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Nats' bats need a major upgrade

October 6, 2007 12:35 am

BY RICH CAMPBELL

WASHINGTON--The Washington Nationals quietly filed into the visitor's clubhouse at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park last Friday night and shook their heads at another woeful offensive performance.

The ensuing scene was painfully familiar.

They told reporters for the umpteenth time in 2007 how the opposing pitcher--in this case Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels--overmatched them. They would pick themselves up and try again tomorrow, they said, without convincing evidence for optimism. In reality, concrete solutions to their seasonlong slump eluded them.

So as the Nationals' decision-makers enter the offseason with that scenario repeatedly burned into their memories, they acknowledge two things: the offense was bad, and it must be upgraded for the team to finish above .500.

"Obviously, we know that we need to improve our offense," manager Manny Acta lamented last week. "We need to score more runs, and we're aware of it."

Coming into the season, the Nationals hoped to rely on their bats to compensate for an unproven pitching staff. Instead, the pitchers overachieved while a lethargic offense slowed the team's progress.

Washington finished last in the majors in runs (4.15 per game). Of the 16 teams in the National League, they ranked last in homers and near the bottom in hits (13th), on-base percentage (12th) and slugging percentage (15th).

There are several reasons why the offense failed, but Acta put it best.

"It's not a secret that we had five or six guys in our lineup that underachieved this year, in a way," he said.

While there were plenty of underachievers, the Nationals' lack of a power hitter in the middle of the lineup was among the most glaring shortcomings.

First baseman Dmitri Young hit a career-best .320 in the cleanup spot, but had only 13 home runs and 74 RBIs.

Acta and general manager Jim Bowden want someone capable of at least 35 homers and 100 RBIs to protect No. 3 hitter Ryan Zimmerman. How they can acquire such a player, though, remains a mystery.

Sluggers who can put up such gaudy numbers don't come cheaply on the free-agent market, and team president Stan Kasten said last month that he is averse to expensive free-agent deals.

He did say, however, that the team will talk to any free agent that could help the team, and a few power hitters are expected to be available.

The top tier of free-agent center fielders is particularly deep, and one of those would seemingly fit into a Nationals' team that did not get much offense out of its center fielders.

Atlanta's Andruw Jones (five seasons with at least 35 HR), Minnesota's Torii Hunter (107 RBIs in 2007) and Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand (27 HR, 89 RBIs) are expected to command top-dollar on the free-agent market, though, which would likely cause Washington to stay away.

Cincinnati first baseman Adam Dunn (40 HR, 106 RBIs), whom Bowden drafted while with the Reds, would become available if the Reds don't pick up his $13 million option. Even New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (54 HR, 156 RBIs) could hit the open market if he opts out of his contract.

But if the Nationals aren't going to hand out lucrative free-agent deals, they have other options. They could settle for lesser free agents, acquire players through trades, or hope their current players improve.

One player worth watching is outfielder Wily Mo Pena, acquired from Boston in August.

Pena, 25, had eight homers and 22 RBIs in 133 at-bats with the Nationals. Over 500 at-bats, that projects to a 30-homer, 83-RBI pace--the type of production Washington sorely needs.

But whether the Nationals will make him their everyday left fielder is uncertain.

"I'm willing to give Wily a full season, just like I did with Ryan Church, to see what Wily is capable of doing," Acta said. "He gives us a presence we didn't have. He comes up to the plate and in every at-bat everybody is expecting a home run. That's very important to have in your lineup."

If first baseman Nick Johnson can come back from a broken right leg he suffered in September 2006 and return to form, that would provide a boost, as well. Johnson missed all of 2007 after batting .290 with 23 homers and 77 RBIs in 2006.

Bowden is also counting on the Nationals' power numbers to increase after moving into their new ballpark next season.

The statistics support that expectation. Washington hit 48 homers at RFK Stadium in 2007 and 75 on the road. That doesn't mean, however, that the Nationals will improve relative to their opponents.

While the Nationals hit 48 homers at RFK, opponents hit 77. And Washington's 75 road home runs were fewer than their opponents' 110.

"Your 15-70s [homers-RBIs] are now 20-80s, and everyone is going to sit there and go, 'Oh my God, they just matured,'" Bowden quipped. "A lot of people don't understand the ballpark we've been playing in. The numbers are going to get better just by moving down the road."

Besides the lack of a power hitter, Washington's offense also suffered without a leadoff man who reliably got on base.

Nationals' leadoff hitters combined for a major-league worst .308 on-base percentage. As Acta pointed out, Zimmerman can't get to 100 RBIs if no one gets on base in front of him.

Middle infielder Felipe Lopez, who batted leadoff in a team-high 103 games, was one of the underachievers Acta mentioned. A career .262 hitter, he batted only .245 with an on-base percentage of .308.

Bowden admitted last Sunday that the team's middle infield situation is unsettled. With Cristian Guzman (.328 batting average) and Ronnie Belliard (.290) competing for playing time, Lopez, 27, might have to raise his average to stay in the lineup.

One possible leadoff candidate for next season is center fielder Justin Maxwell, the 23-year-old who impressed during his September call-up.

Maxwell has experience leading off in the minor leagues, and he could fill a need in center field, as well. Team officials wonder, though, if he is ready to make the leap to the majors full time after spending most of the season in Single-A.

Maxwell hit .269 with two homers and eight strikeouts in 26 at-bats. The Nationals will closely monitor his progress in the Arizona Fall League.

"He's going to have to improve on his hitting skills for this level, being able to handle the outer half of the plate and keep refining his overall game," Acta said. "If he does things right, he'll be here sooner than a lot of people thought as an everyday player."

The cornerstone remains third baseman Zimmerman, 23, who is anchored in the No. 3 spot.

In his second full season, Zimmerman's average dropped from .287 to .266 and his RBIs fell from 110 to 91. Bowden and Acta, however, believe those dropoffs resulted from a lack of support.

Zimmerman thinks he made some important progress that his statistics don't show.

"I think the second year is a lot tougher than the first, but that's what they always say," Zimmerman said. "I'm proud of what I learned, and I learned a lot from the mistakes I made in the first half."

That is the type of statement Bowden and Acta want to hear. They want their players to mature and improve so that expensive free agents aren't necessary. And while sticking with young players after a rough season might be a gamble, Acta doesn't see it that way.

"It's actually not a gamble because these guys are young enough," he said. "It's actually putting work in and those guys taking it as a challenge."

Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com