Baseball thread No. 7: Somebody slip the pinstripers a Mickey

I remember always wondering why Brian Harper bounced around. If I recall correctly, dude could rake. Not at a Mauer-like rate, but who can?

 

Ruined his throwing arm as a very young player, which in the go-go 80s, wouldn't cut it at catcher. The Pirates actually tried to move him to right field after Dave Parker washed out, but he couldn't cut it there, either.

 

Yep. I love what this franchise is doing, which is why I'm perfectly content to watch this team struggle as long as some of the young talent is assimilated along the way. Future is very bright. Adam Jones could be an All-Star for years to come. Wieters is going to hit eventually. I like Nolan Reimold. The young pitching is solid, and Matusz and Tillman have front of the rotation written all over them. Arrieta will be a major-league pitcher, too. I can be patient when I know that the talent is being developed. Then you can start talking about plugging a hole or two with a free agent.

 

Sounds like the Nats. My patience can only last so long, though.

 

All I'm left to do is root for the Pirates to have a better record than the Nationals . . . and this might go down to the final week of the year.

 

Forget that. Root for them to end up with the worst record in baseball, if for no other reason than to see if they really would draft and sign Harper or go the cheap route again.

 

If they stay patient and stick with the plan they'll be very good. They'd be a lot closer if not for the drunken sailor spending on players like Tejada, Lopez and Sosa.

 

A little different than the Nats, actually. The O's stopped dropping money on guys like Adam Dunn, which is fine by me. Dunn is a nice player, but with the Nats a good three years away (at least) from contending, he doesn't strike me as a piece of the future. More like just a stopgap to put asses in the seats. I do like Zimmerman (both of them), but I think the Nats could stand to go on a Pirates-like binge of veteran selling to bring back big future returns. Guzman isn't a long term answer. Neither is Nyjer Morgan. Willingham is a nice player, but he's 30. I think you have to either be all-in with a youth movement. You can't just piecemeal it. The Pirates have tried the piecemeal route for years and it just hasn't worked. The Nats do have some talent in the lower levels of the system, especially pitching talent.

LJB -- agree totally on the drunken-sailor spending. I was the happiest guy in the world when they moved Tejada and actually got something nice in return for him.

 

First, Nyjer Morgan isn't a long-term answer at CF? Are you nuts? I wouldn't mind seeing him roaming around center field and at the top of the lineup for the next 6-8 years. He's the biggest reason the Nats haven't sucked quite as badly the last month or so.

Second, I was just speaking generally. Both teams blow. Both have a couple nice pieces already in place. Both teams have solid young talent. Both have a bright future.

 

Yes, he did — LeVon Washington, the Rays' first-round pick out of Buchholz High School in Gainesville. Asked for too much bonus money for a late-first-round pick and the kid is academically ineligible at the University of Florida.

 

Isn't the academic thing the kid's problem?

 

Yes.

But as his agent, uh, I mean "advisor" Boras should have been aware of the fact the kid might not be able to play college ball. A deal needed to get done. Now the kid will wind up playing JUCO ball and hope to get drafted again.