Strangest Moment of 2011

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Jim Riggleman's resignation minutes after a walk-off win? Doesn't get much stranger.

OK, we've run through the greatest moments of the year and we've looked at the worst moments of the year. Now, before we tie a bow on 2011 and move ahead to the promise of 2012, we take one final look back ... at the strangest moments of the year.

And make no mistake, there were some strange moments in NatsTown. There was a previously popular center fielder getting traded for a bag of peanuts days after getting into a clubhouse fight with a teammate. There was a manager resigning moments after his team won in dramatic fashion. There was an interim manager getting ejected during his first game at the helm. There was a rookie pitcher hitting a home run on the very first pitch he ever saw in the big leagues. And there was the sight of a $126 million right fielder knocking giant foam presidential caricatures to the ground, winning the nightly race himself and then declaring himself "the last remaining member of the Bull Moose Party."

Let's run through the five finalists, one bizarre moment at a time...

MARCH 27: MORGAN TRADED TO MILWAUKEE
That Nyjer Morgan and the Nationals parted ways in less-than-loving fashion was no surprise. That relationship has steadily deteriorated over

Worst Moment of 2011

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Livan Hernandez gets yanked after blowing an 8-0 lead to the Cubs on July 7.

Yesterday, we looked at the Nationals' best moments of 2011, and there was little doubt what moment you all felt topped them all. The September four-game sweep of the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park easily won the poll, with Wilson Ramos' June 21 walk-off homer against the Mariners and Stephen Strasburg's Sept. 6 return to the mound finishing well behind.

Today, we turn the tables and look at the worst moments of the year. I was actually surprised how difficult it was to come up with five finalists for this category. If you're looking for evidence of the progress the Nationals made in 2011, this might be it right here. These five moments, while certainly upsetting, really don't seem that terrible in the grand scheme of things.

One quick note before we get to the nominees: You'll notice I haven't included the Ramos kidnapping/rescue in any of these end-of-year polls. That was a conscious decision on my part. Obviously the kidnapping represented the worst moment of the year for the Nationals, and obviously his rescue runs away with the title of best moment of the year. But to lump a life-and-death saga like that alongside mere baseball events would be wholly unfair to Ramos, his family and the Nationals.

With that, here are the nominees for Worst Moment of 2011...

1. APRIL 9: ZIMMERMAN TEARS ABDOMINAL MUSCLE
Ryan Zimmerman had already entered the regular season less than 100 percent healthy, having strained an abdominal muscle and his groin

Best Moment of 2011

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Wilson Ramos' June 21 walk-off homer against Seattle was a high point of the year.

There really are only three things that happen in the baseball world during the final week of December: 1) Front offices are closed, resulting in a decided lack of Hot Stove news, 2) Hall of Fame ballots are due, which means I better get cracking on mine and 3) Baseball writers desperate for material resort to posting year-in-review stuff.

Guess what that means? It's time to vote for your favorite moments of the year in NatsTown!

We'll break this up into three parts over the next three days. Today we'll look at the candidates for Best Moment of 2011. Tomorrow we'll run through the choices for Worst Moment of 2011. And then on Friday we'll break out the Strangest Moments of 2011.

Here are my finalists for Best Moment of 2011...

1. JUNE 21: WILSON RAMOS' WALK-OFF HOMER VS. SEATTLE
After reeling off eight straight wins to put themselves on the precipice of a .500 record, the Nationals suffered a tough loss to the Orioles on June 19 and then two nights later found themselves in a 5-1 hole to

The revised state of the farm system

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Bryce Harper still remains as the organization's top prospect.

Last week's acquisition of Gio Gonzalez cost the Nationals four of their best prospects: right-handers Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole, left-hander Tommy Milone and catcher Derek Norris. And in the immediate aftermath of the trade, skeptics wondered whether a Nationals' farm system that had slowly developed into a respectable entity had just been ransacked beyond repair.

To be sure, it's difficult to pluck four top prospects out of an organization and expect there to be enough depth already in place to cover those losses. But the cupboard isn't entirely bare for the Nationals. There's actually quite a bit of elite talent still in the system, especially in the pitching department.

Yes, Peacock and Milone were two of the organization's most-advanced pitching prospects, and Cole had perhaps the best pure stuff out of anyone in the system not named Stephen Strasburg.

But don't forget the Nationals acquired a pair of highly touted, college pitchers in the early round of this summer's draft in Alex Meyer and Matt Purke. Meyer, the 23rd overall pick in the country, just came off a

Lannan vs. Wang vs. Detwiler

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John Lannan led the Nats in wins and innings but must compete for a job in 2012.

One of the significant domino effects of last week's Gio Gonzalez trade -- as has been pointed out -- is the logjam it suddenly creates at the back end of the Nationals' rotation.

Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann may be assured of the top three spots come Opening Day, but there are now only two remaining jobs and three more-than-viable candidates in John Lannan, Chien-Ming Wang and Ross Detwiler.

So what do the Nationals do? There's no clear-cut solution. Wang is already signed for $4 million (plus incentives). Detwiler is out of options and thus can't be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers (something that would almost certainly never happen). And Lannan (after leading the staff in wins, starts and innings pitched) is due to earn roughly $5 million through arbitration.

When asked about this dilemma Friday night during his conference call announcing the Gonzalez trade, general manager Mike Rizzo reiterated the importance of stockpiling as much pitching depth as possible and