- 3 hours ago
Mark Zuckerman joins G&D to discuss the Nats getting back to .500 by winning 2 of 3 from the Orioles, and look at where the Nats are almost 1/3 of the way through the year!
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00:00is now one game from 500 at 23-24
00:04as they welcome the Mets to town for a four-game series.
00:07They have the number one scoring offense per game
00:10in Major League Baseball.
00:11It has been a pretty remarkable first 47 games.
00:14They've also been outstanding at the minor league levels.
00:18Their top prospects shining at each of the levels
00:21on the minor league rungs.
00:23And we're going to bring on Mark Zuckerman
00:24on the Rude Guest Hotline right now.
00:27Rude, the most reliable heating and air conditioning products
00:29and the DMV to discuss all of this
00:32because, frankly, every now and then
00:35you kind of got to stop and smell the roses here this year, Mark.
00:37With what the Nationals are doing,
00:39you can check him out, NatsJournal.com.
00:42How impressed are you by these first 47 games
00:45at the big league level?
00:47Yeah, I agree, Grant.
00:48I think it's easy to look at the granular day-to-day stuff
00:52and say, oh, well, yesterday's game wasn't good
00:55and some of the veteran pitchers they have here
00:56aren't getting the job done.
00:57But it's okay to take a step back
00:59and look at the bigger picture here
01:02and say, yeah, this is, I think,
01:06organizationally from top to bottom,
01:07I think they're in a much better place now
01:09than they were a year ago
01:10and probably better than most of us thought
01:12they would be when the new group took over.
01:15And that's both in terms of the record,
01:17but also just who is doing what
01:20at both the big league level
01:22and at the minor league level.
01:22I think there is a lot to be encouraged by.
01:24So what's next?
01:26And I guess what I mean is this,
01:27I'm having a lot, I'm having a great time.
01:29I'd like checking some of the minor league numbers
01:30and seeing some of the cool stories
01:32and the player development stuff,
01:33looking at the major league level,
01:34a frisky team that leads the league in runs scored,
01:37which I did not anticipate at all.
01:38I'm having a good time.
01:40What's the next step here?
01:41And who takes it?
01:43What does the organization look like
01:44whenever the move to the next level is?
01:48Well, first things first,
01:49they got to get over 500
01:50so you guys can have your parade, right?
01:51Yes.
01:52We need that.
01:52It's a major deal.
01:54Yeah.
01:54Although it's a little warm today.
01:55Maybe it's best they didn't do it
01:57and you don't have to be out there
01:58on the 95 degree afternoon.
01:59We'd have been sweating
02:00that way down half street.
02:03Yeah.
02:03So I think it's a good question though, Danny,
02:06because I think it's easy to say,
02:08oh, well, this means they're on their way
02:10and oh, if they can keep themselves
02:12in a wild card race,
02:13maybe come July,
02:14they're going to be buyers
02:15instead of sellers.
02:16And this winter,
02:17they're going to be really aggressive.
02:18And I think we do have to pump the brakes
02:19on all that stuff
02:21because there is a larger plan
02:23at place here.
02:24And they've been careful
02:25not to put a timeline on that
02:26and say, well, we have to be at this point
02:28by this date or anything like that.
02:30But I don't think they're going to let
02:33the big league record,
02:34for example,
02:35I don't think that's going to change
02:38a lot of what they intend to do this summer
02:40and maybe even next winter.
02:41And we'll see.
02:42A lot can change between now and then.
02:44But I think they're pretty much
02:45sticking with this plan,
02:46which is much more focused
02:47on the long term,
02:48of course,
02:49than the short term.
02:50You would love to see them
02:51get to that 500 mark
02:53and stay right around it,
02:54whether they're above it,
02:56behind it by game.
02:57They have been in this position
02:59a couple times
03:00since the rebuild started.
03:02And then they would
03:03tail off dramatically
03:04in the second half
03:06and end up somewhere in the 60s
03:08or low 70s for win total.
03:10If they can keep this
03:11where they look like
03:12they're going to be
03:12in the mid to upper 70s,
03:14even approaching 80,
03:15that's a feel-good thing
03:17for the organization.
03:18It doesn't necessarily change
03:19what their timeline
03:20or what they're planning to do
03:21beyond this,
03:22but I do think it helps everybody
03:23feel like things are
03:24in a better place.
03:25We're about 30% of the way
03:27through this Nats season.
