Washington Nationals: DY Update...DY's Back?

by e chigliak on May 1, 2008 11:24 PM EDT

MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes in his article entitled, "Young better thanks to massage therapy", that:

"A miracle has happened to first baseman Dmitri Young. The pain in his lower back and hip flexor is gone, thanks to the team's masseuse, Tiana Tchamouroff."

Washington Times' baseball writer Mark Zuckerman starts his post on "Chatter: A Nats Blog", entitled, "Tatiana's Magic Hands" by writing:

"OK, let me be completely upfront at the start and say that everything you are about to read is 100 percent true. (Besides, I couldn't make this up if I wanted to.)..."

...and Washington Post baseball writer Barry Svrluga's article, "After Massage, Young as Good as New", confirms what has Mr.'s Ladson and Zuckerman proclaiming miracles and wonder:

"Washington Nationals first baseman Dmitri Young experienced a sudden and dramatic breakthrough for his sprained lower back Wednesday night, which will allow the Nationals to send him to Viera, Fla., on Sunday for extended spring training, General Manager Jim Bowden said."

Mr. Bowden also told the Nationals' official site, that after initial doubts, he witnessed Dmitri Young taking batting practice, and as Mr. Bowden describes it to Bill Ladson:

"'I was stunned,' Bowden said. 'All of a sudden, he has instant relief. She found the spot. ... He swung from both sides of the plate with violence of contact, and his hips went through it.'"

...and all this just hours after some of these publications were reporting that the Nationals were perplexed as to when or even "if" Young would be able to return to the lineup, with Mr. Ladson writing an article yesterday entitled, "Young's lower back not improving", and Mr. Svrluga checking in with, "Young's Back, Hip Troubles Still Lingering." Which is not to say that these writers erroneously reported, but only to highlight the sudden shift in DY's status.

"There's no timetable for his actual return from the DL...," Mr. Zuckerman writes, "...but it certainly appears much sooner than everyone thought yesterday." DY's only had two at bats this season, collecting a double and one RBI. Last season, Young hit .320 with 38 doubles, 1 triple(Really!), 13 HR's and 74 RBI's, in a season that saw DY reestablish himself as the hitting-machine everyone rembered from his best years in Detroit, and his first year in DC, which saw him emerge as a clubhouse leader and fan favorite of the DC fanbase.

On the night that the DY Bobblehead brings joy to the first 15,000 fans into Nationals Park...the real finger-waggling first baseman and switch-hitting-pinch hitter?, Dmitri Young is beginning yet another comeback...

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Comments

I'm a hack.

That’s great news for Dy and the Nats. What position will he play?
I’m sure there’s a happy ending to all of this….

by haken on May 2, 2008 7:15 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Switch-hitting pinch hitter...

I can’t see DY taking over at first for Nick Johnson…until DY went down there was a lot of trade talk…the ? is going to be whether or not DY is ready for a bench role?

by e chigliak on May 2, 2008 10:41 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Must... resist... urge for inappropriate comment...

Instead, let me endorse the switch-hitting-PH idea. Which would mean we don’t have much use for Estrada any more. How do we think the roster will shake out when Dukes and Young are ready to come back? Think we’ll stay with the six-man bullpen? If the starters hold it together (especially the second and third time the new guys face NL East teams), we may get by with 6, like everyone else does. So, have have PLoD for Chief. DY for Estrada. Dukes for… Harris? Macowiak? Harris is speedy but with more pop than Nook ever had—I say RMac gets the Ohio trip. Let him fight it out with Langerhans (who is apparently tearing it up, go figure) to come back. Or do we give up whichever one of the Boones it is that we have left?

by Doghouse on May 2, 2008 1:24 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Is the inappropriate comment in reference to the DY massage stories? Or the comments...

I know the Nationals are going with the 3 catcher attack for now, but if DY is healthy I’d think one of the catchers would be the first to go…? I’d keep Harris, DY, Dukes, Belliard and Boone? on the bench. (Have you read the Dukes isn’t coming back til he hits comments?) Mackowiak seems like the odd man out. Langerhans? Tearing what up? Certainly not the baseball…

by e chigliak on May 2, 2008 2:51 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

You'd be surprised...

Yep, tearing it up His OPS is over .900, with 18 RBI, 6 2B, 3HR, 22 SO and 22 BB in 93 AB. Sure, it’s only AAA pitching, but he’s hitting like Nieves, and we know he’s good with the glove. Of course, I’d much rather have Pena/Dukes/Harris for LF/4th OF/5th OF. How long ‘til we get Marrero and J-Max? (Poor J-Max! He’s what, 3 years older than Dukes? Plus he’s a local boy with no criminal record…) I head about waiting for Dukes to start hitting before bringing him up. I think Kasten even said something to the effect that they screwed up by bringing WMP back too soon. To which I say, “Duh!”

So we’re agreed? It’s Estrada and Macowiak who get Clippered? Now, how much longer is Chico for this rotation? I hope the high leg kick gets him through his next game with a bit more control. If he goes down to AAA, the Vermonsters might eat him before he can get back here.

by Doghouse on May 2, 2008 4:01 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Yeah, just looked at it, and i'd bet Mackowiak and Estrada for...

Dukes (or another OF) and DY when he’s available.

Chico is one of my favorites after what he did last season, and I’m pulling for him to stay in DC. (Though I think maybe it should been Lannan instead of Chico out of Spring Training, if they just rediscovered his leg kick then, why not have him refine it in Columbus and come back when he was bona fide?

I’m putting out some feelers for some Minor League coverage to try and get some weekly updates from the system, the one name that has popped up, in addition to Langerhans…
Michael Burgess…

.and Langerhans did hit .298 with Richmond (Triple-A Atlanta) in 135 games in 2004 before playing in Atlanta the next season and hitting .233 in five seasons in the Majors since…(Will Langerhans end up the proverbial 4A player?)

The Vermonsters…I used to live in Vermont, when they were the Vermont Expos, and when their Senator tried to sneak “Great Lake”-status on to the end of a Bill here in DC. Hilarious…

by e chigliak on May 2, 2008 4:31 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs