In' with Jayson Werth / D4
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 ଁ SECTION D 2011 The Nationals go ‘all in’ with Jayson Werth / D4 D2 | BASEBALL EXTRA ଁ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 20 11 Where ‘W’ has a different meaning For D.C. baseball fans, it’s all about the waiting ometimes you wonder place of work this year and less like whether the W on the Na- the winter home of Barnum & Bailey. tionals’ caps stands for But it’s hard to envision the Nation- Wait. Let’s face it, since the als making up much ground on the franchise took up residence Phillies, not with Strasburg still on Sin Washington in 2005, waiting is the mend and Harper figuring to about all the team’s fans have done. spend the season in the minors. First they waited for Major (Heck, the acquisition of Lee makes League Baseball to find an owner for Philadelphia — winner of the past the club. That took a year and a half. four division crowns — more of a Then they waited for a new sta- colossus than ever.) dium to be built. That took another Aside from Werth, the Nationals year and a half. have brought in Adam LaRoche to All along, play first base — essentially replacing they’ve waited for Adam Dunn’s 199 strikeouts and 36 the front office to homers with LaRoche’s 172 strikeouts put together a and 25 homers. LaRoche also has a bet- competitive ros- ter glove. Defense, in fact, is a point of ter, one capable of emphasis with the Nats this season. challenging for Manager Jim Riggleman wants his the National pitchers to throw more strikes and League East title. go deeper into games, and the only And now, of way that’s going to work is if his course, they’re fielders can (a) cover ground and (b) waiting for DAN DALY catch the ball. Werth, with his range Stephen Strasburg and arm, fits the bill nicely in right to come back field, and Michael Morse should be from Tommy John an upgrade in left over the departed surgery, for Bryce Harper to turn Josh Willingham. An infield of Ryan into Roy Hobbs and, quite a bit fur- Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Danny ther down the list, for Teddy Roo- Espinosa (a shortstop playing second sevelt to win the Presidents Race. base) and LaRoche doesn’t look too (On the plus side, though, they no ASSOCIATED PRESS shabby, either, particularly if the ath- longer have to wait for Cristian Guz- that arrived in Washington in ’05. It — the same Phillies who had recently him great gobs of grief. letic Desmond can whittle down his man to draw a walk or for Austin had a farm system and — on the added Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt In the offseason, owner Ted errors from an MLB-leading 34. Kearns to be worth all those millions major league level, at least — enough to their rotation (and would further Lerner and general manager Mike But without Strasburg, the starting his benefactor, Jim Bowden, paid talent to finish .500 that first season. Rizzo continued the “assault” on rotation lacks an ace or even a certified him. Thank heaven for small favors.) But those 81 wins have been the In the offseason, Philadelphia by throwing $126 mil- No. 2, and it remains to be seen who Fortunately for the Nationals, high point so far of baseball’s return lion at right fielder Jayson Werth. the closer is going to be. (Drew Storen Washingtonians have a lot of prac- to D.C. The past three years have owner Ted Lerner and Aside from that, though, the past few has not had a great spring.) The batting tice waiting. They waited 33 years for been particularly gruesome, low- general manager Mike months have been relatively un- lineup, meanwhile, doesn’t look much baseball to return to the District. lighted by loss totals of 102, 103 and Rizzo continued the eventful in Nats Land. This isn’t nec- more murderous than it did last sea- They’ve waited the same length of 93; the firing of a manager (Manny essarily a bad thing. The Bowden son, when it produced fewer runs (655) time for the Wizards to win another Acta) and general manager (Bow- ‘assault’ on years had an unhealthy amount of than all but two other NL clubs. championship. They’ve also waited den); the stepping down of president Philadelphia by drama; if a prospect wasn’t being un- So expectations once again will 37 years for the Capitals to claim the Stan Kasten (the Lerner family’s tour throwing $126 million masked as an imposter, then the GM be modest. The Nationals aren’t Stanley Cup and — can it be? — two