03:29Mark Zuckerman's joining us
03:30on Grant and Danny.
03:31Thoughts on Blake Butera
03:33in year one?
03:36It's gone very well.
03:38I think whatever questions
03:40that we had about,
03:42hey, here's this 33-year-old
03:44never played or managed
03:45above single A before.
03:47Is he going to be
03:47overwhelmed by this?
03:48I think the answer
03:49is a resounding no.
03:50And once you spend
03:51any time with him
03:52and you see the way
03:53he's done this,
03:54it's clear that he knows
03:55what he's doing
03:55and he's assembled
03:56a good staff around him.
04:00Maybe one or two exceptions
04:01so far this year
04:02that I've thought to myself,
04:04okay, he didn't really
04:04handle that one
04:05the way a season manager
04:07might have,
04:08but those have been
04:08few and far between.
04:09So I think there's a lot
04:10to like for what he's done.
04:12The players certainly
04:13seem to respect him,
04:14which is always important.
04:15I haven't seen anybody say,
04:18you know,
04:19either publicly or privately
04:20that they're kind of,
04:22you know,
04:22rolling their eyes
04:23at what he's doing
04:24or not buying in fully
04:26on what he's trying to do.
04:27So I think that's been good.
04:30You know,
04:30there will come a point
04:31where maybe they're playing
04:32some more meaningful games
04:33and let's see how
04:34he manages a bullpen
04:35when there's a lot at stake
04:37and some in-game decisions
04:38and all that.
04:39But so far,
04:40I think there's a lot
04:40to like about.
04:42He's certainly been
04:43up for the job
04:44and I don't think
04:46anything I've seen so far
04:47has suggested
04:47that he was the wrong choice.
04:49So, and Mark Zuckerman
04:50with us here on GND.
04:52So there's still
04:53some of those
04:53same old,
04:54same old things
04:55that happen across
04:55multiple regimes,
04:56but by and large,
04:58there's,
04:59it appears that
05:00there's adjustments happening.
05:01Like,
05:01you can never get
05:02Caber Ruiz
05:03after two consecutive walks
05:05to not swing at a fastball
05:06that's almost hitting him
05:08in the face.
05:08It was over his head
05:09on a,
05:10on a,
05:10you know,
05:11that's like in a huge
05:12RBI spot.
05:13That's not going to get fixed
05:14because he's still going
05:15to be Caber Ruiz.
05:16But everybody else,
05:17it seems to be that
05:18some of this coaching
05:19is actually manifesting
05:20itself in different behavior
05:21and we're not seeing
05:22the dips in the valleys
05:23and it seems like
05:25there's a good practical
05:26plan in place.
05:26I'd love for you
05:27to go into that, Mark.
05:29Yeah,
05:29I think that's,
05:30that's true.
05:31Although,
05:31hey,
05:31Ruiz did end up drawing
05:32a walk later on
05:33in that game yesterday.
05:34Now,
05:34it wasn't the situation
05:36maybe you were hoping for it
05:37because I had that same reaction
05:38with the two walks
05:39right in front of like,
05:40come on,
05:40really?
05:41You're going to swing
05:41at ball one?
05:42But that's again
05:43who he is
05:43and it's a good reminder
05:45that there's only
05:46so much they can do
05:48and I'm not saying
05:49this is like some kind
05:50of great defense
05:51of Davey Martinez,
05:52but there's a little bit
05:53of truth behind the,
05:54it's not on the coaches.
05:55Ultimately,
05:56it is on the players
05:57and you can tell them
05:58what to do
05:59and work with them
06:00all you want,
06:01but at some point
06:01the players have to be
06:02the ones to actually
06:03make the adjustments
06:03and get better.
06:05Now,
06:05that said,
06:07what I like
06:08that they've done here
06:09is they have,
06:10they've come up
06:11with plans for everyone
06:12and some of that's
06:13overarching
06:13that everybody
06:14follows the same plan
06:15and some of it's
06:16catered to the individuals.
06:17I think that's important.
06:18Not everybody's
06:18going to react
06:20to the same kind
06:21of style of coaching
06:22or has the same priorities
06:23that they might need
06:25that somebody else
06:25might need.
