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| Photo by USA Today Sports Images |
When the Braves made one of the boldest moves of the MLB offseason in trading for All-Star outfielder Justin Upton, it didn’t exactly come free. Atlanta had to surrender a top pitching prospect Randall Delgado and a group of second tier farmhands as well. The headliner of the price they paid, however, was infielder Martin Prado.
Prado was slotted to take over third after the departure of Chipper Jones and seeing his name involved was a welcome sign for several Nats players.
“That’s great for them, I don’t know why they got rid of Martin Prado though,” Bryce Harper said. “He was a killer for us last year. He is pretty unbelievable.”
Ross Detwiler, a starting pitcher who Prado holds a .591 batting average against with six doubles in 22 career at-bats, is also happy to see him go.
“For anyone it is really going to come down to who is healthy,” Detwiler said of the N.L. East. “But the Braves, I’m glad they got rid of Prado because I just could not get that guy out.”
Prado posed a huge problem for Detweiler even last season when the Nats’ lefty came into his own as a reliable starter. They faced each other in five games last season and the only time Prado didn’t get at least two hits, on June 29, he didn’t start the game. He did come in later to pinch-hit against Detwiler and poked a single. Prado had at least two extra base hits in three of his five games against Detweiler last season and finished with six doubles, a triple, and two RBIs in just 13 at-bats.
Jayson Werth was another player who pointed out the Braves will be without Prado and also mentioned Jones. Jones has tormented all of his N.L. East foes over the years and the 2012 Nats were no exception. Jones hit .306/.419/.444 against Washington with a home run, seven RBI, and six walks in 11 games last season.
Despite the Braves' active offseason, Werth still sees the Nationals as the team to beat.
“I think we got the best team in baseball,” he said. “If that’s your mind-set going in, no one else matters, you just have to take care of yourself.”
Detweiler does acknowledge, however, that the Braves could be a better team even without Prado who has had such success against him personally.
“The Braves definitely added more power and more defense as well. They are going to be tough to beat, but they always kind of will for us.”
Harper agrees that the Braves were good last year and could be even more of a challenge in 2013.
“For them to add Justin Upton and B.J., that’s two great assets to their outfield and a young team. They are going to be scary,” he said. “It’s pretty impressive what they have.”
“We’re a good team, it’s going to be a battle so it’s time to get going.”
Washington won’t have to see Prado often next season with him out of the division, but they will see him six times with the Diamondbacks. The Nats host Arizona at Nats Park in June (25-27) and travel to Chase Field in September (27-29). The latter series is actually the final three-game set of the Nats’ 2013 season. Prado may be out of the N.L. East, but he could make an impact on their season if it goes down to the final games.
84 comments:
I think Mark and the writers here are down playing Nick Johnson's retirement. For dedicated Nats fans from Day 1, Nick Johnson was a big part of the team that brought DC back to Washington. And he was an early fan favorite, especially for seamheads. I just think his retirement should have been covered here a little more.
Off topic, but a pretty balanced perspective on the Gio mystery:
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/49258/baseballs-ped-problem-wont-seem-to-go-away
Didn't see that others had already provided the link in the last thread. Sorry for overlap.
It's really hard to get behind a team as strongly as I used to. You never know when names will pop up on a list somewhere and there goes all the fun and enthusiasm you had for the team.
I don't want this to come off as a backhanded compliment, but Chase, you're getting pretty good at writing these articles.
Yep, Prado leaving Atlanta was a real plus! I think Atlanta made a mistake. They could've move Prado to 3rd and retained Bourn and put BJ Upton in LF.
The net/net would have been better plus they would have retained those top prospects.
David - They have an article for Nick Johnson posted on the CSN site.
Its truly amazing how almost all of the opening day class for the Nats in 2005 are retired.
David, I too, would like to see more Nick love, but keep in mind that Mark is tending to a death in the family....
Nice piece, Chase!!
FG has a good piece on Nick also. they have one on Schneider also.
Oh I know there are good pieces out there, including Svrluga's... And that Mark's dealing with family right now. I didn't mean to complain, just stating that I hope Nick's retirement doesn't get forgotten here on Natsinsider. I meant it more as a content suggestion because pitchers and catcher report soon, so if it doesn't get a mention here soon maybe it would be forgotten as things ramp up.
Amanda has the links to the GIO story, I am not sure what to think of all of it? I don't have a chemistry degree, Gio wasn't listed as a patient, he is in the journals, but I can't figure them out. UGH.
UGH.. And Wagner on WaPo has added more arms and legs to this.
