Chase Hughes and I will have another live edition of Beltway Baseball tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. on CSNwashington.com (also live-streamed here on NatsInsider.com). And this week we've got a new twist: We'll be answering a few questions from all of you.
If you've got a topic or a specific question you'd like us to address, put it in the comments section of this thread. Obviously we won't be able to get to them all, but we'll pick the best ones and use them during tomorrow's show.
Make sure to tune in at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow to find out if we selected your question.
21 comments:
I've got a few:
1) Are the Nats really looking for a CF as the Ken Rosenthal report suggests?
2) What is the approach Eckstein is taking to these hitters? Lenny Harris had a 'mental' approach and it got him nowhere. Is there film study? Is it look outside react inside? Or are these just poor hitters?
3) What are Nats executives citing for Desi's amount of errors this season? Aggression? Bad hands? Concentration?
I echo Nataholic's question about a CF. Also, any word on some of the players being considered for the Nats pick at #6?
thanks
joNAThan
What is up with Zimmermans injuries?
Why do we suppose Morse was hot in spring but not now
What impact do you see from the older contingent, that we aren't seeing? How long before we see Bernie back up? I will say it hurts my heart that he is still down there,
How long do we get to keep LaRoche before that shoulder becomes too much? And the is Morse our first base guy?
What are the practical steps for getting Wilson to the All Stars?
What trade rumors surrounding Nationals, you think are legitimate?
What CF / Leadoff hitter type player could seriously help the Nationals' struggling offense?
This is early in the season, but many Nationals are not performing as expected. Desmond still has fielding issues, Werth has not exactly got going at the plate, Slaten refuses to do his job as a specialist, pitchers keep allowing lot of hits. Which of these we should worry about and which ones you think will improve as the season goes on?
Who can the nationals trade for to help at cf
And ss?
Is Laroche ever going to hit before he blows
Out his shoulder? Who can play first if he does
Morse?
Is morse really the answer in lf or should he
Platoon with nix?
Should stairs be let go so Nix gets more ph
Chances?
Can any starter at aaa really help? Detwiler
Seems to put too many on base?
Is Solis still hurt? How are Ray and Cole
Doing?
Why still making so many errors?
Some good questions so far. I'd add what's the time table for HRod? And are you concerned they're burning out the bullpen by having guys like Clipp come in consistently to put out fires?
Coffey and Broderick seem to have stabalized a bit but Gaudin and Slaten can't seem to throw strikes and when they do it's usually for doubles to the gaps.
Does this team with this very weak bench, both offensively and defensively especially the MI look like a 50 win team against 100 losses? The end of the Mets series should find them in last place? When do you think Rizzo will start pulling the trigger and trade some or most of the more valuable veterans for prospects?
Anony said: "Does this team with this very weak bench, both offensively and defensively especially the MI look like a 50 win team against 100 losses?"
Yes -- hitting and fielding look bad right now. But their pitching makes them look like a .500 team -- and we know their hitting is going to get better.
The guys at Baseball America now project the Nats taking Vanderbilt righty Sonny Gray at No. 6 -- (inducing cartwheels here.)
They also think the Nats might make a splash by grabbing dinged TCU ace Matt Purke at No. 23.
By all accounts this is the deepest draft in years. Will the Nats seek the best college pitchers on the board?
Same question for the past 4 years Mark....errors....what are they going to do to stop the bleeding....yet again?
Also, who will be the first coach fired. Randy S.C. was fired to send a message......not because he was a poor coach.....Eck going to pay the price soon?
Luqman M. Sh-Hersi
Why has the Nationals find a true closer? Who should be the everyday closer for the Nats? They need a closer who should give the club confidence.
How many of the moves this offseason are truly long-term solutions for this team? Werth is obviously one, but we seem to have so many longer term questions in the outfield at short, first, and pitching that I wonder when the revolving door feeling will stop and the roster will stabilize from one opening day to another. Will it ever? I'm especially interested in how much Rizzo values stability and development or whether his philosophy is more along the lines of revamping the roster dramatically every year.
Would you comment on Rizzo's roster construction, particularly the bench and bullpen? It seems poor to me, but I would be interested in your opinion. My rationale is that Ankiel, Nix and Stairs offer essentially the same thing - a LH bench bat with varying ability to play the field, yet there are 3 spots devoted to it. And Cora and Hairston also offer the same thing, weak hitting, decent fielding and some versatility. Why no righty bat, and some more pop at utility IF even if sacrifice a little D?
On bullpen, isn't Rizzo playing the options game too much to the detriment of performance? Wouldn't Riggleman have a better chance of winning games if some combo of Balestar, HRod, Kimball and Stammen replaced Gaudin, Coffey, Slaten and/or Broderick?
Anyhow, my question is about Rizzo's decisionmaking, not necessarily the specifics of those personnel decisions.
PS Drew8 - I read that article as Gray is who they would pick in the Nats slot, not who they are projecting the Nats to take. I also would do cartwheels if they took him, but I think that he is too small for Rizzo's tastes.
1) Regarding Zimmerman's contract vis-a-vis Tulo, et al: who is holding up a Zimmerman contract extension, and why?
2) This is Jason Marquis' last year on his contract. Is it a foregone conclusion that he will be traded no later than July? If so, what with the FO want in return?
What is the team going to do with Ian Desmond? He's been awful. Will they move Espinosa to SS so Desmond has an easier position to field at 2B? Will they send Desmond down to AAA to re-learn how to play baseball?
Are the Nats looking to cut any of the veterans that have not produced as Riggleman/Rizzo expected? Matt Stairs has been worse than anyone expected (and I personally expected him to be downright awful). Chad Gaudin has been a huge liability too. Are we going to see them released in favor of young players who can probably help the team more like Bernadina and Collin Balester?
Are we looking to trade any catchers? We have 3 young guys who can all potentially be starters in the near future (Ramos, Flores and Norris) plus Pudge. I would think that one of those guys should be able to bring a solid return in a trade- are we looking to do this?
1) Who goes when Hrod is ready?
2) Any chance we work out a trade with the Cards and send Broderick to the minors?
3) How much faith can this team have in Matt Stairs?
I've heard that for pitchers coming back from TJ, the velocity comes back a lot sooner than the control/accuracy. Does Zimmermann feel he can hit his spots, or is he still working to get that aspect of his pitching back? Seems like he's very hittable right now, even though he's throwing hard.
Can you get a better mobile viewing page for this website like the NY Times or the WaPost? With the browser the letters in the posting are too small.
If the Nationals are converting Bryce Harper into a CF, why the reported interest in BJ Upton and other CFs now? Why spend money on a 1-year player for a team that is not going to contend this year unless Willie Mays circa 1954 walks in the door tomorrow?
How many more errors does Ian Desmond need to commit before the Nationals move Danny Espinosa to SS and either a) move Desmond to 2nd; or b) push Desmond down to Syracuse to get better at SS and then bring him back up?
What are the chances that Espy and Desi swap IF positions? What are the chances if they don't and Desi is still struggling with errors by Sept they bring up Steve Lombardozzi to play 2B and Espi SS? If none of this happens and Desi does not improve dramatically this year, do you see them making a move to sign Jose Reyes (who is an FA this year)? If Cory Brown get his bat going consistently in the minors, do you see them bringing him up to play CF by All Star break? Finally, will Berny replace Morse in LF if Morse's bat does not come alive soon?
in Fox Sports broadcasts, what does the number that appear in the middle of the diamond after each at-bat signifies?
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