I forget what inning it was, but early in the game James Wood had strike three called on him, on a pitch that looked easily outside (to me, at least). I wonder if he's afraid to challenge after having gotten burned several times already this season.
He also seems to not know where the outside edge is. Every challenge I have seen him lose in games I was at or was watching on TV has been on that edge.
Mark hit the low points really well. The wiemer running gaffe in the ninth Saturday likely would’ve been whatever the opposite term is of “gilding the Lilly.”
Glad I missed most of the last 2 games. Maybe the nats were still in shock from seeing Ruiz and Millas hit home runs last series. It is amazing how poor they are at challenging in addition to their fielding woes. The 2 guys playing first are not very good at it, plus it’s not their natural position. They don’t have anyone in Rochester who can field first either. (Maybe we should have held onto Dom Smith a few years ago.)
Yeah, I don’t have the stats so maybe it’s just a “seems like he has” but I’ve seen his biggest critics actually praise him on the challenges he’s made. And I don’t think this metric is being tracked, or it isn’t being published yet if it is. At least I can’t find it. Maybe someone like stever20 knows, and I doubt he’s posting here like he did at MASN, since he’s a TN regular.
What’s interesting is that Salvador Perez won 74% of his challenges but ranks 34th in the leaderboard whereas Shea Langeliers won 54% of his challenges yet ranks #1.
As far as the catchers, I’ve written elsewhere that Keibert has improved tremendously in his defensive game. He so far ranks 18th in Fielding Run Value among catchers. Austin Hedges who most consider the second best defensive catcher in MLB is ranked 17.
Among catchers , So far , the worse in winning challenges are those that excel in framing. This was recently published in the Athletic:
“The Nationals sit on the other end of the spectrum, producing an overturned call on a league-low 39% of their challenges. Their catcher, Keibert Ruiz, is 6-for-12, but he admitted he has tricked himself this season because he has improved his framing.
“If I catch it good,” he said, “I think it’s a strike sometimes.”
That might also be the case for Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who annually rates as the best framer in the business. Expert framing can convince a hitter not to challenge. Or, it can fool a catcher into underestimating their own ability to make a borderline pitch resemble a strike.
“I think that makes sense,” said Bailey, who is 10-for-22 on challenges. “I definitely haven’t been as good as I wanted to be with the ABS.”
Conversely, Royals veteran Salvador Pérez, historically a below-average framer, leads the league with 19 overturned calls in 24 challenges.” “
4 stolen bases in 1 inning. Horrible ABS management. Key error. 3 hit batters, 6 walks . . . no team can overcome that. In the end, no matter how good Butera and Toboni are (and I think they are absolutely on the right track) there is no making chicken salad out of . . . well, you know.
The Nats might not have to worry about the defense of Abrams and Garcia in the long run. Ronny Cruz, who has torn up Fredericksburg and Wilmington at 19, vaults to the Nats’ No. 6 prospect and enters mlb pipeline’s top 100.
The Nats’ system is rich with promising infielders and they look primed for promotions - Seaver King to Rochester, Ronny Cruz and Devin Fitz-Gerald to Harrisburg, Eli Willits to Wilmington.
That leaves Gavin Fien, Luke Dickerson and Coy James in Fredericksburg and Marconi German in the FCL.
If even two of these guys are the real deal the Nats infield will be vastly improved.
Great to hear about these prospects. And that's what they are, prospects. Cruz had (last time I looked) an ETA of 2029. King was next year I think. And that's based on progress.
All good to think about the future, but let's let it all play out. Exciting times!
This is one reason I'd be thrilled if Toboni finds a suitable trade sucker for Abrams.
The other reason: Abrams no doubt is gunning for a post-lockout free agent deal that makes Lindor and Turner blush. If I thought he'd be open to a friendly 3-to-7 year extension starting today, I might feel differently, but let him boot the ball for the next 12 years someplace else.
Like Davey said last season, “It’s never on coaching. We can't hit for them, we can't catch the ball for them, we can't pitch for them, we can't throw strikes for them.” These new coaches are doing the best they can, but it sure would have been nice to take two from the Fish.
For all the progress a better than expected 19-22 record indicates, especially in terms of scoring runs and in Butera’s bullpen management - yes, there have been several meltdowns but Butera manages his pen way better than Davey did (excepting the 2019 playoffs), this, in the end, is a bad baseball team that’s been mired in a dearth of MLB talent and a losing mindset and culture since August 1, 2021.
How many times have the Nationals been either at .500 or one game under .500 and lost since then? I don’t know their record in those games, but it has to be abysmal.
The errors, the bad base running, the copious walks and HR’s allowed by the pitching staff, the loss of close games all add up to this - “bad teams find ways to lose, good teams find ways to win.”
Until the Nationals either overcome this culture with the, in my opinion, subpar talent they have on the 40-man roster, or, prospects mature and perform well quickly, and/or improved players are signed via free agency, the losses and poor play at poor times is going to continue.
