BloggerBeat: Q&A w/ Nats Blog on Today’s Trade
…with today’s acquisition of C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church in mind, i contacted Chris Needham, who blogs about the Nationals for Capitol Punishment, to ask a few questions…
D.J. Short…
Brian Schneider was given a lot of credit for holding together a patchwork rotation last season. How much of this acclaim is warranted? Is Schneider someone you would classify as a vocal leader, or more of a lead-by-example type?
Chris Needham…
I’m a natural skeptic. The pitching surprised, in a sense, but that was on the backs of the bullpen. The starters were next-to-last in the league in ERA and Schneider presided over a disastrous staff the previous year. I don’t doubt that he’s an asset. I just don’t know how much that asset actually contributes. He’s not an overly vocal player, more of a quiet leader, sort of the Anti-LoDuca. He’s beloved by all the media because of the respect he shows them and most people. He seems like he’s a genuinely nice guy.
D.J. Short…
What kind of player is Church? Is he a maximum effort guy? Do you expect his offensive numbers to improve outside of RFK?
Chris Needham…
Church is sort of the really poor man’s Jim Edmonds. He strikes me as that same sort of laid-back California style which really rubs some people the wrong way. He was one of the few Nats who didn’t seem to be really crippled by RFK, which bodes well for how he’d do in Shea. He learned how to spray the ball into the gaps and down the right-field line, racking up an impressive number of doubles for someone with only 470 ABs. If you focus on what he does well (doubles, walks) and not the bad things he does (strikeouts, few homers), you’ve got a pretty good player.
D.J. Short…
Clearly the reaction over at Capitol Punishment is decidedly positive. That said, are you a little disappointed that Church couldn’t be spun as part of a package for a pitcher?
Chris Needham…
One of the reasons that the reaction was so positive is because the team has done such a good job of running Church down — the latest being the oft-used “fourth outfielder” moniker — that most Nats figured he was decidedly valueless. So I’m not sure anyone expected him to be able to go for pitching. I’d love to get my hands on a pitcher — I saw more Mike Bacsik than the human body is conditioned to withstand — and maybe Milledge could be the trading chit we need! Ok, that’s just cruel…
D.J. Short…
It was reported that the Nationals turned down Johnny Estrada as part of the deal. Who do you expect the Nats to pursue to tandem with Jesus Flores?
Chris Needham…
Good question. I know that the team is increasingly high on Flores, but I’m not completely sure he’s ready for a full-time job. For everything he did well last year, he did struggle at times, especially against RHP. I suppose the stars are aligning for a Paul LoDuca signing. There’s not much out there in the FA market either. If they do make Flores the starter, I imagine they’ll be content with whatever spring-training invitee impresses them the most in March.
…thanks again, chris…enjoy lmillz…
