Nationals Journal

Thomas Boswell in chatting online right now about the Nationals and other sports topics.

Here's some of what he had to say about Stephen Strasburg's injury:

The Nats dodged half of a bullet with the diagnosis that Stephen Strasburg "only" has a subluxation of the patella. But only half. This is a bad injury and, imo, until he is throwing at his pre-injury level it is perfectly reasonable to wonder if he has an injury that can simply be "fixed" by proper rehad exercises between now and spring training. I'd say he probably will come all the way back, but I'd add that I'll "believe it when I see it."

In other Nats news, Ryan Zimmerman is among 10 "Dream Team for Public Service" winners from 53 nominees selected for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which recognizes the top athletes who have given back to their community. The winners will be officially recognized in New York City at the third annual Sports Business and Philanthropy Luncheon on Dec. 8.

The other winners are: Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers, Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders, Stuart Holden of the Houston Dynamo, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, Tyrus Thomas of the Chicago Bulls, Justin Tuck of the New York Giants, Olympic sprinter Lauryn Williams and Grand Slam tennis champion Venus Williams.

Also, a few days ago MLB.com offered an update on how the Nats' Nyjer Morgan is recovering from his hand injury.

Finally, at 2 pm, the National League MVP will be announced. Dave Sheinin is off and Chico Harlan is still on vacation, but we'll have the news up on the Web site as soon as possible.

The Washington Nationals were never so happy to hear the words "patellar subluxation" as they were Friday night, when they received word of that diagnosis--essentially a dislocated kneecap--in the left knee of prized phenom Stephen Strasburg, who injured the knee Thursday prior to an Arizona Fall League game. The news means the 21-year-old right-hander will avoid surgery and should have no trouble being ready for spring training in February.

"It was the best result that we could have hoped for," General Manager Mike Rizzo said Friday evening from his office at Nationals Park. "It's something where he just has to rest and follow a physical therapy regimen to strengthen all the ligaments around his knee. We think we dodged a bullet. From what you hear, and from what [witnesses] saw on the field, you always think of the worst and hope for the best."

Strasburg, who signed a record $15.1 million contract after the Nationals took him No. 1 overall in the June draft, was seen Friday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, a noted orthopedist based in Los Angeles, after an MRI taken immediately after the injury showed inflammation in the area.

According to Rizzo, the injury occurred while Strasburg and a teammate were playing long-toss in the outfield during batting practice before the Phoenix Desert Dogs' regular-season finale Thursday. Strasburg apparently went to field a ground ball that had been hit near him when his cleats caught in the outfield grass. Witnesses said Strasburg immediately crumpled to the ground and reported hearing a "pop" in his knee.

Despite the relatively best-case diagnosis, Strasburg remains scratched from his previously scheduled start in Saturday's AFL championship game, which is to be televised at 2 p.m. ET on the MLB Network. Strasburg finished the AFL season with a 4-1 record and 4.26 ERA, having previously missed a scheduled start in the league's all-star game after waking up with a stiff neck, which was later diagnosed as a strained muscle.

"It's disappointing for [Strasburg] for sure to miss [Saturday's] start," said Rizzo, who spoke to Strasburg earlier Friday. "I know that for a fact. He's an ultra-competitor and he really wanted to win for his teammates. He felt that with him on the mound, it gives his team the best chance to win the championship game. So he's extremely disappointed he doesn't get to finish out the season with his teammates and pitch in the championship game."

The Nationals have announced that Jim Lett and Dan Radison have been added to their 2010 coaching staff as bullpen and first-base coach, respectively. The team also made official the hiring of former Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren as bench coach, and that Pat Listach (third base), Rick Eckstein (hitting) and Steve McCatty (pitching) are all returning.

Lett, 58, has 15 years of big league coaching experience, including stints as a bench coach in Toronto, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Dodgers) and Pittsburgh. As bullpen coach for the Dodgers from 2001-04, he worked alongside current Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman, who was Jim Tracy's bench coach at the time. Most recently, Lett worked as a coach in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system.

Radison, 59, was a coach during both of Riggleman's previous full-time managing jobs -- with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. He has also worked in the Yankees, Cardinals and Mets organizations as a coach, scout and minor-league manager. Most recently, he served as the Cardinals' minor league hitting instructor.

As previously reported, McLaren's role as bench coach will reverse the roles he and Riggleman had in Seattle, where Riggleman was hired to be McLaren's bench coach before the 2008 season, then succeeded McLaren after the latter was fired.

When I started on the Baltimore Orioles beat at The Post in 1999, the Baltimore Sun beat writer -- my competition -- was a veteran scribe named Joe Strauss, who remains one of the best beat guys in the business. He taught me many valuable lessons, most of which involved me picking up The Sun to find he had whupped my rookie tail on another news story, but the best of which was this: You can never over-write an injury to a star player.

