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Only .500? I guess that's improvement over last season. I'm going to stick to my prediction of 90 wins, more if several new aquisitions step up. I heard Odalis Perez is impressing Manny Acta and looks to compete for a spot in the rotation. If Patterson can return to form and stay healthy, and I really liked the way that kid John Lannan looked last year.
I've lived here since the early 90s, and like many other baseball fans I know in the area, never embraced Baltimore's team.
It was always a separate city that reminded me more of a declining manufacturing city than the vibrant, educated region that defines Washington. It was also painfully difficult to get to in traffic.
Only .500? I guess that's improvement over last season. I'm going to stick to my prediction of 90 wins, more if several new aquisitions step up. I heard Odalis Perez is impressing Manny Acta and looks to compete for a spot in the rotation. If Patterson can return to form and stay healthy, and I really liked the way that kid John Lannan looked last year.
No question...if Perez at age 30 can stay healthy long enough to get his control/command back, he can be a big plus. His stuff is fine, but he has had a tendency to walk too many guys and go too deep into too many counts to be much more than a five or six inning pitcher. But he's always had the potential to be at least a #2 guy, so if he can reach that somehow, his signing will be a big deal. Lannan, I must say, didn't impress me that much last year. Serviceable...maybe a little higher. But of course, I could always be wrong about that. Hope so...
I've lived here since the early 90s, and like many other baseball fans I know in the area, never embraced Baltimore's team. It was always a separate city that reminded me more of a declining manufacturing city than the vibrant, educated region that defines Washington. It was also painfully difficult to get to in traffic.
Yes, Baltimore is a very different town from DC. But there have always been some good things about it. Certainly getting out of Memorial Stadium after a game to get back to DC was a major pain, but from Camden Yards, it wasn't nearly so bad. And Camden is a terrific stadium. Had Angelos not been such an unrelenting jerk about the Nats coming to DC, I'm sure I would still head north to catch a few games each year. As is, I'd as soon drive to Tampa Bay to see an AL game...
No question...if Perez at age 30 can stay healthy long enough to get his control/command back, he can be a big plus. His stuff is fine, but he has had a tendency to walk too many guys and go too deep into too many counts to be much more than a five or six inning pitcher. But he's always had the potential to be at least a #2 guy, so if he can reach that somehow, his signing will be a big deal. Lannan, I must say, didn't impress me that much last year. Serviceable...maybe a little higher. But of course, I could always be wrong about that. Hope so...
With Nick Johnson back and Dmitri Young and Ryan Zimmerman a year more expeienced. I've heard good about Lastings Millege. LoDuca is a good hitting catcher. If all works out, we could have a core of young guys to play together for a while. Luis Ayala is back and hopefully in prior form. He's been there since the Expo days.
With Nick Johnson back and Dmitri Young and Ryan Zimmerman a year more expeienced. I've heard good about Lastings Millege. LoDuca is a good hitting catcher. If all works out, we could have a core of young guys to play together for a while. Luis Ayala is back and hopefully in prior form. He's been there since the Expo days.
They'll probably need to trade one of Young and Johnson if Nick can prove he's healthy. Neither can play another position at this point, and each of them is too good to be a backup. Milledge has a lot of tools, and Elijah Dukes can hit. If those two can keep their heads on straight, they could be a help. In any case, they should give us more than Nook Logan and Ryan Langerhans. But with Wily Mo Pena and Austin Kearns pretty much fixtures, I don't know how both of them can play. LoDuca meanwhile will be 36 by the time the team plays its second home game, and I doubt he'll be that much of a factor. His best, and maybe even his good, days are behind him. Johnny Estrada is 31, can hit as well as LoDuca used to, is a better handler of pitchers, and is a nicer guy. Hopefully, he'll be able to step in and be the man in the #1 catcher role. Jesus Flores is a capable young guy. My plan would be half a season in Triple-A for Flores, then we dump LoDuca on whoever needs or will take him in July. Felipe Lopez is a free agent after the season, so he might have to go then too, which would leave Guzman and Belliard up the middle. Argh!. Luis Ayala has a very good arm when healthy. But some guys don't make it all the way back from Tommy John surgery. He looked good at times after coming back last year, but he's still a question mark in my mind. Same for Ryan Wagner. There is talent there, but I'm not sure how much of it we're going to see. But all in all, we might be able to score some runs depending on how the new ballpark plays. That leaves the biggest question mark being who in the rotation will still be standing by May 15. We could end up seeing way too much of Tyler Clippard, Jason Stanford, and Tim Redding. If that's the case, it will be a long season, but if the regulars somehow stay healthy, well, we could be a problem for some other teams. It'll probably be windy and 38 degrees for Opening Night, but I'll be there trying to do my part...
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