LiverNOnions, thanks for that link to the grantland story. Amazing to read a clear-headed analysis of this whole stupid mess.
And yes, I too am thrilled to see Prado go. Too bad it wasn't to the AL, but six games is better than 18.
Atlanta absolutely fleeced the Diamondbacks. If healthy it is not unreasonable that Upton is a Top-10 overall player in the NL. Upton has 3 years remaining on a pretty friendly deal ($13mm per). Prado is top-10 3B in the league with 1 year left on his deal (yes - this is his walk year). I'm not sure many scouts will still rate Delgado as a top prospect..the Braves have several better in my opinion. I'm not sure how Arizona fans are swallowing this one.
I didn't mean to complain, just stating that I hope Nick's retirement doesn't get forgotten here on Natsinsider.
I remember Nicky fondly too, but he's been gone longer than he was here by now. I can still hear distant circus music in my head every time there's a popup off first base. And if you want to share some Nicky memories, why wait for Chase or Mark? It's a slow day anyway. Go for it.
Michele, my suggestion is to just wait. Remember how we used to do that, way back when we didn't have a choice? Things still happened back then.
You'll be okay.
Thanks Scooter.
I think I will wait. If MLB doesn't suspend him, then I am good.
TCostant. Just remember the guys that were on that list got busted, gio didn't. Also, in the updated, the Dr says he never treated Arod or Gio (didn't mention the others).
Atta person, Michele.
reposting
Well, the other shoe has dropped
as far as other Nats and "potential" PEDs:
From ESPN
"Washington Nationals All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond implicated in Sarasota Geritol ring. 'I got it from a guy at the Early Bird buffet', said Desmond"
You just KNEW this would happen if he stayed around all those seniors!
Ok, lighten up everyone. Let the facts come out.
You'll be good anyway, Michele. Sometimes the light's all shining on me; other times, I can barely see.
And now this:
Espinosa linked to rogaine supplier
Sudden growth of facial hair connected to Haren, Werth
Storen, Strasburg said to be seeing refunds. "This [stuff] doesn't do [Richard]!" the hurlers say.
Ehay2K.. My mom is Ian's geritol dealer ;-)
Sofa/Michele -- Lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it's been!
liver&onions: thanks for that link
really did not think I needed to read more but have to admit, the Grantland Article opened my eyes a little more to what lies ahead.
I guess now we just sit and wait but there is no doubt that Gio will have to be answering questions for most of the year.
MicheleS, in a court of law, its all circumstantial but with a corroborating witness then maybe.
There's smoke, there's fire, there's no bullet in the gun. Everyone can decide for themself. Reminds me a little of Bud Fox in the original Wall Street the way your pals treat you when the going gets tough.
I still say innocent based on the evidence.
"Set up, like a bowling pin;
Knocked down, it gets to wearing thin.
They just won't let you be."
Everyone can decide for themself.
I was saying that very thing to the home plate umpire just last week. I was sure the pitch was low, he thought otherwise, and just didn't see the value of compromise in that situation.
And then there's the matter of the guest room bed, which is said to be a widow-maker. Homicide detectives are investigating.
In other news, an astronaut pen has gone missing from senior housing.
ehay2k said...
reposting
Well, the other shoe has dropped
as far as other Nats and "potential" PEDs:
From ESPN
"Washington Nationals All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond implicated in Sarasota Geritol ring. 'I got it from a guy at the Early Bird buffet', said Desmond"
You just KNEW this would happen if he stayed around all those seniors!
Ok, lighten up everyone. Let the facts come out.
January 30, 2013 5:04 PM
Looks like Amanda coming up on MLB.
Also, sittin' and starin' out of the hotel window. Is it spring yet?
UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: Bosch’s attorney, Susy Ribero-Ayala refuted the New Times report in a statement Tuesday, saying it was “filled with inaccuracies, innuendo and misstatements” and Bosch “vehemently denies the assertions that MLB players such as Alex Rodriguez and Gio Gonzalez were treated by or associated with him.”
No matter what happens, this could really mess with Gio's head.
I now expect Gio to be gone for 50 games, I'll be happy if he isn't.
Saturday I was so happy and excited for baseball season. Yesterday baseball turned ugly. Again. Hate having a Nat involved in the mess.
And I expected that low fastball to be called ball 3. I'm sorry it wasn't.
Swell. Greg Amsinger on Intentional Talk says he's in favor of witch hunts. I kid you not. Millar could do nothing with him.
