Author Archives: DonH

Point-CounterPoint: Who Is the Backup First Baseman?

Don: So lets talk about who the backup first baseman should be. I think we both agree that someone new needs to brought in to take the bulk of the At Bats. But who should the back-up be. Steve: Sounds … Continue reading

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Point-CounterPoint: Lineup Protection? How Valuable Is It? Part 1 of ???

Don: As you know I used to be able to download the MLB Game Day data. Something changed at the beginning of 2019 and it stopped working. Well, thanks to having time due to retiring, I think I just figured out my … Continue reading

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Point-CounterPoint: Kris Bryant

Don: OK Steve, let’s continue our discussion of upgrading the offense. I think we both agree that neither George Springer or Marcell Ozuna are going to be signed by Rizzo. Steve: Overall, Ozuna looks to be a very expensive designated hitter — … Continue reading

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Point-CounterPoint: Upgrading the Nats Offense

Welcome to our first Point-CounterPoint post where Steve debates a topic with someone. This idea grew out of emails that Steve and I regularly exchange on ideas I have that I am not sure I should post. Our first topic is how … Continue reading

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Rules, Rules, Rules and More Rules

Time for an off-day fun post: lets talk about rules and what changes we would like to see and what changes we expect MLB will make. I suspect that these two sets of rules will have very little overlap. In … Continue reading

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Bold Predictions

Time to offer some bold predictions for the upcoming Nationals season. To get the process started we’ve surveyed a few of the long-time members of the TalkNats community to weigh in with their number 1 bold prediction for the upcoming … Continue reading

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Alternative Idea to a Runner on 2nd in Extra Innings

Lets have some fun with alternatives to something that most baseball folks hate: the idea of starting each inning after the 9th with a runner on second base. From my perspective there are a number of structural flaws in this … Continue reading

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The $60M Question: How Do You Schedule 60 Games?

Hopefully later today we will get the details for how MLB is going to construct a 60 game schedule for each team. Based on previous reporting it is likely a given that the schedule will be East vs. East, Central … Continue reading

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It’s An Asterisk Season; Outside the Box Scheduling

Update. So do MLB Execs read TalkNats? Inquiring minds would like to know. Bob Nightengale wrote this article MLB discussing plan to start season in late June, playing in home stadiums with realigned league and it looks pretty similar to what … Continue reading

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Win the World Series; Open the Season at Home

Seems like a no-brainer, right? A team that wins the World Series should get to open the next season in their home ballpark, not on the road. Well, if the season had gone as planned, the World Series Champion Washington … Continue reading

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