Jim Riggleman resigned as manager of the Washington Nationals because his feelings were hurt, or because he wasn’t getting the respect he deserved, or because he said, "Oh, no, you didn’t!" and the Nationals’ GM totally did. We’re still not sure.
The Nationals After Jim Riggleman: Four Players Who Could Keep Them Above .500
But one thing that didn’t make him resign was a lack of quality talent on the current roster. The Nationals are the hottest team in the majors, and they’ve pulled to a game over .500, even though Ryan Zimmerman has been hurt for most of the year. Here are the four players who have contributed the most to the Nats’ surprising first half so far:
Jordan Zimmermann
Stephen Strasburg wasn’t the first Nats pitcher to come up, excite the fan base, and then have a tendon go kerflooey. In 2009, the Nationals were terrible, losing 103 games. Between Adam Dunn, Ryan Zimmerman, and Josh Willingham, the Nationals had something approaching a decent offense. There were holes, sure, but the problem wasn’t the scoring -- the problem was the pitching. The Nationals used 30 pitchers in 2009. Of those 30, fewer than a third are still on a major league roster. It was a dark time for pitching aficionados in the metro DC area.
Amidst the stinky stuff in 2009, though, there was a truffle. Zimmermann came up and immediately flashed strikeout stuff and good command before needing Tommy John surgery. He came back quickly, made some starts at the end of 2010, and now the Nationals are benefiting from their patience. He has a 124 ERA+, and he’s been keeping the ball in the park, which was his biggest weakness as a rookie.
Danny Espinosa
As long as there’s baseball, there will be someone yammering about who the most underrated player in baseball is. These people are probably best ignored.
Danny Espinosa is the most underrated player in baseball. He’s a 24-year-old second baseman who was pushed pretty aggressively through the minors. He’ll probably never be a high-average guy, but he already has above-average power for a middle infielder, and his defense is superb according to both scouts and stats. Most underrated player in baseball, and he’s getting better.
Mike Morse
Morse is 29, and he’s never played more than 100 games in a single season. He bounced up and down the Seattle system before finding his way to the Nationals. He’s 8’4” and one of the biggest hackers in the game, which is meant as a compliment. Yes, getting on base is a good thing, but it’s kind of fun to watch a guy swing for the fences every time he’s up. Especially if he’s part-ogre.
Will his success -- he’s at .302/.349/.547 with 13 homers -- last with a strikeout/walk ratio of 54/12 in 212 at-bats? Usually a hacker like that will regress a little, but, heck, hold out a hope that he’s a hitter in the Matt Williams or Raul Mondesi mold. That sort of thing works until the body breaks down with age. Until then, he’s emerging as a valid middle-of-the-order option for the Nationals.
Wilson Ramos
When I was a kid, I got Bases Loaded for my birthday. But I was a Baseball Stars kid -- I had my own established teams that could take on the American Dreams and everything. I should have returned the new game, but I opened the box and played it for a week. It was fun enough, but I soon went back to my old ways and traded the cartridge to another kid for Operation Wolf. That game kept me entertained for about two hours.
Later that month, I lent my copy of Baseball Stars to someone I barely knew. That guy didn’t return it for months because he was a jerk. In the meantime, when I wanted to play a baseball game, I didn’t have Bases Loaded. I just had that crappy Operation Wolf. I’m a grown-ass man now, and I still think about that stupid trade. So pointless.
The weirdest part of the above list? It doesn’t include Ryan Zimmerman (the best player on the team, though he hasn’t been healthy) and Jayson Werth (still due just $100M or so over the next six years). The Nationals are the hottest team in the majors, and they could be getting a little better. Managerial change or no, they aren’t likely to challenge the Braves or Phillies this year, but it’s easy to see why a Strasburg/Harper/Rendon cavalry, combined with the current core, has Washington fans excited. A .500 season isn’t out of the question, and something more isn’t far off.
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