06:26They meet with them
06:27regularly,
06:27they're having these
06:28like every six weeks,
06:30let's evaluate
06:31where you are
06:32in your development
06:32and here's all the metrics
06:34and things we want you
06:35to work on
06:35and here's how you did
06:36and here you improved
06:38on this,
06:38you still need to improve
06:39on that.
06:39I think the way
06:40they're presenting
06:41that information
06:41has been very valuable
06:42and is appreciated
06:44by the players.
06:45Now,
06:46again,
06:46it ultimately boils down
06:47to are the players
06:48good enough
06:48to make the adjustments
06:49and show that
06:50in real game situations
06:51and we've seen it
06:52in some cases,
06:53maybe not in all,
06:54but I think the messaging
06:55and the way they're going
06:56about trying to convey
06:57all this to the players
06:59has been well-received
07:00and I would think
07:01that bodes well
07:02in the longer term.
07:04Mark,
07:04as happy as I've been
07:05at the major league level
07:06with being 500
07:07and they've had to
07:08cut corners
07:10and play the matchups
07:11and they're doing it
07:12the way the Rays
07:13and the Brewers
07:14and the really smart
07:14analytical small market teams
07:16do it,
07:17what I have been happier
07:19with this year
07:19is the minor league system
07:20and I'm not exaggerating,
07:22you know this,
07:23but I'm saying this
07:23for our listeners,
07:24this has been the best
07:26six or so weeks
07:27at a minor league
07:28system abroad
07:30kind of performance
07:31maybe in Nats history,
07:33certainly offensively.
07:34I mean,
07:35I'm not exaggerating
07:36when I say
07:36like top to bottom
07:38guys like Eli Willits
07:39and Ronnie Cruz
07:40and Seaver King
07:42who got promoted
07:43to AAA,
07:43Devin Fitzgerald
07:44maybe has been
07:45the best hitter
07:45in the minors
07:46so far this year,
07:47Ethan Petri,
07:48the draft pick last year
07:49and the breakouts
07:50of guys like Luke Dickerson
07:51and the flashes
07:53of Jeremy Cabrera
07:54and Coy James,
07:55we could keep going
07:55and going
07:55and going
07:56and going.
07:56It's been tremendous.
07:58What do you make
07:59of that?
07:59It's almost like
08:00you rub a little
08:01analytics
08:02and some money
08:03on some tools
08:06on this thing
08:07and all of a sudden
08:08it's fixed.
08:10I think what stands out
08:12is how many names
08:13you just rattled off.
08:14It's the depth of it.
08:16You know,
08:16they've had obviously
08:17great prospects
08:18over the years
08:20who have dominated
08:21the minor league level
08:22and you know,
08:23you could look back
08:24at Bryce Harper
08:25and Steven Strasburg
08:26and Trey Turner
08:27and Anthony Rendon
08:29and others
08:29and say,
08:30well,
08:30they have had star players
08:31bump through the system
08:33but you're probably right
08:34that they haven't had
08:34this many guys
08:36at the same time
08:38performing
08:39at this level
08:41and some of those
08:42are big name,
08:43you know,
08:43top 100 prospects
08:44and some of them are not
08:45and that's good
08:46because I think
08:46one of the real issues
08:48that the organization
08:49had for a long time
08:50was an inability
08:52to turn
08:53second round,
08:54third round,
08:54fourth round
08:55and beyond picks
08:56maybe not into
08:57star big leaguers
08:58but just into quality
08:59big leaguers
08:59of any type
09:00and I think that's
09:01equally as important
09:02as making sure
09:03that you hit
09:03those first rounders
09:04and turn them
09:06into star players
09:06so I think
09:07there's definitely
09:08that going on
09:09what they've done
09:10you're right
09:10they've invested more
09:11that's in terms
09:13of technology
09:13it's also just
09:15the personnel
09:15they have way more
09:16coaches
09:17at the minor league
09:18level than they did
09:19before
09:19and they're really
09:20trying to mirror
09:21everything they're doing
09:22at the big league level
09:23at the minors
09:24especially the upper levels
09:25at AAA right now
09:27they've got the exact
09:28same number of coaches
09:29they do here
09:30in the same roles
09:31they're really trying
09:32to have continuity
09:33across the board
09:34they've got that
09:35project pitching machine
09:36that they have
09:37here in the majors
09:38they have one
09:38in Rochester
09:39as well
09:40the whole idea
09:40is that when a player
09:42gets called up
09:42to the big leagues
09:43it's going to feel
09:43the exact same
09:44as what they've already
09:45had in the minors
09:47now it'll take a while
09:47until we see all
09:48the results
09:49of that
09:50but so far
09:51you definitely
09:51noticed that
09:52and what they're doing
09:53especially at the
09:54single A level
09:55so many of those kids
09:56are at single A
09:56right now
09:57that bodes well
09:58you never know
09:59they've got a long way
10:00to go until they get
10:01to the big leagues
10:01but just the depth
10:03of it
10:03the fact that
10:04we're not just
10:05counting on one
10:06or two
10:07of those prospects
10:08to make it big
10:09but there are a lot
10:09more to choose from
10:10I think that
10:12is probably
10:12the most encouraging
10:13part of it
10:14you've got to
10:15wager the entire
10:16meta Facebook fortune
10:17because you did
10:18invent Facebook
10:19Mark
10:21when do they trade
10:22C.J. Abrams
10:23or do they not
10:25I'm going to
10:26say that it
10:27doesn't happen
10:28until the off season
10:30and the reason
10:30interesting
10:32this is why we ask
10:34yeah
10:34I'd not say
10:35they couldn't do it
10:36in July
10:36and if
10:37Baltimore gets
10:38the right offer
10:38I think he'll
10:39make that move
10:40but there's going
10:41to be a limited
10:41number of teams
10:42that are really
10:42in the market
10:43for him
10:44and so
10:44you don't have
10:45as many competitors
10:46maybe putting out
10:47different offers
10:48for him
10:49there's still going
10:50to be probably
10:50some skepticism
10:51around the league
10:52for hey we know
10:53he's a great
10:54first half player
10:54but can he do it
10:55in the second half
10:55as well
10:57also that question
10:58of is he a shortstop
10:59is he a second baseman
10:59what is he really
11:00so if I'm Paul Tabone
11:02yeah somebody makes
11:03me the right offer
11:03I'll make that move
11:04but I don't feel
11:05compelled to do it
11:07and I don't think
11:07he will feel
11:08he absolutely
11:08has to make that move
11:10with two years
11:10of control left
11:11maybe wait until
11:12the off season
11:12when you have
11:13more teams involved
11:15and maybe
11:16he keeps it up
11:17for a whole year
11:18now that boosts
11:19his value
11:19as well
11:20the only problem
11:21with that is
11:21if there's a lockout
11:22and that wipes out
11:23a lot of the off season
11:24I was going to ask you
11:25about this
11:25I want to jump in
11:26real fast
11:26we've only got about a minute
11:27but this is a bigger picture
11:29thing too
11:29that relates to that
11:31so I've been thinking
11:32about the fact that
11:33maybe they're a little
11:33closer than they think
11:34right between what's
11:35almost at the big league
11:36level in the system
11:37what they have
11:38could it be a chance
11:40where you sign a starter
11:41you sign a couple
11:42relievers
11:42so if they had that
11:43right now
11:44you're 5'6 over 500
11:46maybe
11:47and you're in the
11:47playoff mix
11:48but then I think about it
11:49and I'm like
11:49it's very unlikely
11:51with this ownership group
11:52going into a potential
11:52work stoppage
11:53that they're going to
11:54spend any money
11:55in the off season
11:55where are you at on that
11:57yeah I think that's
11:59where it gets complicated
12:00that number one
12:00you have an organization
12:01that I think wants to
12:02stick to what its plan
12:03is anyways
12:04regardless
12:04number two
12:05the lockout issue
12:07complicates matters
12:08and I think we've known
12:09all along
12:09that the Lerner family
12:10wants to see
12:11what is the state
12:12of baseball
12:12coming out of this
12:13whole thing
12:14is there more
12:15revenue sharing
12:16is there a salary cap
12:17that could change
12:18the way they approach
12:19things a lot
12:20so I think that
12:21if there is going to be
12:22a spending spree
12:23and I'm not saying
12:23there will be
12:24but if there is
12:24I think it's more
12:25likely coming
12:26before the 2028 season
12:28than the 27 season
12:29would be my guess
12:30Mark thank you
12:31as always buddy
12:32see you at the yard
12:33you got it
12:34thanks guys
12:34we will see you
12:35over at Nats Park
12:37tonight
12:37Mark Zuckerman
12:38check out the Nats Journal
12:39he does such a good job
12:40covering the Nationals
12:41has for many
12:42many years
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