Photo by laura padgett.Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been named to the 2009 National League All-Star team. Every team gets an All-Star, and Ryan Zimmerman is the Nationals’. As the face of the franchise, Zimmerman is the perfect representative for the Nationals: much like the team, he is both hitting better than last year and has a lot more errors. Fans still have the chance to vote shortstop Cristian Guzman into the final National League All-Star slot.
The Nats went 2-4 last week, and are 24-55 overall, which may seem like last place in the whole league to the casual observer. But upon closer inspection, one finds that the Arizona Diamondbacks are farther out of first place in their division than the Nats, and four games closer to being eliminated from the playoffs. The other good news for the Nats is that they don’t have to lose to Florida for a whole month.
The Future
In the past week, the Nats have traded Lastings Milledge and sent Elijah Dukes to the minors. These moves have left many wondering what is in store for the team, particularly with the trade deadline approaching. Some, like commenter ryan2499, think that interim GM Mike Rizzo is sending a message that the Nats are a team where “you have to perform and prove yourself at the major league level to have a job.” Others, such as Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell, think that these moves mean that the Nats are getting ready to blow up the team, which GM Rizzo denies. The Washington Times’ Mark Zuckerman thinks that the team is just looking to improve its character.
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next month as the deadline approaches. Under former general manager Jim Bowden, the Nationals were often expected to be more active around the deadline, but more often than not, nothing happened. Bowden was accused of wanting too much for the players he had on the block, and thus deals didn’t get done. Will Rizzo be more realistic? As the interim GM, does he even have the authority to make a move? Put another way: why has the team, after five months, not named Rizzo the permanent general manager — or hired another one?
While the Nats are certainly a horrible baseball team, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have desirable parts. First baseman Nick Johnson is the focus of many trade scenarios. He’s a patient hitter who gets on base a lot, has a good glove at first, and becomes a free agent after this season. Boston is frequently mentioned as a future home for Johnson.
Dunn
Adam Dunn hit his 300th career home run against the Braves on Saturday, making him one of 13 players to achieve this feat before the age of 30. Dunn’s 22 home runs this year tie him for fourth in the National League. He was brought to Washington to provide offense, and he certainly hasn’t disappointed: aside from home runs, he is sixth with 59 RBIs, 11th with a .545 slugging, and fourth in the league with 12.7 at bats per home run. He has also become a leader in the clubhouse, and seems to enjoy being in Washington. So, congratulations Adam.
Game of the Week: This week’s “game” of the week is on July 9, when the Nationals will finish their May 5 game against the Astros. That day, rain postponed the game in the 11th inning with the score tied at 10. The make-up will begin with the Nationals at bat with a runner on first and one out. Although it’s technically a home game for the Nats, the affair will be finished in Houston, beginning one hour before the regularly scheduled game against the Astros.
Briefly Noted: Nationals Pride compares John Lannan and a young Greg Maddux…The racing presidents pay tribute to Michael Jackson…The Nats have signed half of their draft picks…Jesus Colome has been designated for assignment…British rockers Keane are Nats Fans.
Meaningless Statistic of the Week: Adam Dunn is leading the Major League in Runs Created [(H+BB+HBP-CS-GIDP) x (TB+.26[BB-IBB+HBP]+.52[SH+SF+SB])] / (AB+BB+HBP+SH+SF) per 27 outs by a left handed left fielder under the age of 30, with 7.87.
