September can be the cruelest month for veterans in a baseball clubhouse as younger players make their way to the majors for the first time and get an opportunity to challenge for a job. Nationals manager Davey Johnson knows that better than anyone. One year he was an established second baseman for Earl Weaver’s legendary Baltimore Orioles teams. He helped them win a World Series title in 1970 and make it back for a runner-up finish in 1971. But each year the Orioles had a hot shot prospect named Bobby Grich, who hit .383 in the minors in 1970 and had 32 homers the next. Both seasons Grich made brief appearances in the majors where he showed he was ready to become a starter. In 1972 that’s exactly what happened – at Johnson’s expense.
“I know. We had a guy behind me coming up in Bobby Grich. He hit [.383] in Triple-A and we won a world championship,” Johnson said. “They told him to go back and work on his home runs. Next year he hit [32] and the next year I’m wearing an Atlanta uniform. It’s the business of it. They liked me in Baltimore. They still shipped me out. You have to make room for some young talent. See what they got.”
So he knows what veteran pitcher Livan Hernandez is going through, Instead of making his final four starts of the 2011 season Hernandez will be replaced by younger pitchers like Stephen Strasburg and Tom Milone. The unrestricted free agent may not be back next season at all – though he’s told general manager Mike Rizzo he’s willing to be a long reliever, too, if it means staying in Washington.
“That’s a decision that’s made down the road,” Johnson said. “I know [general manager] Mike Rizzo really admires [Hernandez] and appreciates what he’s done here over the years. Unbelievable career. What we’re trying to do is build something. It’s the time of year where we’re going to look at some young arms. Some guys have earned the right to come up here and compete, show what they got. That’s this time of year…It’s a very highly competitive business and you want to answer some questions when you have the opportunity.”
Said Hernandez, who accepted a one-year, $1 million contract last September: “I throw every five days and throw 200 innings. Nobody in baseball like that. You compare me to people in baseball who throw 200 innings and I think I’m the more cheap guy than anyone. But more important thing is how you feel, if you’re happy. And everybody told me ‘You could have made more money.’ But it’s not about the money. It’s not about that because we got money. We got what we need and the more important thing is how you feel and where you feel more happy. But if that’s not here you got to go out and continue your career.”
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