The Washington Nationals And The MLB Hot Stove...Anderson Hernandez Is Someone To Know.

by Ed Chigliak on Feb 5, 2009 1:20 AM EST Comment 8 comments

Anderson Hernandez Is One In A Hundred.

According to the baseball writers of the USA TODAY Sports Weekly, of the top "100 Names You Need to Know", in Major League Baseball, only one is a Washington National, that being, infielder Anderson Hernandez, who's 33rd on their list, and is expected to start at second base for DC in 2009. Acquired last season from New York's Mets in exchange for reliever Luis Ayala, Hernandez, as the uncredited Sports Weekly writers note, "...impressed the Nationals enough to make Emilio Bonifacio expendable," but the USA Today staff writes that, "[Hernandez's] true hitting ability remains a mystery," since he's hit over .300 in the Minors and hit closer to .200 in the Majors so far in his career...

(ed. note - "I even scanned the USA TODAY list for former Nationals/Expos, and couldn't even find a single name I recognized from the franchise...Anyone else spot one I missed?")

Has Anderson Hernandez impressed enough to make Ronnie Belliard expendable? The writers at Baseball Prospectus.com seem to think so, as they suggest, in a recent article entitled, "Triple Fix: American League", that Oakland A's GM Billy Beane, "...might see if the Nationals would move Ronnie Belliard," who, they predict, will hit at a ".270/.339/.428 clip" in 2009 according to their "park neutral" projections...

Both Hernandez and Belliard are currently representing the Dominican Republic with the Dominican Winter League Champions, the Tigres del Licey in the Caribbean Series, and tonight they're playing the Mexican entry in the Series, the Mazatlan Venados...but they lost power at the Stadium, and they haven't come back as of 12:14 pm EST...Mazatlan leads 8-6 at the moment. Anderson Hernandez in 0 for 1 with 2 walks and a run scored. Ronnie Belliard 1 for 3 with a K. Jorge Sosa, another free agent who signed with DC this winter, started for Licey but was out after 4.1 IP, having allowed 10 hits, 8 runs (5 ER) and 2 walks...check HERE to see if they ever finished the game...

Some More Minor League Free Agents Added By DC...

Add infielder Alex Cintron and catcher Javier Valentin to the Washington roster after the Nationals signed both free agents Tuesday. DC has already inked catchers Javy Herrera and Gustavo Molina, and infielders Freddie Bynum, Jose Castillo, Brad Eldred, Joel Guzman, Pete Orr and Matt Whitney. Outfielders? Corey Patterson, Alex Escobar, Ryan Langerhans, Jorge Padilla and Mike Vento, and pitchers Bobby Brownlie, Gustavo Chacin, Jesus Colome, Justin Jones, Preston Larrison, Wilfredo Ledezma, J.D. Martin, Jorge Sosa, Josh Towers and Ryan Wagner all signed to Minor League contracts already this offseason. Am I missing anyone?

(ed. note - "Federal Baseball.com Hits The Road...")

I want answers. So I'm heading down to the nation's capital for the next two days to get a close look at what the Washington Nationals are doing...I doubt I'll find what I'm looking for, but it gives anyone with something to get off their chest a chance to write a FANPOST here at federalbaseball.com to be featured while I post less frequently the next two days...Do you think the Nationals will add anyone else to their roster? Will Nick Johnson play anywhere close to a full season? Do you want to see Adam Dunn in a curly-W cap? Who's got something to say?

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Questions & Answers

Dunn in or out ? Who care anymore…It may be ok to gamble and let Slick Nick take the job. Let him cook the numbers and then sell him off for parts, I mean prospects. Let Willingham fill in and hope the outfield works itself out. This BTW seems to be Jimbow ’s plan as we know it today. Duct tape and chewing gum method of taking care of business. Three Our Fathers,a Hail Mary,a grab and tug on yourself coughing while jumping up and down method of mangement… Swell, eh… Yes, I forgot to take my happy pills today…

by Berndaddy on Feb 5, 2009 9:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

LOLing!

Duct tape and ~~bubble gum~~ plastic sheeting….Wait! That was the Department of Homeland Security instructions for a bio or chem attack. Remember that stupidity?

After blogging with other bloggers the consensus seems to be that this is the worst off season in recent memory due to all of the unknowns in regards to signing free-agents. I’ve been a casual fan of the game since 1990 and this is truly my first time paying attention to what happens in the off season. Other than blogging about it, I’ve not been to impressed with how the business of baseball is carried out.

dancing in the moonlight, everybody's feeling warm and bright, its such a fine and natural sight, everybody's dancing in the moonlight - King Harvest

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Feb 5, 2009 11:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

the worst off season = LOUtheMETSfan line o' thinking

Well LoU

I think you’re right but what’s ironic to me is that we believed we had a chance at being ok last year at this time. So, maybe we’ll be surprised? Nah just kidding, we’re out to get the top three draft picks next year, too. Maybe the laughing going towards the Lerners will make them turn from their addiction to Jim Bowden’s B.S. Now imagine that, someone being addicted to B.S. That’s funny to me… If it smells, chase it. No that’s wrong… Lerners you got to quit that man…

by Berndaddy on Feb 5, 2009 3:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Chuckling

The entire off-season has been distasteful to me. I think I would have preferred to remain ignorant of what transpires. What do they say? Ignorance is bliss.

Blg. note: “E” is going to rip me a new one for my poor grammatical syntax and my inability to use spell check in my first post.

The psychology of the American (and Western) consumer is going to have to change. The previous bubble economy we witnessed in the late 20th and early 21st century is unsustainable.

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Feb 5, 2009 3:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bliss > Asking my kids to get off their X-bOx 360

There is no bliss in Washington DC… We are in the anti-bliss zone…

by Berndaddy on Feb 5, 2009 4:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Uh-oh

Asking your kids to get off of their X-bOx 360 < Telling your kids to get off of their X-bOx 360 or they’re going to get a boot in the a$$.

You’ll have to excuse me. I was raised by a southern father in the early ’70’s.

When baseball season starts, we’ll depart the anti-bliss zone expeditiously. This waiting is killing me!

The psychology of the American (and Western) consumer is going to have to change. The previous bubble economy we witnessed in the late 20th and early 21st century is unsustainable.

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Feb 5, 2009 4:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Boot kickin' < Dodge Ball Skills

These kids these day and their mad dodge ball skills… No, I’ve put that damn X-Box thangy on a two month shut down before for non-compliance of Ma & Pop household regs. Forgetting trash day = one day etc etc and so on. My Dad was an Army officer. You didn’t mess with his household regs. Two tours in ‘Nam = don’t F—- with Dad.

by Berndaddy on Feb 5, 2009 5:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Berndaddy = Smart

The psychology of the American (and Western) consumer is going to have to change. The previous bubble economy we witnessed in the late 20th and early 21st century is unsustainable.

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Feb 5, 2009 6:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs