As FOXSports.com's Jon Morosi noted on Twitter this morning (@JonMorosi), so far this season the Washington Nationals, "... have [the] worst OPS at second base of any team in MLB." The Nats have a .504 OPS from their second baseman in 4...
As FOXSports.com's Jon Morosi noted on Twitter this morning (@JonMorosi), so far this season the Washington Nationals, "... have [the] worst OPS at second base of any team in MLB." The Nats have a .504 OPS from their second baseman in 47 games in 2013. After a 2 for 30 (.067/.097/.067) ten-game road trip, 26-year-old second baseman Danny Espinosa has a .163/.196/.291 line with nine doubles and three home runs in 39 games and 149 plate appearances.
24-year-old Steve Lombardozzi, the only other infielder to see time at second, has a .220/.245/.286 line in 37 games and 96 PAs. The two have provided strong defense at second, and as Nats' GM Mike Rizzo pointed out in a recent MLB Network Radio interview, the defense Espinosa, in particular, provides both at second and short if necessary should not be overlooked by those questioning why the struggling infielder remains in the lineup.
"I think that we need to see a consistent approach," Rizzo said, "not only physically, but preparation-wise and the thought process. And once he gets that, I think that his talent should be able to take over." - Mike Rizzo on MLB Network Radio on Danny Espinosa
"When people discuss his value," Rizzo told the MLB Network Radio hosts, "I think that's sometimes lost. When you have a guy that's playing second base that's your backup shortstop and you can throw at shortstop and not miss a beat defensively, that's [an] extremely important player to have. And he's a tough player, he's tough on himself and a little bit stubborn. He needs to make some adjustments, and I think [Hitting Coach Rick Eckstein] and Davey [Johnson] are going to get to him eventually and he's going to get through this little malaise that he's in with the bat and start hitting like we think that he's capable of doing and he thinks he's capable of doing."
The Nationals' general manager wasn't ignoring the offensive issues Espinosa, who's playing with a torn rotator cuff, has experienced early this season. In fact, he stated quite clearly that the '08 3rd Round pick needed to make adjustments. "I think that we need to see a consistent approach," Rizzo said, "not only physically, but preparation-wise and the thought process. And once he gets that, I think that his talent should be able to take over."
"'We like him – we like him a lot,' [Davey] Johnson said of Rendon. 'But putting him at second at the major-league level, he’s not there yet.'" - Davey Johnson on Anthony Rendon to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal
FOXSports.com's Mr. Morosi's colleague, Ken Rosenthal, putting 1+1 together and getting 3, noted earlier this week, after seeing top Nationals' prospect Anthony Rendon's named penciled into the Harrisburg Senators' lineup at second at the same time Lombardozzi was in the Nationals' lineup at second instead of Espinosa, that the, "... obvious conclusion, now that Ryan Zimmerman is back playing third, is that the Nationals might be grooming Rendon to take over for Espinosa at second." But, when he asked Davey Johnson about that possibility, the Nats' 70-year-old skipper shot the idea down. As Mr. Rosenthal wrote, "Davey Johnson said that the team is not yet considering such a plan.":
"'We like him – we like him a lot,' Johnson said of Rendon. 'But putting him at second at the major-league level, he’s not there yet. He’s not (playing second) specifically. He’s just occasionally going over there.'"
If, and that's a big "IF," the Nationals were to replace Espinosa at second, Johnson told the bow-tied FOXSports.com reporter, "... both Lombardozzi and Triple A infielder Zach Walters rank ahead of [Rendon] as candidates to replace Espinosa." As Mr. Rosenthal countered, however, "Espinosa, Lombardozzi and Walters aren’t hitting. Rendon is," and the Nationals need an "offensive boost." Rendon, the Nats' 22-year-old, 2011 1st Round pick has crushed Double-A pitching so far this season, especially after returning from a short