The Nats Thread (old thread link inside, too many load issues)

[Sticksboi05]

I'm not sure what to do with Harper at this point.

Harper is 19. He's going through a cold streak and is still hitting .280. He's fine. The supposed franchise player ahead of him has been embarrassing. Another GIDP last night. The one RBI doesn't negate how awful he has been this season. R-Zimm needs to get his **** together.

[StillUnknown]

Then let's hope MLB decides to go all DH for the NL next year.

I abhor the DH.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I abhor the DH.

Absolutely. Worst bastardization of a sport EVER

[Forehead]

Harper is 19. He's going through a cold streak and is still hitting .280. He's fine. The supposed franchise player ahead of him has been embarrassing. Another GIDP last night. The one RBI doesn't negate how awful he has been this season. R-Zimm needs to get his **** together.

I know he's 19, but it doesn't matter in relation to what I'm talking about. He wanted to play at this level (everyone should) and was semi-cocky about it in the past. He's exceeded expectations. But the fact remains, if he's going to hit in the #2 hole, he needs to be able to adjust much quicker than he's shown....the league is adjusting to him. If they want to drop him to #6 in the lineup, where he'll have more RBI opportunities, then so be it, but if he's going to be #2, he needs to get on base a little more, make a lot more contact, and strike out a lot less. I know Zim and Morse haven't exactly lit the world on fire, but they need the RBI opportunities that result from Harper and others being on base. I watched Harper's swings last night...they could have thrown that slow, looping curve to him 10 pitches straight and he wouldn't have hit it, not the way he looked. Maybe even 20 times.

Zim...I don't know, he's probably hurting more than he lets on.

[StillUnknown]

I know he's 19, but it doesn't matter in relation to what I'm talking about. He wanted to play at this level (everyone should) and was semi-cocky about it in the past. He's exceeded expectations. But the fact remains, if he's going to hit in the #2 hole, he needs to be able to adjust much quicker than he's shown....the league is adjusting to him. If they want to drop him to #6 in the lineup, where he'll have more RBI opportunities, then so be it, but if he's going to be #2, he needs to get on base a little more, make a lot more contact, and strike out a lot less. I know Zim and Morse haven't exactly lit the world on fire, but they need the RBI opportunities that result from Harper and others being on base. I watched Harper's swings last night...they could have thrown that slow, looping curve to him 10 pitches straight and he wouldn't have hit it, not the way he looked. Maybe even 20 times.

Zim...I don't know, he's probably hurting more than he lets on.

Even with his current slump, Bryce has by far the highest OBP on the team, I have no complaints about him at the 2 spot. He won't be there past this season, so I can take the bad with the good. Since his call-up, he's been our best hitter, which says a lot about the rest of our offensive roster.

Bryce has a pretty good IQ at the plate for someone his age, he'll make the adjustments necessary on the pitches he's been missing.

[Sticksboi05]

Yes, let's move the guy with the highest OBP on our team to #6.

[Forehead]

Clearly, I'm referring to his last couple weeks, not his performance this season. As I said, we're attaching our hopes to this guy, and I want to see him adjust quicker. I'm not suggesting he be dropped in the order unless he shows an ability, relatively soon, to re-adjust when the league adjusts to him. I think it's obvious I would not want him there permanently. As slump I can handle...hell, I played baseball for 16 years myself. It's the high volume of strikeouts, the lack of consistent contact, and frankly, how awful he looks with two strikes, that are bothering me.

[Warhead36]

Harper's big weakness right now is lefties throwing him junk. But most SPs in MLB are righties, so I'm not overly concerned.

The guys that worry me are Zimmerman and Espinosa. We are getting minor league caliber production out of them and that's killing us.

[Sticksboi05]

Espinosa just isn't a good hitter because he decided to waste half his at bats when he hits from the left.

[hunterx]

The guys that worry me are Zimmerman and Espinosa. We are getting minor league caliber production out of them and that's killing us.