They’ve overachieved and been quite fun to watch and follow this season, especially on Nats Journal and the Nats chat podcast, but I think in the end, the lack of talent will prove out and the losses will mount over the next quarter to half of the season.
There’s definitely a lot of truth regarding talent limitations and the pitching issues, and we can thank either Lerner and/or Toboni for the pitching problems. I just think the coaching comparisons get a little narrative-driven without much data behind them. Very subjective in fact.
Why CJ keeps better his value at SS if he is not good at it? If he plays 2nd and do better, it doesn’t increase his value taking into account he is horrible at the prime position?
This team is again trying to sell PROFESSIONAL with a payroll that is less then the average Pizza Chain and with a revolving door of found by the dumpster players. The game is up now and Toboni's honeymoon is over, time to get serious and make REAL MOVES or Nationals Park will be less occupied then the East Wing of the White House by September
Defensive drills, and real work, not just feeding you easy ground balls, are things anyone can do, and can do until they get them right. And things like "you're not going home until you get this right" can be done by anybody. And that's why they lose to teams like the Marlins, who have no talent but don't routinely screw up the basics like the Nats do every chance they get.
I don't like the idea of some dinosaur with a whistle and a nasty attitude making these guys run laps, but all that stands between them and acceptable defense is practice.
As Herb Brooks said: "You think you can win on talent alone? You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." The owners aren't going to hire any help, and if you can't be bothered to really do your best preparation, you're going to keep losing games you should win because the other guy is willing to work harder than you are.
Aggrevating series no doubt!
I forget what inning it was, but early in the game James Wood had strike three called on him, on a pitch that looked easily outside (to me, at least). I wonder if he's afraid to challenge after having gotten burned several times already this season.
Hmm...Wood didn't strike out in any of his ABs in today's game.
It was actually the call second strike that was way outside
Thanks - I knew I saw him not challenge an obvious bad call.
Maybe the robots should just call it in real time
I believe that is coming to MLB eventually…..when I don’t know, but I think it’s more a “when” than an if.
I think the problem James has with ABS is being very tall. He has a bigger strike zone than most hitters.
He also seems to not know where the outside edge is. Every challenge I have seen him lose in games I was at or was watching on TV has been on that edge.
Mark hit the low points really well. The wiemer running gaffe in the ninth Saturday likely would’ve been whatever the opposite term is of “gilding the Lilly.”
That term is TOOTBLAN.
Glad I missed most of the last 2 games. Maybe the nats were still in shock from seeing Ruiz and Millas hit home runs last series. It is amazing how poor they are at challenging in addition to their fielding woes. The 2 guys playing first are not very good at it, plus it’s not their natural position. They don’t have anyone in Rochester who can field first either. (Maybe we should have held onto Dom Smith a few years ago.)
I believe Ruiz has been doing pretty well with the challenges, hasn’t he?
I think he has been a bit better than Millas, but better is a relative term.
Yeah, I don’t have the stats so maybe it’s just a “seems like he has” but I’ve seen his biggest critics actually praise him on the challenges he’s made. And I don’t think this metric is being tracked, or it isn’t being published yet if it is. At least I can’t find it. Maybe someone like stever20 knows, and I doubt he’s posting here like he did at MASN, since he’s a TN regular.
Ruiz 50% Millas 45%
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/abs
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/abs-challenges?challengeType=catcher&level=mlb&gameType=regular&year=2026&sort=parent_org&sortDir=asc&page=1&pageSize=50
Thanks! I actually checked Baseball Savant and didn’t find it. Appreciate you sharing
What’s interesting is that Salvador Perez won 74% of his challenges but ranks 34th in the leaderboard whereas Shea Langeliers won 54% of his challenges yet ranks #1.
I did think at that time the Nats ought to have kept him.
As far as the catchers, I’ve written elsewhere that Keibert has improved tremendously in his defensive game. He so far ranks 18th in Fielding Run Value among catchers. Austin Hedges who most consider the second best defensive catcher in MLB is ranked 17.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/fielding-run-value?gameType=Regular&seasonStart=2026&seasonEnd=2026&type=fielder&position=2&minInnings=100&minResults=1
Among catchers , So far , the worse in winning challenges are those that excel in framing. This was recently published in the Athletic:
“The Nationals sit on the other end of the spectrum, producing an overturned call on a league-low 39% of their challenges. Their catcher, Keibert Ruiz, is 6-for-12, but he admitted he has tricked himself this season because he has improved his framing.
“If I catch it good,” he said, “I think it’s a strike sometimes.”
That might also be the case for Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who annually rates as the best framer in the business. Expert framing can convince a hitter not to challenge. Or, it can fool a catcher into underestimating their own ability to make a borderline pitch resemble a strike.
“I think that makes sense,” said Bailey, who is 10-for-22 on challenges. “I definitely haven’t been as good as I wanted to be with the ABS.”
Conversely, Royals veteran Salvador Pérez, historically a below-average framer, leads the league with 19 overturned calls in 24 challenges.” “
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7233538/2026/04/27/mlb-teams-good-bad-abs-challenge-system/
Personally, I’d rather have a catcher that excelled in framing rather than winning challenges since a team has a finite supply of challenges.
