Matt Wieters sustained a leg injury when rounding first base after hitting a single and will undergo an MRI this morning, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. It’s not clear if the damage is specific to his hamstring or something in his knee. Wieters told reporters that he felt something “behind [his] knee, kind of go a little bit.” The veteran switch-hitter has been more productive so far in 2018 than he was in 2017, hitting .231/.342/.385 through his first 76 plate appearances. While he’s still not the hitter he was in his best years with the Orioles, the loss of Wieters for any period would put the Nationals in a bind. He’s one of just two catchers on the 40-man roster now that the Nationals released Miguel Montero last month and placed Jhonatan Solano on the 60-day DL (depth chart). Either journeyman Tuffy Gosewisch or longtime Nats farmhand Spencer Kieboom seem likely to have his contract selected from Triple-A this weekend, as Janes notes that Wieters has already been deemed unavailable for tonight’s game and will “almost certainly” land on the DL for a second time this season.
More on the Nats…
- Outfield prospect Juan Soto, perhaps the quickest rising star of any prospect early in the 2018 season, was bumped from Class-A Advanced to Double-A yesterday. The 19-year-old Soto opened the year in Class-A and was moved to Class-A Advanced after just 16 games. His stay in High-A only lasted another 15 games though, as Soto obliterated pitchers there before somewhat incredibly homering and hitting a double in last night’s Double-A debut as well. Soto has raked at an otherworldly .373/.477/.817 clip across three levels so far, belting 13 homers, nine doubles and four triples while walking more often than he’s struck out (26-to-21 BB/K ratio).
- Janes also writes that the Nationals don’t expect to make a splashy move to acquire an outfielder in the wake of yesterday’s ankle surgery for Adam Eaton. Skipper Dave Martinez said that Matt Adams and Howie Kendrick will platoon for the majority of left field at-bats, listing Andrew Stevenson and a mending Brian Goodwin as additional options for the organization. Soto won’t be rushed to the big leagues, Janes notes, and fellow top outfield prospect Victor Robles is still working his way back from a hyperextended elbow. But Eaton could be closer to returning by the time clubs are willing to start selling off legitimate outfield upgrades, and the Nats have some depth right now as it is. Janes suggests within her column that the Nats may even subtract outfielder Moises Sierra from the roster at some point to open a spot for Mark Reynolds to come up from Triple-A. (It’s worth noting that jettisoning the struggling Sierra would also represent a means of opening a spot for a catcher to be added to the 40-man roster tonight.)
Tough stuff for Wieters. He and Eaton are injury prone now – time to move on with play time for all these younger “prospects”. Nats won’t win a WS this year unless they get a top fielding catcher who can hit. Rizzo : time to show what deals to make to beef up the team NOW- that’s what u r paid to do. Harper re-sign or you are history.
Top fielding catcher who can hit? Easy enough
Enter Blake Swihart!
Sarcasm I hope.
Why find another catcher? Just have Kevin Long and Henry Blanco teach one you already have to hit and become a top fielder. That’s what they’re paid to do.
I don’t know if signing Harper is really the best idea for the Nats. I mean, he’s a fantastic player but is he worth $30+ million dollars a year for a decade? Wouldn’t you rather have two all-star players at $150 million each than one at $300?
The value of a single 10 WAR player is exponentially higher than two 5 WAR players. They did an exercise trying to gauge Mike Trouts value in a trade awhile back and because of that fact his value was absolutely insane. Harpers not Trout but he’s the closest the game has.
Bill James and Brian Kenney have been talking about this for years. One 10 WAR player is worth more when healthy but is also more risky since you are putting such a huge investment into one guy who could get hurt. With multiple good players, you spread out the risk of injury. Basically, the upside of a 10 WAR player vs like three 3.3 WAR players in canceled out by injury risk
“ . . . the upside of a 10 WAR player vs. like three 3.3 WAR players is cancelled out by injury risk.”
Do you have a cite for that conclusion? I remember James coming out on the opposite side. Your 10 WAR player can lose time to injury and still be more productive than two of your 3.3 WAR players combined. And he’d be doing so while consuming the plate appearances of only one player, which is kinda the whole point.
“One 10 WAR player is worth more when healthy . . . “
Good so far.
“ . . . but is also more risky since you are putting such a huge investment into one guy who could get hurt.”
That is counterintuitive. You are saying that a team with a 10 WAR player and a team with three 3.3 WAR players are equal. But comparing the value of a 10 WAR player with the value of three 3.3 WAR players ignores the value which the first team will get from two additional players. The second team will have to use three lineup slots to get its 10 WAR while the first gets it from one player, leaving two slots available for other players to make WAR with.
You have more “flaws” then my Parrot!
So it is said, so it is written.
“You have more “flaws” than my Parrot!”
Whatever does that even mean? Parrots have “flaws”? And why is “Parrot” capitalized? I sense you are trying to be offensive but aren’t talented enough to pull it off. Shouldn’t troll in deep waters until you develop some game, son.
The suggestion was two $150m players instead of one $300m (Harper), he stated nothing about WAR’s. The two $150m player could possibly each be 7 WAR’s
15 days in AA for Soto to prove he’s beyond AA pitching … he did pretty well head-to-head with Vlad jr. the #1 prospect last night. Another 2 – 3 weeks in AAA and then into the Nats lineup starting in left field for the Nats. Chelsea Janes should know better she actually saw him blast a home run past 3 sets of fencing in Woodbridge … Syracuse Sky Chief Juan Soto will be in the Nat’s starting lineup this season. There should be almost no doubt about that at this point.
Probably right on his upcoming – Just think on how many catchers (2nd string) the Nats have used since year 1 in DC , and especially in last 6! Back to my 1st point …cultivate! Yanks can show plenty around that starting w Posada.