As some of you may know, I write monthly for the website BaseballReflections.com. 

This week I wrote a analysis of the Washington Nationals ugly first half, check it out.

Here's a preview:

The Washington National fans entered this season with high hopes.

Not with the typical hopes of baseball fans, that their team may be winning the pennant or even the World Series. No, Nationals fans were finally hopeful that their team had turned the corner and would be in the beginning of an upswing that would have them competitors for several years.

There was confidence in the system, confidence in the organization, and confidence in the leadership.

Fast-forward to the 2009 All-Star break and the Nationals have the worst record in baseball and have fired General Manager Jim Bowden, pitching coach Randy St. Claire, and just today Manager Manny Acta.

So what happened?....

Nick Jonas Diabetes PSA from Children's Hospital Foundation on Vimeo.

Read the article.

Lost in the news that Manny Acta has now been axed is the news that rookie starting pitcher Ross Detwiler has been called back to AAA-Syracuse.

The 23-year-old starter was only expected to get one or two starts when he was called up in May, but the former first round draft pick impressed and got 10 solid Major League starts.

While he had initial success, it had become evident over the last few starts that Detwiler needed some fine-tuning in AAA. In his 10 starts he posted a 0-5 record with a 6.40 ERA with 33 K’s and 22 walks. In his last two starts however, he failed to pitch more than four innings and allowed at least five earned and 8 hits.

Detwiler’s stint was not a failure however; in fact in most ways it was a smashing success.

Leading into 2009 Detwiler had by most accounts been a large disappointment. A top ten pick in 2007, Detwiler burst on to the scene dominating rookie ball at the age of 21. In four starts he posted a 2.25 ERA with 15 K’s in 12 innings.

This performance gave him a fast track cameo to the Major League’s at the end of the 2007 season. He only had one appearance, and retired the side.

2008 saw Detwiler back in high A ball in a situation where he could pitch his way up the ranks and maybe make another appearance at the end of the season. The lefty couldn’t find his way out of Potomac however.

In 26 starts Detwiler went 8-8 with a 4.86 ERA. In 124 innings he allowed an ugly 140 hits, and a disappointing 114 K’s.

Something had changed in Detwiler, his confidence was shot and it showed.

The Nats development team and Detwiler decided to get back to basics. When Detwiler was drafted, the Nationals completely revamped his delivery to be more Major League efficient. This is common among pitchers when reaching professional ball, in fact it is rather amazing how only a few tweaks can add another several miles per hour to a fastball, and certainly increase their longevity.

For whatever reason, these changes were not something Detwiler could adapt to. It was causing him to hang his slider and not locate his fastballs. After spring training in 2009 he switched back to his old college mechanics and was able to dominate in his last several starts in AA Harrisburg.

His stint in the majors has been very important because it proved to him one thing, he can get Major Leaguer’s out. There is no way to truly express the importance of that one lesson. With Detwilers confidence back, and some fine-tuning, he may end up being better than Zimmermann and Lannan down the road.

Garret Mock Promoted

Taking Detwiler’s spot in the rotation will be Garrett Mock.

26-year-old Mock has pitched well in Syracuse since an early demotion. In eight starts he is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 51 innings. 

The Washington Post has been up and down in their coverage of the Nationals.

Thomas Boswell may very well be one of the best writers who devotes his efforts to sports in the Nation, but many of his idea’s tend to be outdated.

The Nationals Journal is solid, but Chico Harlan has said he doesn’t like baseball. And while sometimes you’ll find a real treasure on there, mostly you are disappointed with the thoroughness.

Mike Wise however wrote an excellent story today writing about the terrible mishandling of Frank Robinson in his column, “Robinson Deserved Better.”

The article goes into the terrible miscommunication between Bowden, Kasten, and Robinson. It shows how the two executives led the baseball legend on with insincere comments with their intensions hidden behind a smoke shield of obscurity.

Here are some excerpts, I encourage all of you to read the whole story here.

“Kasten, the team president; and by association the Lerner family uncomfortably strung Robinson along until the very end of his second season in Washington. That's how Frank Robinson said it went down.”

….

"Robinson said he first asked Bowden in July 2006 if the organization wanted him to return. Bowden, he said, asked what he was looking for in the way of salary. "I ask for a million a year and I said I could go for two or three more years," Robinson said he told him.

"Well, you better ask for a little bit more," Bowden said, according to Robinson. "Because you know the way they are; they'll cut you down."

Bowden said he would get back to Robinson but kept putting him off, Robinson said. "Finally, I said point blank, 'Jim, if you're back as general manager, am I your manager next year?' He said, 'Absolutely.' That's good enough for me. I hold people to their word."

Most Valuable Player, Best Prospect, and Best Hitter for Power- Derek Norris A Hagerstown

Derek Norris has been spectacular the first half of this season. In 81 games he has batted .317/.417/.596 with 20 homers and 84 RBI. That translates into a 162 game season of a .317 average with 40 homers and 168 RBI. The right handed hitting catcher may very well be the future of this club. At 20-years-old, Norris shows tremendous plate patience and power. On top of his 20 homers he has smacked 20 doubles and has walked 47 times.

The scary thing is Norris is getting better as the season goes along. In a four game stretch last week he hit six homers and walked four times.

Expect Norris to soon get a promotion to Harrisburg, skipping Potomac, and you may see him in the Majors as soon as 2010.

Best Pitcher: Tie- J.D Martin AAA Syracuse and Bradley Meyers AA Harrisburg

J.D Martin has been stellar in his first 14 starts of the year. He has an 8-2 record with a 2.14 ERA through 84 innings. The Californian native has held opponents to only hit .227 against him, and only four batters have been able to go yard. He has a 61 to 9 strikeout to walk ratio so far this year, and is more than ready for his call up to the pros.

Bradley Meyers is a 23 year old who just earned his promotion to Harrisburg after dominating in Potomac. The six foot six starter pitched 88.1 innings in 14 starts for the P-Nationals, allowing only one home run, and posting a 1.43 ERA. Most impressive about the pitchers performance is that he has walked only 21 batters, which is a good sign for his Major League potential.
 

Best Hitter for Avreage: Jorge Padilla-AAA Syracuse

Jorge Rafael Padilla, an outfielder from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, is tearing up the International League. Through 73 games this season he is now batting .363 with 15 extra base hits, 10 stolen bases, and an OBP of .429. Unfortunately for the Nationals, at the age of 29 the career minor leaguer has no real Major League potential.

Most Disappointing: Michael Burgess A Potomac

Burgess was a huge prospect coming out of high school. The hitter had top-five-pick talent, the background, and the pedigree to be a superstar. He simply oozed raw power from his pores. His senior year no team who wished to compete would pitch to the muscle-bound Floridian and his draft stock slipped as his numbers dipped. Burgess proved that falling to the supplemental round was a mistake as in 2008 he hit 24 homers and was named one of the best power prospects in baseball.

Burgess needed to come into 2009 and prove that he had improved his plate patience and ability to hit for contact. So far in 2009 however he has struck out 86 times in 283 at bats, that’s 30%. He is only batting .230 and has only hit 13 home runs, compared to 18 at the same time last year. In high A Potomac Burgess simply looks overmatched, a bad sign for the sluggers future.