{"id":5013,"date":"2012-10-24T11:27:07","date_gmt":"2012-10-24T15:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=5013"},"modified":"2012-10-24T11:27:07","modified_gmt":"2012-10-24T15:27:07","slug":"ladsons-inbox-102212-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=5013","title":{"rendered":"Ladson’s Inbox: 10\/22\/12 edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

LaRoche's status with the team will dictate a number of cascading roster moves. Photo Rob Carr\/Getty Images via bleacherreport.com<\/p><\/div>\n

I havn’t seen mlb.com beat reporter Bill Ladson<\/strong> do an inbox response since February. \u00a0So I was excited to see one pop in this past Monday, 10\/22\/12<\/a>. \u00a0As a reminder,\u00a0I write my response before reading his, and sometimes edit questions for clarity.<\/p>\n

Q: What are the Nationals’ plans for Tyler Moore? He is a power hitter who deserves to play every day. If Adam LaRoche returns next year, where does Moore fit in? <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>A: Tyler Moore<\/strong> indeed had excellent numbers in limited action, getting called up at the end of April to cover for a dearth of outfielders on the Nats roster. \u00a0His slash line was .263\/.327\/.513<\/a> for an OPS+ of 124 with 10 homers in 156 Abs. \u00a0 Thats a homer ever 15.6 ABs and correlates to nearly a 40 homer pace for a full season of roughly 600 at-bats. \u00a0That is of course if you believe in what we saw in 2012 versus the continued lack of respect for Moore from the scouting pundits (who think his minor league power numbers were more a function of age than talent, and who continued to think that Moore had too many holes in his swing to be an impact MLB player).<\/p>\n

Unfortunately though for Moore, if Adam LaRoche<\/strong> is re-signed there may not be an immediate place for Moore in the lineup. \u00a0LaRoche can only play 1B,\u00a0Michael Morse<\/strong> is signed through 2013 and has become a club and fan favorite in LF. \u00a0 Those are basically the only two positions Moore can play.<\/p>\n

I think the better question here is, “Will the Nats extend\u00a0Adam LaRoche?” \u00a0Because that’s the question that drives several other roster moves for 2013. \u00a0If LaRoche comes back and the team favors giving Moore more playing time, maybe they package Morse in trade. \u00a0Perhaps Moore sits and waits for another injury to give him playing time; LaRoche was incredibly healthy in 2012 and could regress for 2013. \u00a0Or, perhaps LaRoche (as basically the leading 1B power hitter on the FA market) will get a 3-4 year deal (likely) and the Nats won’t over-pay for his decline years, will install Moore at first and keep Morse in left. \u00a0 Honestly, I think this last scenario is what plays out, and we’ll see Moore as your starting first baseman in 2013.<\/p>\n

Ladson basically echos exactly what I say above. \u00a0Glad we’re on the same page.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Do you think the Nationals will go after Michael Bourn this offseason?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: No no no! \u00a0As I opined on September 13th<\/a>, after seeing yet another Jim Bowden<\/strong> article intoning last off-season’s mantra of “the Nats need a center fielder,” the Nats HAVE a center fielder, and a darn good one, in Bryce Harper<\/strong>. \u00a0Harper finished the season with the 4th best UZR\/150 for any CF with 500+ innings, even better than the vaunted defensive wizard\u00a0Mike Trout<\/strong>. \u00a0It took about 5 games for his arm to be respected league wide, and he’s only 19 and will only get better. \u00a0Why would we possible move Harper off CF in the next 4-5 years? \u00a0Yes, eventually we expect a bulked up power hitting Harper to move to a corner spot, but not at age 20. \u00a0Besides, if Harper moves off CF … who makes way in left or right? \u00a0Do you move Jayson Werth<\/strong> to left field? \u00a0If so, then what happens to Michael Morse? \u00a0Do you move him? \u00a0Harper’s defensive value is wasted in right field. \u00a0Werth’s defensive value (while inarguably slipping) is also wasted in left field, where you can “hide” a poor defensive player who is plus-plus power.<\/p>\n

