Measuring the progress of a major league team should be simple, right? Just look at the win-loss record.
Technically, that’s true, but inside the game they see things a little differently.
A couple of weeks back, Orioles President Andy MacPhail referenced the progress of his ball club this year, saying that the eventual win-loss record for the year was of less importance than the development of the organization’s top prospects. Inasmuch as the Orioles have had a mostly-rookie starting rotation for several weeks, and have promoted rookies Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold to the starting lineup, it’s hard to argue MacPhail’s point.
I’m using the Orioles as a starting point for this discussion since there are a lot of Nationals fans who still only measure progress by wins and losses. I received an e-mail from one unhappy fan who said he “[hasn’t] seen a bit of progress on the field this season” and would henceforth not support the team.
That’s certainly everyone’s prerogative, and by all means, if you don’t like what you’re seeing, you should watch something else. But for a building club (you can’t really say rebuilding since they started from pretty much ground zero), there are signs of progress.
At the two-thirds pole last year the Nationals were 38-70. This year they were 36-72, slightly worse. A year ago at that point they’d scored 398 runs; this year 484, 86 more, a significant improvement. Nats’ hitting overall has been much better; as of Friday they were fourth in NL team batting (10th overall in MLB). Pitching tells a different story: This year they allowed 65 more runs over that span than a year ago. However, like the Orioles up the road, the Nationals have utilized four rookie starters and nine overall under 26. It’s on-the-job training at its best — or worst — your choice.
I asked some veteran baseball people how they measure progress, and their responses were fairly consistent. Former Mets and Orioles GM Jim Duquette said he agreed with MacPhail, but that “as an organization you can’t ask your fan base to get by on false hopes. You’ve got to have real concrete proof that these young players are really a part of your future.”
Former big league player and coach Mike Cubbage — now scouting for Tampa Bay — understands the fan’s dilemma.
“The results are what casual fans look at in the paper every morning,” he told me. “If they don’t follow your farm system, those prospects are just names to them.”
Others I spoke with said much of the same thing.
The second half of the season has gotten off to a better start than the first. Whether it continues is anyone’s guess, but a lot of issues — specifically the bullpen — have been addressed. The end result in October may not be any better than it was a year ago, but progress has taken place, whether it’s immediately obvious or not.
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