guide); and a noticeable thinning of was being charged with DUI — or about the here and now. They’re still decades for the Redskins to return to the crowds (except when Strasburg at right fielder interviewed by the FBI about the about the future, still a team that’s the Super Bowl. was on the hill). Jayson Werth. purported skimming of signing more imagined than real. Waiting R Us, in other words. Indeed, when Nyjer Morgan bonuses by Latin American scouts. Thus, the waiting continues. Still, you couldn’t blame Nats fol- flipped out last summer, he almost beef up their pitching in the offseason Rizzo’s more understated ap- With successful clubs such as the lowers if they were beginning to look seemed to be channeling Nats Na- with prize free agent Cliff Lee). There proach has brought some much- Phillies and Braves, a W means one at their watches. After all, this wasn’t tion’s smoldering rage. Especially was something wonderfully symbolic needed normalcy to the organiza- thing. With the Nats, it means an expansion franchise, a startup, when he hit that Phillies fan with a ball about Morgan’s act, even if it did bring tion. Viera, Fla., seemed more like a something else. BY AMANDA COMAK 2010 draftees who THE WASHINGTON TIMES Top prospects aim for short stay in minors will move quickly: Here’s a look at the next 1. Bryce Harper OF - There are not wave of prospects the Nationals 8-1 with a 2.17 ERA, 18 saves and ceptive with his pitches (fastball, too many superlatives that haven’t 2 been used to describe Harper. The No. hope will be making their way 101 strikeouts in 78 /3 innings of slider, change-up). He was 11-3 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Harper to Washington sooner or later: work, and he’ll most likely take his with a 1.72 ERA between Po- became the Nationals’ best prospect talents to Triple-A this year be- tomac and Harrisburg in 2009. the minute the ink dried on his major LIKELY TRIPLE-A BOUND fore an eventual call-up. league contract last August. Harper was very impressive this spring during Chris Marrero, 1B: Marrero, LIKELY SINGLE-A BOUND his time in major league camp and is 22, drew rave reviews this Tom Milone, LHP: A crafty expected to start the season at Single-A spring for the strides he made left-hander, Milone has excep- Danny Rosenbaum, LHP: Rosen- Hagerstown but could be in Washing- defensively at first base. The tional control over all three of baum was very impressive in ton as early as this fall, though it’s more likely he’ll hit the main stage sometime Nationals’ No. 1 pick in 2006, his pitches, and one talent eval- 2010, posting a 2.25 ERA in 25 during the 2012 season. Marrero was drafted as a third uator called him one of the best minor league starts between 2. Sammy Solis RHP - The Nation- baseman, but he was converted “feel the pitch” pitchers in the Hagerstown and Potomac, and als’ second-round pick in the 2010 initially to the outfield and now Nationals’ organization. He was was even better the year before draft, Solis is highly regarded within the to first base. The bat was always named the Nationals’ 2010 in the Gulf Coast League (4-1, 1.95 organization for his ability to pitch to both sides of the plate with good move- there — through a nasty broken minor league pitcher of the year ERA). A 22nd-round pick out of ment and a good angle on his fastball. fibula that also resulted in torn after a 12-5, 2.85 season at Dou- Xavier in 2009, Rosenbaum has Solis, ranked the Nationals’ No. 6 ligaments and ended his 2008 ble-A Harrisburg, where he strong control over his fastball, a prospect by Baseball America, was season in June — and was espe- struck out 155 batters in 158 in- plus curveball and a developing drafted out of the University of San Diego and is further advanced than cially prevalent last year at Dou- nings. After making the Eastern change-up. He could get the call many of the Nationals’ pitching ble-A Harrisburg, where he hit League All-Star team in 2010, up to Double-A Harrisburg early prospects so he’s expected to move .294 with 18 homers and 82 RBI. Milone should start the year in this season, if not at the start. through the system fairly quickly. Base- ball America, for one, projects him to be Marrero was named an Eastern a crowded Triple-A rotation. in the Nationals’ 2014 starting rotation, League All-Star and added to Sandy Leon, C: The 22-year- if not sooner. his progression in the Puerto old out of Venezuela is about to 3.