*sigh* I wish this rumor would go away. \u00a0I’m pretty sure the Yankees never said to Mickey Mantle<\/strong> at age 19, “Hey Mick! \u00a0We like you in center but we to move you to a corner outfielder so we can sign a sub-average<\/a> hitter to lead-off and play in your position.” \u00a0Of course not, so why would the Nats do so?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately Ladson perpetuates the ridiculous myth himself and says he thinks the team goes after Bourn and puts Harper in LF. \u00a0Just ridiculous.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0Any news on Cole Kimball’s recovery? \u00a0Will we see him in a Nats uniform in 2013?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Shoulder injuries in power pitchers are never an easy recovery. \u00a0That’s why we never really saw Kimball in the summer and why he’s currently in the AFL getting some extra time on the hill. \u00a0As of this writing he only has 3 2\/3 innings<\/a>, so not much to go by. \u00a0We are seeing some reports that he looks decent. \u00a02013 prognosis? \u00a0 He faces an uphill battle to make the bullpen; there’s several right handers that are now clearly ahead of him on the depth chart. \u00a0Storen, Clippard<\/strong>, and Stammen <\/strong>are locks (if not traded). \u00a0Rodriguez<\/strong> has no options. \u00a0Mattheus <\/strong>has pitched his way onto this team. \u00a0That’s your 5 righties out of the pen (Davey Johnson<\/strong> likes 2 lefties). \u00a0 And we havn’t even talked about Christain Garcia<\/strong>, who pitched well enough to make the post season roster. \u00a0 So the answer may be that Kimball starts in AAA and waits for an opportunity. \u00a0Ladson says he thinks Kimball can make the 2013 bullpen. \u00a0How exactly? \u00a0Who is he going to be ahead of? \u00a0Not much provided in the way of deep analysis, Bill<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Q: Do you think there is any chance the Nationals bring up Corey Brown to play center and bat second?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: No. \u00a0Brown looks to me like the definition of a 4-A guy, and will be stashed in AAA as outfield depth until further notice. \u00a0Batting second? \u00a0Really? \u00a0We’re currently batting Werth at leadoff despite his having middle-of-the-order power. \u00a0What makes anyone think Brown deserves to bat anywhere in this lineup, let alone ahead of the power guys? \u00a0And, if Brown makes the 25-man roster which outfielder does he replace? \u00a0Certainly not the starters in Morse, Harper and Werth. \u00a0Certainly not Roger Bernadina<\/strong>, who more than earned his stay. \u00a0And certainly not above Moore. \u00a0 Ladson agrees<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you think about the addition of Kurt Suzuki to the roster?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Somewhat of a panic\/reactionary move at the time, but it has worked out great for both sides. \u00a0Jesus Flores<\/strong> wasn’t stopping the one-way street for opposing base-runners, and we needed more of a plus-defensive guy behind the plate. \u00a0Flores did himself \u00a0no favors batting .213 either. \u00a0Suzuki immediately upped his batting stroke too, \u00a0batting .267 here after hitting just .218 in Oakland in 2012<\/a>. \u00a0Clearly Suzuki and Wilson\u00a0Ramos<\/strong> are your two catchers heading into 2013. \u00a0What do we do with Flores? \u00a0Do we dare non-tender him and give him away? \u00a0Do we tender him and try to trade him? \u00a0I’d hope for the latter, thinking that even a .213 hitting catcher has value in this league. \u00a0I hate to say it, but Ramos can’t stay on the field and we needed the insurance. \u00a0Ladson agrees, but doesn’t mention Flores’ fate<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Q: The Shark, aka Roger Bernadina, had a career year and will probably get a raise this offseason. Do you think the Nats are going to try to move him, or can we expect to see The Shark with the team next year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Great question. \u00a0Do we sell-high on Bernadina and make-do with a 4th outfielder like Corey Brown or Eury Perez<\/strong> in 2013? \u00a0We could, if it brought us back something worth having. \u00a0We do have some rising quality OF depth that would replace Bernadina (Brian Goodwin<\/strong> comes to mind, perhaps even Anthony Rendon<\/strong> if he hits his way to the majors in 2013). \u00a0 \u00a0Ladson thinks Bernadina will be back. \u00a0I have no problem with that; he hit great this year, knew his role and is fantastic defensively<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Q: Do you think Davey Johnson is the best manager in Nationals\/Expos history? Felipe Alou is tough to beat, but Davey has my vote on this one.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Why not Jim Fanning<\/strong>? \u00a0He led the franchise to its only prior post-season appearance. \u00a0I dunno; what exactly makes a “good” manager? \u00a0I think Johnson has absolutely done better with this team than anyone thought, so yeah that makes him a great manager (and my favorite for winning NL Manager of the Year). \u00a0Best ever for the franchise? \u00a0Why do people think Felipe Alou was so great? \u00a0His last three Expos teams each lost 90 or more games. \u00a0Who can really talk intelligently about how well Buck Rodgers<\/strong> mangaged the team in the mid 1980s? \u00a0The team improved 19 wins<\/a> from 1978 to 1979 under Dick Williams<\/strong>. \u00a0Those are good managers too. \u00a0Ladson thinks Johnson is the best ever but says Alou was great. \u00a0I don’t get it.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I havn’t seen mlb.com beat reporter Bill Ladson do an inbox response since February. \u00a0So I was excited to see one pop in this past Monday, 10\/22\/12. \u00a0As a reminder,\u00a0I write my response before reading his, and sometimes edit questions for clarity. Q: What are the Nationals’ plans for Tyler Moore? He is a power […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[184,185,182,257,164,1188,103,100,143,98,137,1189,52,462,1186,181,115,112,507,1187,1033,175,136,161,456,167,86,128,235,147],"class_list":["post-5013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chatmailbag-responses","tag-adam-laroche","tag-anthony-rendon","tag-bill-ladson","tag-brian-goodwin","tag-bryce-harper","tag-buck-rogers","tag-christian-garcia","tag-cole-kimball","tag-corey-brown","tag-craig-stammen","tag-davey-johnson","tag-dick-williams","tag-drew-storen","tag-eury-perez","tag-felipe-alou","tag-henry-rodriguez","tag-jayson-werth","tag-jesus-flores","tag-jim-bowden","tag-jim-fanning","tag-kurt-suzuki","tag-michael-bourn","tag-michael-morse","tag-mickey-mantle","tag-mike-trout","tag-roger-bernadina","tag-ryan-mattheus","tag-tyler-clippard","tag-tyler-moore","tag-wilson-ramos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5013"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5021,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5013\/revisions\/5021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}