Random Thoughts on Tuesday Morning

BULLET-POINT STYLE!

• Can't get enough Danny Espinosa?  Neither can we.  Check out yesterday's gamer and Cheryl's profile of the Nats latest sparkplug, both chock full of pictures of the switch-hitting middle infielder.
  
  
• Say what you will about Willie Harris' lack of production this season, but the man still plays all out, and yesterday's run-in with the out-of-town scoreboard in right field was no exception.  Riggleman said in the post-game that Harris might have had trouble picking the ball up in the sun, but he gave his all and sacrificed his health trying to make a play for a team on its way to another last place finish.
  
  
• On the other hand...despite pitching well and keeping his team in the game until the offense got to Pelfrey, Scott Olsen wasn't happy at all yesterday.  His post-game quotes, chronicalled by The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, leave in no uncetrain terms how he feels about being moved to the bullpen.  "Obviously, I don't want to be in the bullpen," Olsen said. "I'd rather start. That's not what they want me to do."  Some of this stems from the fact that Olsen is due $100,000 bonuses for each start he makes from here on out.  And the rest is, you know, he hasn't been very good since retuning from the D.L.
  
  
• Congratulations to the Harrisburg Senators and Potomac Nationals, both going to the playoffs this season.  In the grand scheme of things, playoffs for the minor league affiliates isn't a huge thing, but it's a nice reward for the players, coaches and fans of those teams after a long, hard season.  And if some intangible "learning to win" rubs off on the players along the way, so much the better.
  
  
• Oh, and Tyler Moore hit another home run yesterday, his 31st of the season.  He may be old for his league (23 in High-A), and his on-base skills are not elite, but if his power surge continues next season, he's going to force people to take a second look at him.



• This list (scroll down) by Baseball America's Jim Callis, is getting a lot of play in NatsTown right now.  It's a good/bad thing that three of this season's draft picks show up on his list of Nats Top 10 prospects.  What will be even more interesting are the off-season Top 100 lists, and how many Nats farmhands show up on those.  The Nats are stockpiling talent, and this is just Mike Rizzo's second full draft.
  
  
• And finally, Yunesky Maya makes his MLB debut tonight at Nats Park against the Mets.  He has a very easy, fluid delivery, a big breaking ball and isn't afraid to work inside.  He was off over a year during his exile in the Dominican, so getting his touch and pitching to live batters has been his big concern during his minor league stint.  Of course, the Mets aren't offering much more than a Triple-A lineup right now either.