As far as the 1B, Luis Jr is showing progress. He’s marching up the Fielding Run Value leaderboard
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/fielding-run-value?gameType=Regular&seasonStart=2026&seasonEnd=2026&type=fielder&position=3&minInnings=100&minResults=1
And in Defensive Runs Saved he ranks 21 out of 108
https://www.fieldingbible.com/drs-leaderboard/players?position=3
Analysts and sabermetricians favor DRS over FRV in evaluating infielders.
For Garcia Jr that’s Not bad for a guy learning on the fly.
4 stolen bases in 1 inning. Horrible ABS management. Key error. 3 hit batters, 6 walks . . . no team can overcome that. In the end, no matter how good Butera and Toboni are (and I think they are absolutely on the right track) there is no making chicken salad out of . . . well, you know.
The Nats might not have to worry about the defense of Abrams and Garcia in the long run. Ronny Cruz, who has torn up Fredericksburg and Wilmington at 19, vaults to the Nats’ No. 6 prospect and enters mlb pipeline’s top 100.
The Nats’ system is rich with promising infielders and they look primed for promotions - Seaver King to Rochester, Ronny Cruz and Devin Fitz-Gerald to Harrisburg, Eli Willits to Wilmington.
That leaves Gavin Fien, Luke Dickerson and Coy James in Fredericksburg and Marconi German in the FCL.
If even two of these guys are the real deal the Nats infield will be vastly improved.
It’s hard as hell but lets be patient and let them hone their craft
Great to hear about these prospects. And that's what they are, prospects. Cruz had (last time I looked) an ETA of 2029. King was next year I think. And that's based on progress.
All good to think about the future, but let's let it all play out. Exciting times!
This is one reason I'd be thrilled if Toboni finds a suitable trade sucker for Abrams.
The other reason: Abrams no doubt is gunning for a post-lockout free agent deal that makes Lindor and Turner blush. If I thought he'd be open to a friendly 3-to-7 year extension starting today, I might feel differently, but let him boot the ball for the next 12 years someplace else.
Like Davey said last season, “It’s never on coaching. We can't hit for them, we can't catch the ball for them, we can't pitch for them, we can't throw strikes for them.” These new coaches are doing the best they can, but it sure would have been nice to take two from the Fish.
For all the progress a better than expected 19-22 record indicates, especially in terms of scoring runs and in Butera’s bullpen management - yes, there have been several meltdowns but Butera manages his pen way better than Davey did (excepting the 2019 playoffs), this, in the end, is a bad baseball team that’s been mired in a dearth of MLB talent and a losing mindset and culture since August 1, 2021.
How many times have the Nationals been either at .500 or one game under .500 and lost since then? I don’t know their record in those games, but it has to be abysmal.
The errors, the bad base running, the copious walks and HR’s allowed by the pitching staff, the loss of close games all add up to this - “bad teams find ways to lose, good teams find ways to win.”
Until the Nationals either overcome this culture with the, in my opinion, subpar talent they have on the 40-man roster, or, prospects mature and perform well quickly, and/or improved players are signed via free agency, the losses and poor play at poor times is going to continue.
They’ve overachieved and been quite fun to watch and follow this season, especially on Nats Journal and the Nats chat podcast, but I think in the end, the lack of talent will prove out and the losses will mount over the next quarter to half of the season.
Well said, unfortunately. The truth hurts.
There’s definitely a lot of truth regarding talent limitations and the pitching issues, and we can thank either Lerner and/or Toboni for the pitching problems. I just think the coaching comparisons get a little narrative-driven without much data behind them. Very subjective in fact.
I only spot checked this game 2-3 times, thank goodness:))
De la Cruz is going to steal 10 bases in this next series
I am intriguing about how they are going to manage the first promotions/cuts along MLB and MiLB levels. It’s gonna be exciting to see
Why CJ keeps better his value at SS if he is not good at it? If he plays 2nd and do better, it doesn’t increase his value taking into account he is horrible at the prime position?
This team is again trying to sell PROFESSIONAL with a payroll that is less then the average Pizza Chain and with a revolving door of found by the dumpster players. The game is up now and Toboni's honeymoon is over, time to get serious and make REAL MOVES or Nationals Park will be less occupied then the East Wing of the White House by September
Defensive drills, and real work, not just feeding you easy ground balls, are things anyone can do, and can do until they get them right. And things like "you're not going home until you get this right" can be done by anybody. And that's why they lose to teams like the Marlins, who have no talent but don't routinely screw up the basics like the Nats do every chance they get.
I don't like the idea of some dinosaur with a whistle and a nasty attitude making these guys run laps, but all that stands between them and acceptable defense is practice.
As Herb Brooks said: "You think you can win on talent alone? You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." The owners aren't going to hire any help, and if you can't be bothered to really do your best preparation, you're going to keep losing games you should win because the other guy is willing to work harder than you are.