photo by Claudia Holwill
by Richard Holwill
The biggest questions for the Nationals are in the outfield. One player has a lock on his position: Michael Morse (6’5 and 230 pounds and known as “Beast Mode”) owns left field after a breakout year in 2011 with a .303 batting average and .550 slugging percentage.
The other presumed starter is Jayson Werth, who was in right field and played center field a few times in Spring Training. Werth was signed to an eight-year deal worth $126 million in 2011. On paper he looked great. He hit .298 for the Phillies in 2010 but was dead weight last year in Washington, where he could manage to hit only .232.
From the stands, he looked ill at ease and uncomfortable at the plate. He struck out 160 times last year. Batting coach Rick Eckstein told me that Werth is much more comfortable at the plate this year. Eckstein says that Werth is seeing the ball better and getting more hits.
His Spring Training batting average is .286. Yet, on Saturday, I watched as he went 0 for 3. On Sunday, he had 1 hit for 2 at-bats. Werth is set to make more than $10 million this year. Yes. He has good defensive numbers but you don’t pay that type of money for fielding. If Werth can’t get the bat on the ball during the regular season this year, the Nats will be better off paying him not to play.
The Nats are eager to bring Bryce Harper to the big leagues but he clearly isn’t ready. He went 0 for 4 on Saturday and 1 for 5 on Sunday with four strikeouts. Worse, he had a temper tantrum after a called strike that could have caused him to be ejected had an umpire been within earshot. After that game the Nats sent him down to AAA ball in Syracuse where this 19-year-old can mature enough to keep it together in the “Bigs.”
That leaves the question of whom to call up for the last two outfield slots. Roger Bernadina is a known commodity. He has been a platoon player in the outfield for a couple of years now. He hits in the mid-200s and plays defense reasonably well.
The buzz around Space Coast Stadium is that Brett Carroll has a shot at an outfield slot. Carroll, who is 30-years old, was in the Marlins organization for the last several years where he kicked around the minors but never made it to the “show.” This spring, he is hitting .267 and playing highlight-reel defense.
So who will make the cut to 25 players on opening day? I can’t say for sure but I have a favorite: 32-year-old Rick Ankiel, who is listed by the Nats as “Also Invited to Spring Training.” I have a soft spot for Ankiel, who was a star pitcher for St. Louis until he totally fell apart in Game One of the National League Central Division Championship in 2000 allowing four runs with five wild pitches in the fourth inning. Never to pitch again, Ankiel reinvented himself as an outfielder. He is fast and – former pitcher that he is – has an outstanding arm that base-runners learn to respect.
OK. His hitting leaves a lot to be desired. He had a .235 batting average last year with an on-base percentage under .300.
So why do I like him so much? Hell, baseball is more than statistics. To love the game, you will wind up caring about the players, particularly one that has enough heart to make a comeback after a spectacular flame-out. If there is one guy that I want to see succeed, it is Rick Ankiel.