperate, summoned him in June 2011 from his managerial post in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Johnson was pushing 70. In his decade out of major league dugouts, he had overcome health scares and personal tragedy. He had changed, the sport had evolved and a question hung in the air: Had the game passed him by?

The answer surfaced shortly after Johnson emerged, and it kept repeating itself for the next 15 months. Passed him by? Heck, the game has still not caught up to David Allen Johnson.

On Tuesday night, Johnson convincingly won the National League Manager of the Year award presented by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

[bluehenbillk]

$100 on that. 100 or higher you win, 99 or less I win. deal?

Deal

bump

[AshevilleApp]

Deal

bump

[bluehenbillk]

bump - 40 more losses Eagleskins....

[AZGrizFan]

Deal

bump

Fucker never would confirm he was giving ME the same deal.

[bluehenbillk]

Eagleskins I'll offer you a deal - you can pay $110 now & I won't mention the bet for the rest of the season, or you can pay $100 when they get loss #63 & be reminded it of it regularly.....

[93henfan]

Eagleskins I'll offer you a deal - you can pay $110 now & I won't mention the bet for the rest of the season, or you can pay $100 when they get loss #63 & be reminded it of it regularly.....

Or he can welch, which I'll bet you $100 he does.

[AZGrizFan]

Eagleskins I'll offer you a deal - you can pay $110 now & I won't mention the bet for the rest of the season, or you can pay $100 when they get loss #63 & be reminded it of it regularly.....

Bump.

[bluehenbillk]

Eagleskins I'll offer you a deal - you can pay $110 now & I won't mention the bet for the rest of the season, or you can pay $100 when they get loss #63 & be reminded it of it regularly.....

Bump- just pay up now pal - this is embarassing

[bluehenbillk]

bump - 11 more losses seals the deal.

[89Hen]

In one of the all time probable moot questions... IF the Nats were to sweep the Bravos this weekend and climb back to 10.5 back... do they have a chance? I realize the Nats are on a five game win streak thanks to playing the Phillies and Giants who are sinking faster than the Titanic, but I just glanced at their upcoming schedule and it's filled with losing teams. They have one more with the Giants in a few minutes, then three with the Braves followed by:

Cubs - 4
Royals - 3 (only winning team)
Marlins - 3
Mets - 3
Phillies - 3
Marlins - 3
Mets - 4
Phillies - 3

before seeing the Braves again in mid-September at home. Obviously the Braves have many of the same opponents, but they have a nice stretch of 7 games with the Cards and Indians to end August. I"m just hoping some of the Braves demons from 2011 can creep in there.

[AZGrizFan]

WTF is wrong with baseball when two teams that have winning records are the Pirates and the Royals?

[dbackjon]

Going to a Nats game on the 27th

[89Hen]

WTF is wrong with baseball when two teams that have winning records are the Pirates and the Royals?

People do like 80's rewind stuff.

[89Hen]

Going to a Nats game on the 27th

It's a better ballpark than it gets credit for IMO. It may not be as pretty as a Camden Yards, but there's not a thing wrong with it (other than being in Anacostia).

[bluehenbillk]

Loss #63 today I need to see a check real soon.....

[BlueHen86]

Loss #63 today I need to see a check real soon.....

Pretty stupid of the Nats to sit a healthy Zimmerman at the end of last season. They had a chance to win last year.

[89Hen]

Loss #63 today I need to see a check real soon.....

Pretty stupid of the Nats to sit a healthy Zimmerman at the end of last season. They had a chance to win last year.