I thought about Strauss and that lesson when I got word of Stephen Strasburg's knee injury Thursday night, as I was in the middle of reading "Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire!" to my 3-year-old daughter. (Reminder to self: Leave Blackberry in other room when putting kids down for nighty-night.) Strasburg may not be a "star" yet, in the traditional sense, but in terms of value to the organization, I'd say he ranks only behind Ryan Zimmerman. And even though a knee injury, even if it involved a torn ligament, is nowhere near as serious as an elbow or shoulder to a pitcher, major knee surgery could require many weeks or even months to rehabilitate, which, of course, would call into question Strasburg's readiness for spring training.

So I gave the story the full star treatment as I turned Fancy Nancy (and my daughter) over to my wife and started dialing numbers frantically.

What few details I could scrounge together certainly sounded bad -- Strasburg heard a "pop" and crumpled to the ground when it happened -- and the fact the team had apparently put a gag order on everyone in both Arizona and Washington raised more suspicions.

The team, of course, eventually put out a statement regarding the injury, saying it was not considered serious and that an MRI showed only inflammation. But the team was concerned enough to set up a more complete examination of the knee on Friday, with one additional twist coming later in the evening: At first, Strasburg was scheduled to travel to Washington to see the Nationals' team physician, then the statement was revised to say he was traveling instead (because of the proximity) to Los Angeles to see noted orthopedist Lewis Yocum.

Hopefully, we hear only good news today out of Strasburg's examination by Dr. Yocum. But until then, I'm going with the Strauss Rule and treating this like a major situation.

*On a related note, here is a story I missed Thursday out of Syracuse, in which the Chiefs, the Nationals' Class AAA affiliate, reportedly lost about $45,000 in 2009 but are hoping Strasburg's potential arrival in 2010 will boost attendance and revenues. Interestingly, Chiefs GM John Simone puts the chances of Strasburg starting the season there at "50-50."

Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals' prized pitching phenom, twisted his left knee while shagging flies during batting practice before the Phoenix Desert Dogs' regular season finale in the Arizona Fall League on Thursday, and has been scratched from Saturday's scheduled start in the AFL championship game, the team said in a news release Thursday night.

According to the release, the injury is not considered serious, and an MRI exam taken shortly after the incident showed only "inflammation." Still, Strasburg is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Friday to be examined by orthopedist Lewis Yocum.

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo did not immediately return voice and text messages seeking additional information, and players and coaches in Arizona were instructed not to discuss the injury with the media.

According to two sources who were briefed on the injury, Strasburg, a 21-year-old right-hander, stepped awkwardly while shagging flies in the outfield, heard a "pop" in his knee and crumpled to the ground.

Strasburg, who signed a record $15.1 million contract after the Nationals drafted him No. 1 overall in June, had been scheduled to start for the Desert Dogs in the nationally televised (on the MLB Network) AFL championship game Saturday. He was 4-1 with a 4.26 ERA in five starts in the AFL, having previously missed a scheduled start in the AFL all-star game after waking up with a stiff neck that was later diagnosed as a strained muscle.

The Nationals added three minor league pitchers -- right-hander Juan Jaime and left-handers Atahualpa Severino and Aaron Thompson -- to their 40-man roster on Thursday afternoon, in essence protecting them from the Dec. 10 Rule 5 draft.

However, right-hander Josh Wilkie, the subject of Tracee's featureThursday, was not added to the roster and his future with the organization is now unclear. The Nationals' 40-man roster is now full, and barring any changes Wilkie will now be subject to the Rule 5 draft, where another team can claim him for $50,000.

Jaime, 22, went 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) split between Class A Vermont and Class A Hagerstown.

Severino, 25, went 10-0 with 15 saves and a 2.62 ERA in 44 relief appearances in Class A Potomac and Class AA Harrisburg.

Thompson, a 22-year-old acquired in August from the Marlins in the Nick Johnson trade, posted a 3.93 ERA in 26 starts at Class AA Jacksonville (the Marlins' affiliate) and Harrisburg.

Typical, that I'd get scooped on the news of my own departure. According to a tweet from the Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg -- and OK, let's make it official, according to me as well -- the WaPo will soon be looking for a new Nats beat writer, and I will soon be heading for new pastures. (And certainly they'll be less green in the literal sense.) The Post's internal e-mail went out yesterday, and it explains the basics. For the last two seasons, I've covered, or at least tried to cover, the Washington Nationals. It's a demanding job, both rewarding and unrelenting like a marathon. Some do it for years, with a grace and vigor that makes me envious. But sometimes for me, it felt more like a test of endurance than journalism. I started to miss the journalism.

No doubt you've got a few questions. Such as, "What happens now to the Nats beat?" And, "What will you be doing next?" And, "Won't you regret the opportunity to cover Stephen Strasburg, and watch Ryan Zimmerman, and learn how Rizzo et al rehabilitate the organization, and be there to witness it once Nats Park is packed and the team (and maybe even Teddy) is winning?"

All good questions, and I'll take 'em in order.

Lots of great reading material to spotlight this morning, beginning with Tracee's excellent feature on pitching prospect Josh Wilkie, who was little-known outside our circle of hard-core Nats (and GW) followers, but who is certain to have lots of folks rooting for him now thanks to Tracee's piece. Here is my news story on the announcement of the Davey Johnson hiring. And here is Boswell's solid take on the Nats' newly revamped front office. (Also, remember to tune in for Boz's chat Thursday at 11 a.m.)

