Peacock, Ray Named Pitcher Of The Week
Two more Nats pitchers earn weekly league honors
Joining Michael Aubrey in the weekly honors are Brad Peacock and Robbie Ray, who were named Pitcher of the Week for the Eastern and South Atlantic Leagues respectively for the week of May 9-15.
Peacock’s 14 K’s over 7IP this past Friday earned him his second pitcher of the week honors, which he took home previously for the period of April 18-24. For the season Peacock is 5-1 with a 2.13ERA over 42⅓ innings of work. His 56 strikeouts is tied for the Eastern League lead.
Ray made two starts last week, allowing three hits over 11 innings with one walk and 13 strikeouts. Ray is the third Hagerstown Sun to win the award, following Cameron Selik (April 18-24) and Bryce Harper (May 2-8).
Maybe Ryan Tatusko is in the Syracuse deluge.
He just posted this link of things to do during rain delays …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkuhqsnZF7Y&feature=youtu.be
When do you think Balester is coming back up? We need him in the pen. And do you think Van Allen could make it up this year? He looks really good in AA.
The most promotable arms in SYR right now might be 1) Maya, and 2) Stammen, since they are both on the 40-man; The problem is, the Nationals’ starting staff is both competent & healthy. Balester may have slipped to #5 or #6 overall on that staff, behind the RP’s Wilkie & Mandel, who are both off-roster, and the LHSP Detwiler, who is also on the 40-man.
Unless Henry Rodriguez punks out completely over the next couple of weeks, or someone like Coffey goes to the DL, I doubt that any bullpen moves are forthcoming for the time being.
Right now thanks to an 0 fof 5 night and a corresponding 3 for 6 Blake Kelso and Bryce Harper have the same batting average: .366.
On SYR promotions BinM has it right … HOWEVER … there is another possibility and that would be a trade or trade[s]. The Nats do not look like they will be able to contend with the Marlins, Phillies, and Braves much less even consider a wildcard race. They might hold their own against the deteriorating Mets.
We’ll have to wait until June to see what Rizzo does. Unfortunately, a lot might depend on Riggleman … my guess is a lot of trades would have been made sooner last year but for his input. It reached a point where everyone knew where the Nats would finish and Riggleman likely lost out when he tried to keep his players. I guess that has to happen again.
At some point its likely Jason Marquis, Pudge Rodriguez, John Lannan, perhaps (and hopefully) even Matt Stairs will be traded hopefully for a top 50 prospect like Wilson Ramos was. Hopefully close to major league ready like Ramos.
Then you might see Balester (even though as BinM says he has lost ground.) They might be considering converting both Detwiler and Tatusko to relief as well. Atahualpa Severino is on the 40-man and has yet to pitch this year.
But one has to suspect you’ll be seeing starters first because that’s who they will likely get the most for this year … although they might trade a relief pitcher or two?
It seems like its neck-and-neck between Bradley Meyers and Yuniesky Maya as to who comes up first. Maya’s advantage is his 40-man status. The possibility that Brad Peacock gets promoted to Syracuse also seems in the offing. Entirely changing the current Syracuse rotation and who they might promote and the competition for starting rotation jobs next year.
Riggleman likes veterans though and as Boz disclosed in his chat: that is his idea not Rizzo’s. Keeping Gaudin and Broderick, for example, Riggleman not Rizzo.
Do you really believe that Riggs outweighs Rizzo in personel decisions? That boggles my mind because I honestly doubt that the GM would be below the manager on those types of things no matter what club we are talking about. I believe Riggs has imput but I believe Rizzo makes the final decision. As much as Boz flip/flops about our Nationals I don’t find him reliable as well. I think our bullpen is fine, not just this year but for years to come. I do see Detwiller being moved to that role in the future and I would love to see us trade Slaten, Lannan and maybe even Flores for prospects. I have no problem keeping Pudge for a couple more years if he honestly can accept his role. I loved how he was right there after tonights game talking to Storen in the handshake line. He is obviously still into the game and I think he likes it here. Realize this blog is about the prospects and Rizzo has done a great job rebuilding.
Go Nats
Do you really believe that Riggs outweighs Rizzo in personel decisions? That boggles my mind because I honestly doubt that the GM would be below the manager on those types of things no matter what club we are talking about. I believe Riggs has imput but I believe Rizzo makes the final decision.
According to Today Boz chat he does. The impression I get is that it works like it does in football. (Which all things being equal and they ARE NOT makes sense.) Rizzo collects players and builds a roster with a basic depth chart. Then Riggleman and the coaches come along and select the players they want in ST. Riggleman has to be able to determine which players he wants on his 25 man squad. Rizzo probably has pretty strong opinions about what happens with the 40-man but he has of late been deferring more and more to Riggleman.
It completely boggles my mind that Rizzo would waste a roster spot on 43 year old Matt Stairs? That goes completely against everything I’ve ever heard Rizzo say. And I think that unlike Bowden he is generally pretty honest.
Boz seems to agree with me. Boz has far better connections to the organization that does Ben and pretty everyone in MASN with the exception of Ray Knight. Only Ladson might have the same or better. And honestly through my own “connections” I’ve heard the same and more … but I defer to Boz and Ladson’s “connections” because I know they are better.
Riggleman seems way to rigid when it comes to adapting to prospects; some will succeed, others will fail. You have to have an intuition about which will do well and just need time. I don’t see that at all with Riggleman. He is way too veteran-centric. He practices an odd form of cronyism that I believe hurts player development.
I do see this intuition in Ray Knight and Davey Johnson.
http://live.washingtonpost.com/ask-boswell-0516.html