Amsinger = Cardinals fan/homer/douchebag
So Brian Schneider is calling it quits too. Who's still in MLB from the 2005 Nats?
222 Livo?
Innocent!
All this speculation based on this story makes me sick.
The paper is not really mainstream and it has his name in a note book associated with stuff that was not banned.
Do all these athletes take legal stuff in an attempt to improve their body and thus their performance - certainly. Does that mean they are all cheaters - no way.
Did you ever notice the bottles of GNC supplements in their lockers during after-game interviews? They take legal stuff and thats OK.
I believe GIO when he says he has not taken PEDs. End of story. Stop all the soul searching and speculation.
GO NATS
Sect222, technically Ryan Zimmerman still is.
Yahoo Sports saying Gio will be interviewed by MLB. Not sure when. I don't think he will be suspended but he will be tested more often.
They also say that Gio and the strength coach from University of Miami are long-time friends and Gio has trained with him.
Still doesn't prove anything but the room is filled with smoke.
Sect222, Ryan Zimmerman was on the 2005 team.
.
Livo is technically an unemployed free agent, not retired. Says he wants to play, still. Of COURSE he does.
Wasn't the Wookie on that 2005 team?
I don't think Bernadina was up yet.
2005 Nats roster
Quite a few guys still active, actually. And yes, Rauch is one.
I'm with you alm re your @7:27pm
http://instagram.com/p/RslfYjtJnW/
Here's Gio and Goins. This Goins guy has been suspended already by University of Miami.
Section 3, my sofa said...
Swell. Greg Amsinger on Intentional Talk says he's in favor of witch hunts. I kid you not. Millar could do nothing with him.
January 30, 2013 7:10 PM
I saw that sofa. I just wanted to smack Amsinger up side the head. All Milar was saying is show me some substance. I wholeheartedly agree with Milar. Where's the proof!
That photo of Goins and Gio together was supposedly taken in November of 2012.
I don't know for sure either way, of course, but Gio just seems like the kind of guy that trusts everyone. Don't think he took anything, but didn't see the shady side of a guy he was working out with. Probably wouldn't believe it if someone said a bad thing about the guy he considered a buddy.
baseballswami and such goes the ole "guilt by association". He seems to hang with a lot of scum.
Ghost Of Steve M. said...
...Still doesn't prove anything but the room is filled with smoke.
Just a smoke machine.
Sonny, LOL
Section 3, my sofa said...
Wasn't the Wookie on that 2005 team?
I don't think Bernadina was up yet.
i don't think harper was born yet
padum pum.
and loving the geritol jokes.
Gonat- unfortunately, when you are famous you have to be careful who you hang with. I still think Gio just doesn't see anything but good in people. He will have to be over- the - top careful now. Hope he just heads for Viera and immerses himself in the Nats family.
Baseballswami, you know Rizzo will let him know that with non-muddled words. This team goes after high-character people and this is a stain now on the organization.
I've been out to the club Lima when Gio has been there with his boys. He has a bigger posse' than a rockstar and most of these guys may be nice guys but I think Gio has to take inventory of everyone in his circle.
He has a bigger posse' than a rockstar and most of these guys may be nice guys but I think Gio has to take inventory of everyone in his circle.
He's a baseball player, which is closer to actually being a rock star than to being, say, a judge, a bishop, or a MIB. He's a ball player. It's his job to win games, and not break the law when he's on his own time.
We seem to be ramping up what we expect of a guy because we pay to see him play a game that we would never expect from a guy we pay to see play a piano.
And by "we" I mean the culture in general, not anybody in here. Just saying.
Thanks for the roster list Sofa. Yes, quite a few still active. But a whole lot more who aren't. That was not a young team, that's for sure.
Speaking of Livo, I remember we were waiting for a shoe to drop on him because of the company he kept. Anybody know whatever happened to that?
is anyone else getting pop ups or slider ads?
I am disappointed in the fans on this site. Way to stand behind your team.
Wondering what is really going on has absolutely no bearing on standing behind your team. They are people not gods. None of us know them , we just feel like we do. This is a fine organization and the players seem like fine people. That doesn't mean no one will ever have a problem. Personally , I don't think he took ped's. but if he did, I still love the Nats. They are my team. I feel just awful for Gio and the team. He must focus now , and deal with it. I will be cheering for him just as I always do. Doesn't mean I am totally blind to the fact that he may not be perfect.
Amanda raised a good point in her interview. Max Gonzalez loves to talk about his son. Now, you are a somewhat shady owner of a somewhat shady clinic. Guy named "Max Gonzalez" comes in, not the most unusual name in Miami.
