Baseball Been Very Very Good To Me

Harper Takes Over the World

Bryce Harper, baseball's 19 year-old wunderkind, has taken over the world.  Called up ahead of schedule in April to fill an injury spot on the Nationals roster. "The Kid", "Bam-Bam", "Charlie Hustle, Jr." has exceeded all expectations. Every one knew he was good, but this good?  In just 155 at bats, Harper has 41 hits including 4 triples and 7 home runs (one a monster 502 ft. shot off the Blackberry sign in Toronto's Rogers Centre).  That translates to an astounding .303 batting average.  He plays with a recklessness that has captivated the baseball world and has handled his celebrity with a maturity that has surprised, well, everyone. 

A response to a reporter after the final game of the Toronto series set off the latest Harpermania frenzy.  Asked if he had been sampling the fine Canadian beer on his trip north, Harper rolled his eyes and said, "That's a clown question, dude."  The comment immediately went viral. 72 hours later, there are already t-shirts with the quote available on the web. It's incredible. 

How 'Bout Them Nats!

Meanwhile, in the midst of all the Harper craziness are the Nationals themselves.  The team has a record of 38-23, a solid hold on first place in the NL East, and widely regarded as one of the best teams in baseball.  The lion's share of the credit for the current success lies squarely on the starting rotation.  Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzales, and Jordan Zimmermann are the unquestioned stars and have been lights out.  Edwin Jackson has quietly become a very effective inning eating monster.  Chien Min Wang fills the fifth spot in the rotation and, while being effective in his past couple of starts, is still showing some of the rust from being on the DL for an extended period of time.  If CMW gets his sinker back, this rotation may turn out to be one of the best in baseball history. To back up the pitching staff, the Nats also boast incredible defense.  The infield of Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinoza, and Adam LaRoche offer highlight reel action every game.

The weak link all season (although it appears to be coming around) has been offense.  Early in the season, the Nats struggled mightily hitting with runners in scoring position. If it wasn't for the pitching staff and late game heroics at the plate, The Cardiac Nats would have a far less impressive record.  Lately, however; there have been signs of a turn around.  Despite a badly slumping R. Zimm and Michael Morse, who is still finding his swing after a prolonged stint on the DL, the Nats are scoring early and often.  Led by Harper, Steve Lombardozzi, Desmond, and a resurgent Danny Espinoza, the boys are kickin' ass and takin' names.  If the big bats in the middle (Zimmerman, Morse) heat up, this is going to be a team to be reckoned with.

The best thing about this team is the fact that they have been simply fun to watch.  I jumped on the Nats bandwagon from the first day they set foot in D.C. in 2005, and it's been a wild ride to say the least.  The Nats started out fast and quickly took a head first dive to the bottom of consecutive 100+ loss seasons (2009-2010).  A change in management and the addition of some phenomenal young talent helped improve the team to a record of 80-81 in 2011.  Now the sky's the limit.

Regardless of what happens, this is going to be a season to remember.

GO NATS! GO NUTS!