• I'll let you decide what the biggest story out of Day Two of the Washington Nationals' 2010 Spring Training was...the fact that DC reliever Tyler Clippard hit a hole-in-one on a golf course somewhere down there in Florida, as Nationals' lefty John Lannan (@JLannan31) reported via Twitter, or the fact that DC GM Mike Rizzo and the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's (@washingnats) Twitter message, are still in the market for starting pitching, with Mr. Ladson writing at around noon that Mr. Rizzo, "...said he is not finished when it comes to improving the roster. The team is still looking for pitching."
• I'm glad everyone chose the DC GM's search for more pitching, because there was nothing more to the Clippard hole-in-one story...Kris Benson's agent kept telling people last week that his client was 100% healthy in anticipation of a meeting with the Nationals which reportedly had to wait until Washington was done signing Chien-Ming Wang and arguing the arbitration cases against relievers Brian Bruney and Sean Burnett, both of whom lost via arbitrator's decision to the 2-0 in '09 Nationals...who complete the Winter undefeated at the table...Whether or not the Nationals will be looking to add another injured/recovering pitcher like Benson, who has pitched just 22.1 innings in the majors since 2006 after signing the recovering Wang is a big question, or does the RZO have a trade in mind? There will continue to be talk linking John Smoltz to the Nationals until he signs somewhere else because of his connection to Stan Kasten from when both were in Atlanta, and just last Monday, Mr. Kasten was quoted on Sirius/XM's Homeplate Update, before Wang signed, stating that Wang and John Smoltz were still on the Nationals' radar...Given the choice of one of the two, Benson, who's made his interest in pitching for Washington clear, or Smoltz, should he choose to end his playing days in the nation's capital helping to build a contender...Where should Rizzo turn for more pitching help?
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• More Rizzo On Pitching Search.
• More Harper Hype.
BACKPAGE:
• More Rizzo On Pitching Search.
MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling has the actual quotes from DC GM Mike Rizzo which prompted MLB.com's Bill Ladson's tweet about the Nationals' continued search for pitching transcribed in an article entitled, "Mike Rizzo, discussing anything you wanted to know", where the general manager is quoted stating that he is, "...comfortable going into the season with the depth of the starting pitching we have," but for a team that's lost as many games as the Nationals have recently, "'We're never done, we're never satisfied. We need to improve our team. We know where we're at.'" Stephen Strasburg, Nyjer Morgan, Jesus Flores, Adam Dunn, the DC GM really does discuss everything you'd like to know here...except of course which pitchers the Nationals might target at this late date...
According to a 2/11/10 New York Times' report by David Waldstein entitled, "Mets Agree to a Deal With Another Japanese Pitcher", John Smoltz, "...is said to be seeking at least $3 million," from any team looking to add a future Hall of Famer to their roster, but the question with Washington and Smoltz has always been whether he's willing to accept a mentor's role on a team that's not likely to get anywhere near the postseason...Could Smoltz parlay a good four months in the nation's capital into a spot on a team headed to the playoffs, and bring something back to DC in return? For $3 million that might be worth the risk...
• More Harper Hype.
The College of Southern Nevada Coyotes beat Chipola College (FLA) in the fourth and final game of the 9th Annual CSN Coyote Slugout which Bryce Harper and the CSN Coyotes won 11-5, though the 17-year-old presumptive no. 1 pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft was 0 for 2 with 2 walks, 2 K's and 2 runs scored Saturday afternoon, leaving him hitting "just" .356 after 16 games and 59 AB's over which he's collected 7 doubles, 4 HR's and 18 RBI's while striking out 15 times and taking 11 walks for a .451 OBP with a .712 SLG. Here's the latest Bryce Harper video, and it's not a HR this time, just a single up the middle...but the question it raises in my mind is...How much of a budget does this junior college have for uniforms? The Coyotes have been wearing different uniforms in just about every video that's come out...