BUT, he starts bragging on his son. You think==> "this could be useful. I don't know how, yet, but it could be useful. I'm gonna keep track of his son's name, I'm gonna write it down next to Max's..." Maybe you're thinking a little blackmail, a little bribery, or just getting your foot in another door...
There are bad guys out there. If guys could kidnap Wilson Ramos, guys could set up Gio Gonzalez.
damn I like that angle.
here is the editor talking: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25578041&c_id=mlb
NatsLady, just wondering, was that "bad guys" scenario Amanda's or yours?
Amanda just said Max likes to talk about his son. The rest was mine.
On Tuesday there was no "pink cream." Then people started defending Gio, noting that nothing attributed to his name was illegal for the Feds or MLB. Suddenly, there is "pink cream."
"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary to prove it at all."
I feel the need for a smile. Remember Morse's phantom home run???? Re-live it. You will smile. One if the most fun things I have ever seen on a diamond. Thanks , Mike.
Section 3, my sofa said...
"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary to prove it at all."
January 30, 2013 9:52 PM
sofa, I'm not sure I understand your comment. are you saying that those of us who defend Gio and insist on there being proof of his guilt are irrational?
People who are just waiting for an official report, I wasn't talking to you.
I just feel that a lot of people are anxious and uneasy. I know that even if he never even took an aspirin, the PR genie is out if the bottle and can't be put back in.
Yes, swami, that's for sure.
My working theory is that Gio's dad wanted to take HGH for it's "anti-aging properties". (As an aside, my father did this also a few years ago ... some of the stories have noted that HGH is now a $1B+ industry, mostly driven by aging folks with money). Since Gio knew some of the other folks involved with this clinic, he introduced his dad. Based on that introduction, the clinic noted Gio's name by his father's for some of the transactions.
Probably all wishful thinking, and I fully understand the "where there's smoke ..." rationale, as the author seems to have been somewhat careful about only releasing names he felt more comfortable with the corroboration, but for now I'll stick with "innocent until proven guilty".
If Gio is suspended, it should be for the whole season. Fifty games is nothing. For a pitcher it is only 10 starts. Even if a fill-in pitcher won only four of those games - and they will probably win more than four - it would only be like any starter having a bad beginning to a season. For a suspensiion to have a big effect to a pitcher, it must be for more than 50 games.
Rabbit, I get your point about starting pitchers (as opposed to relief pitchers, btw). But don't you think that some nuance is called for there? The league has suspended based on circumstantial evidence, without a positive drug test, but that has only been when they can document purchase (through receipts, cancelled checks, etc). A name scribbled on a ledger by some unknown person for some unknown reason isn't going to justify a 50 game suspension for anyone.
If Gio can be personally and definitively tied to PEDs, hit him with the sentance called for under the drug policy. Your point about starting pitchers can be addressed by changing the policy prospectively, but it would be harsh to change the policy ex post facto.
Is there a reason why supplying legal supplements needed to be entered in a personal notebook? It seems like a weird sort of autograph book where he kept his famous patients along with accounts concerning the illegal supply sideline. I would think using Gio would make it easier to remember the name, but I wonder if we'll find out about other similar "celebrities". Seems like the dietary stuff could all be billed in a normal fashion and through insurance, etc.
sofa, I'm not sure I understand your comment. are you saying that those of us who defend Gio and insist on there being proof of his guilt are irrational?
Sorry for the ambiguity, and for being away and responding so late. No, that wasn't my point. Sorta the opposite, actually. One's willingness (or lack thereof) to jump to conclusions when any opinion one might have is necessarily going to be ill-informed bears no relationship to how good (or bad) a fan of the team or the sport one might be.
You see now why I went with the Blake's 7 quote.
Seems like the dietary stuff could all be billed in a normal fashion and through insurance, etc.
Insurance probably won't cover that, but I have no idea how it was paid for, actually; maybe they did bill it "normally." But djinFla posted a good reminder yesterday about the "medical clinics" in Florida--there are a lot of Dr. Nicks out there.
Going back up the thread aways:
Section 3, my sofa said...
I remember Nicky fondly too, but he's been gone longer than he was here by now. I can still hear distant circus music in my head every time there's a popup off first base. And if you want to share some Nicky memories, why wait for Chase or Mark? It's a slow day anyway. Go for it.
-----------------------------------------------
I'm pretty sure that circus music you hear(d) was when Dmitri was "manning" first base, not sure-handed Nick.
I seem to recall Dmitri saying something to that effect about himself. :-)
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