And for me, Lombardozzi. He used to be reliable to put the ball in play and then get on base. He is striking out a lot more lately.

[StillUnknown]

Clearly, I'm referring to his last couple weeks, not his performance this season. As I said, we're attaching our hopes to this guy, and I want to see him adjust quicker. I'm not suggesting he be dropped in the order unless he shows an ability, relatively soon, to re-adjust when the league adjusts to him. I think it's obvious I would not want him there permanently. As slump I can handle...hell, I played baseball for 16 years myself. It's the high volume of strikeouts, the lack of consistent contact, and frankly, how awful he looks with two strikes, that are bothering me.

A 2 week stretch is too small a sample size to draw any definitive conclusions. He's not going to be a finished product this season. The hopes we've attached to him are based on what he'll be in 3-5 years, not today. The kind of adjustments you want him to make are offseason adjustments.

He's supposed to look awful at times this year, all rookies do for stretches. Baseball is a game of experience almost more than anything, the more you see, the more you learn. Mike Trout is dominating the league this year, but for 40 games last year as a 19yr old, he had a .220/.289./.390 slash line.

[Forehead]

Espinosa just isn't a good hitter because he decided to waste half his at bats when he hits from the left.

Well, more than that really since more starters are righties, like Warhead pointed out. Espinosa plays such good defense though that it's hard to sit him for long. I would like to see Lombo get more consistent at-bats, for the sole reason that among all our hitters that have 100+ at bats this season, he strikes out at the lowest rate, and it isn't even close. When our offense is playing like garbage, I'd like to see more balls in play to work our way out of it. On a contending team, Lombo probably isn't more than a bench bat and spot starter, but he's the most likely guy in the lineup to actually hit the ball, which is eluding half our starters.

---------- Post added June-26th-2012 at 11:37 AM ----------

And for me, Lombardozzi. He used to be reliable to put the ball in play and then get on base. He is striking out a lot more lately.

Lombardozzi has only struck out 17 times the entire season, less than Wilson Ramos, who has been on the DL for how long? Less than Jayson Werth as well.

A 2 week stretch is too small a sample size to draw any definitive conclusions. He's not going to be a finished product this season. The hopes we've attached to him are based on what he'll be in 3-5 years, not today. The kind of adjustments you want him to make are offseason adjustments.

He's supposed to look awful at times this year, all rookies do for stretches. Baseball is a game of experience almost more than anything, the more you see, the more you learn. Mike Trout is dominating the league this year, but for 40 games last year as a 19yr old, he had a .220/.289./.390 slash line.

As I said before, I'm placing as much of the blame on Eckstein as anyone, but no, these are not just offseason adjustments. 90 or so games is plenty of time to tinker with a few things in season. Things like working on keeping your hands back and going opposite field on those junk curves and 80mph cut fastballs can be worked on in BP before games. It just seems like he's lost as soon as he takes a giant cut and misses, or gets to two strikes. I'm not suggesting benching the kid, he's still the one guy in the lineup right now who's at-bats are can't miss events. I do want our hitting coach to show he's worth employing.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

Clearly, I'm referring to his last couple weeks, not his performance this season. As I said, we're attaching our hopes to this guy, and I want to see him adjust quicker. I'm not suggesting he be dropped in the order unless he shows an ability, relatively soon, to re-adjust when the league adjusts to him. I think it's obvious I would not want him there permanently. As slump I can handle...hell, I played baseball for 16 years myself. It's the high volume of strikeouts, the lack of consistent contact, and frankly, how awful he looks with two strikes, that are bothering me.

So, you move him to 6 because of a little slump, and then he breaks out of it in the 6 spot and you aren't taking advantage of it.

There's some overreaction going on here.

[Warhead36]

I'd move Zimmerman down to 6 before Harper.

[No Excuses]

I'd move Zimmerman down to 6 before Harper.

Absolutely. It should have been done weeks ago but now will work. Zimmerman has no business batting 3rd right now. Once he stops grounding into double plays, then yeah move him up.