Here's a look at how the new hierarchy (still missing a couple of pieces) looks, straight off the team's official Web site. Interestingly (or not), Bob Boone, one of the few remaining high-level holdovers from the Jim Bowden regime, has the spot just below Rizzo under the Baseball Operations heading.

In his column, Boz makes mention of Mike Rizzo's firm stance on the issue of balancing scouting versus stats in a modern baseball front office: Rizzo, it is clear, is a scouting guy. Here is the full context of some remarks Rizzo made on that issue Tuesday:

"I think [sabermetrics are] certainly a part of the evaluation process," Rizzo said. "We utilize it. I always say a perfect evaluation is when my eyes say what the numbers say -- when they meet up. My philosophy is, we always lean towards the scout rather than the numbers, but it's part of our process. It's a piece of the puzzle that we utilize. I wouldn't say we go overboard with utilization of it."

According to Rizzo, the Nationals' numbers experts are "two very high-achieving guys in sabermetrics." One of them is a holdover, Adam Cromie, who joined the Nationals in 2007 and last year was promoted to assistant director of baseball operations. The other is Jay Sartori, who isn't yet listed on the team's official Web site, but who was hired last week as director of baseball operations after previously working in MLB's labor relations office as a contracts administration manager.

The Nationals clearly spared no expense in restocking their front office with some of the most respected, accomplished and (I'm told) well-paid scouting types in the game. But could they be doing more on the sabermetrics side at a time when other teams are pouring lots of resources into it?

The Arizona Fall League is not quite six weeks spent in the desert playing before a smattering of diehard fans and a slightly larger smattering of scouts. So do the players really care about the AFL championship? Nats reliever Jeff Mandel says yes.

Mandel and his Phoenix Desert Dogs teammates, champions of the East division, will play the Peoria Javelinas at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday. The game will be televised on the MLB Network and also available on mlb.com. The Desert Dogs and Javelinas had identical 18-12 records going into Wednesday's games.

"When you're in the hunt it makes it a lot more fun," Mandel said. "Six weeks is not a full season but it's always a lot more fun. Everybody's in a better mood. It's only an extra day, we're not spending too much extra time here. We might as well win the whole thing."

Just got done speaking to Nationals GM Mike Rizzo and meeting the majority of his new front-office hires -- the amassing of which Rizzo called "the most important part of our offseason." Suffice it to say there is a lot of optimism around the organization these days. The bulk of the new guys had been to Arizona this fall to see the team's prospects in the Arizona Fall League. (Jay Robertson, the newly hired special assistant to Rizzo, said this about Stephen Strasburg: "I told a scout from another organization, 'He's two grades better than anyone you've ever seen.'")

Here is a short-and-sweet summary of some news that came out of this afternoon:

*The Nationals have hired former Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren as Jim Riggleman's bench coach. (This was told to me by a source outside the organization and confirmed by a source within the organization.) This will be a reversal of the roles the men held in 2008, when Riggleman served as McLaren's bench coach, until McLaren was fired in June, with Riggleman taking over on an interim basis.

*Cristian Guzman has been told to prepare for spring training as a second baseman, not a shortstop. Guzman is coming off shoulder surgery, but has started to play catch and is expected to be ready by spring training. Rizzo called Ian Desmond "an option" at shortstop in 2010.

*The Nationals have reached an agreement to build a new academy in Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic, a crucial step in regaining the foothold the team had in the Dominican before the Esmailyn Gonzalez age scandal. The paperwork is being finalized now, and the academy should be running by next spring.

*First base prospect Chris Marrero has missed the past few AFL games with the flu, but is expected back any day now.

*Catcher Jesus Flores, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, also had arthroscopic surgery on his elbow to remove a bone chip. However, Rizzo said the elbow surgery will not impede Flores's progress and Flores is expected to be ready by spring training.

*Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (elbow ligament-replacement surgery) remains on his rehabilitation program, but has not started throwing yet and is still expected to miss the bulk of 2010.

*Center fielder Nyjer Morgan (broken wrist) is fully healed and swinging a bat in preparation for spring training.

*Lefty Scott Olsen (shoulder surgery) has begun throwing off a mound. His long-term prognosis, though, is unclear, and Rizzo acknowledged the difficult decision the team has as to whether to offer Olsen arbitration, or non-tender him.

As a lot of you noted in the comments, the Devil, er, Desert Dogs have won the East Division and will play the dread Peoria Javelinas on Saturday for the AFL championship. The game is at 2:15 ET on the MLB Network and Stephen Strasburg is lined up to be the starter.

Danny Espinosa was the star of yesterday's clincher with four RBI. Josh Wilkie pitched an inning in relief, giving up no hits, no runs and getting a strikeout.

The one Nat I didn't get to talk to in Arizona, Jeff Mandel, called me last night but I was already in dream land, so I'll talk to him, hopefully today, and get a post up on what he has to say. You will remember that he is the starter being converted to a reliever this season and his numbers are very good.

Editor's note: Chico Harlan is on vacation. He'll be back in December in time for the winter meetings. -- Alexa Steele