Congratulations goes out to the Potomac Nationals first baseman and Nats 2008 16th round draft choice Tyler Moore on being named the 2010 Carolina league MVP of the Year.
Moore also leads the league in doubles (43) and extra base hits (75) and trails only Royals prospect Eric Hosmer with a .541 slugging percentage. In a six-week span starting July 15, Moore won the Carolina League player of the week four times and posted a mind-boggling 1.400 OPS. Moore leads the Carolina League with 113 RBI and 29 home runs, 19 of which have been since July 15.
What an amazing season for Moore. We have been tracking him all season, much like we do with all the Nationals affiliated in our weekday minor league report summary. He auditioned his power last season hitting 9 home runs, but driving in a nice 87 runs at Hagerstown. That was enough to earn him a promotion this season to Potomac.
For the first two months of the season, Moore regularly displayed his hitting power, but struggled at the batting average, hovering below the Mendoza line of .200. But, Moore exploded since July, hitting 129 home runs since mid-July. He raised his normal .192 batting average to current .262.
Not only does he rank among the Carolian league leaders, but Moore leads the washington Nationals minor league system in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and doubles.
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Caps fans — YOUR VOTE
According to Scott Burnside from ESPNwrites in his blog on several NHL bench bosses that could be on the hot seat in 2010-11 season. The Washington Capitals’ Bruce Boudreau is one listed.
Although there are varying degrees of pressure and expectations on all 30 NHL coaches (from raw rookies to battle-tested veteran bench bosses), some may be feeling the heat earlier and more intensely than others heading into the start of training camps on Sept. 17.
So why would we assume that Boudreau would be under fire? He not only won his third consecutive Southeast Division title, but also won the Eastern Conference and post the NHL’s best record in the 2009/10 season. Here is what Burnside says . . .
No team fell as far and as hard as the Washington Capitals this past spring. After laying waste to the rest of the competition during the regular season, setting team records for wins and points and leading the NHL in goals scored for the first time, the Caps blew a 3-1 series lead against eighth-seeded Montreal in the first round of the playoffs.
One of the challenges for Boudreau (for our money, still the same quality coach who a year earlier won coach of the year honors) will be in keeping the gruesome memories of April at bay. It won’t be easy given that nothing the team does during the regular season will be good enough. Only playoff success, and meaningful success at that, will push this talented team forward and dispel the notion that it’s San Jose East.
Boudreau will have his hands full in keeping this squad on the right mental plane. First, he will have to keep his captain and franchise player, Alex Ovechkin, on track after he was flayed for his play at the Olympics and then making sport of Montreal netminder Jaroslav Halak early in the playoffs before the Caps’ collapse. (It’s worth noting that the powerhouse Caps scored just one power-play goal in the series after dominating the power play during the regular season.)
Then, there’s Mike Green. How does Boudreau handle the two-time Norris Trophy candidate, who suffered through a second straight postseason despite lighting it up offensively once again during the regular season? Boudreau has shown he has the game plan to get his team to the top of the heap; now, he’ll need to prove he can get the Caps in to the right headspace to forget the past.
In three season at the helm of the revitalized Washington franchise, Boudreau MORE AFTER THE JUMP
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JOIN AND DISCUSS IN OUR NATIONALS FORUM
Given the incidences of Nyjer Morgan and his play the last few weeks, we decided to take a peak around the Natosphere and bring you an array of what the Washington Nationals bloggers th8ink of Nyjer Morgan and his future in Washington.
In case you missed it, one night after Morgan plowed into Marlins C Breet Hayes, Marlins P Chris Volstad throws behind Morgan, causing Morgan to charge the mound and incite a brawl on the diamond. This is after Volstad already hit Morgan once, and Morgan retaliated by stealing 2nd and 3rd bases. Wow, there you go, what a rudimentary summary. Regardless, so what the heck does Nats blogosphere think. We will show you . . .
From Nationals Inquisition . . .
I can see no reason why the Marlins shouldn’t take majority if not all blame for the “fracas” last night. They potentially retaliated for the Hayes incident at least three times before the sixth-inning by hitting Morgan and two other Nationals with pitches. Why was that needed? The Marlins had a near 15-run lead. When is enough enough for the Fish? Morgan took one blow and that is expected. Two blows and something needed to be done. Chris Volstad exposed himself as a punk. Nyjer needs to cut the reaction to the fans. The throwing up the hands in victory after a fight, the cussing, the ball tossing– really it is the only thing I can ding him on. If he wants to cuss and yell at the fans, do it into your glove, not on camera and Youtube. That is embarrassing to Natstown.
From our friend at Nats News Network . . . READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP
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Syracuse Chiefs (AAA) won 7-2 behind 5.1 string innings from new Nats P Yuneski Maya. Maya allowed just 1 run on 6 hits and 3 strikeouts in his AAA debut. Jeff Mandel, Josh Wilkie, and Andrew Kown combined for 3.1 innings of relief. Mike Martinez remains on fire at the plate, going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Martinez’s AAA batting average climbed to .311 since his promotion and is batting .444 over his last ten games. Seth Bynum was 3 for 3 and Carlos Maldondo added 2 hits. Jason Botts hit a grand slam and drove in 4 runs.
Harrisburg Senators (AA) won 2-1 behind a good start by Tanner Roark. Roark threw 6.1 innings and scattered 5 hits and 1 run. Cole Kimball threw a scoreless 9th to earn his 11th AA save and his 17th save overall, lowering his combined ERA to 2.00. Josh Johnson was 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored.
Potomac Nationals won 4-2. Marcus Frias (7-5) threw 6 innings allowed 3 hits and 1 unearned run to earn the win. Patrick McCoy picked up save number 5 and is 2-1 with 5 saves and a 2.86 ERA on the year. Robert Jacobsen was 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. Tyler Moore was 2 for 4 with a run. Daniel Lyons and Chris Curren each added two hits on the night.
Hagerstown Suns (A) bombed Lexington 9-1. Second round pick Sammy Solis pitched his first 2 professional innings and did not allow a hit or run, but recorded 1 strikeout. Paul Applebee (6-5) went the rest of the way, throwing 7 innings and allowing just 1 run on 5 strikeouts. Rick Hague doubled, went 2 for 5 and scored twice. The 2010 third rounder is batting .310. Justino Cuevas was 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. JP Ramirez was 2 for 5 with a double, 2 runs and 2 RBI. Eury Perez was 2 for 3 and raised his batting average to .298, on the cusp of .300. Adrian Nieto homered for the Suns.
Vermont Lake Monsters (Short A) won 6-4. Mark Grace through 4.2 innings allowing 3 hits and 2 runs. Dustin Crane (2-2) picked up the win in relief throwing 3 scoreless innings. Blake Kelso was 2 for 3 with 2 runs. He is batting .311. Russell Moldenhauer was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI. Ronnie Labrie also added 2 hits
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Today we continue our annual Battle of the NFC East articles, comparing all four NFC East division rivals — the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins — against each other, position by position. I will rank the teams in order of strongest to weakest at each position and will also choose the best player in the division at each particular position. We will start on offense and proceed to defense over the course of this week. Evaluations will be based not only on the strength of starters, but also reserves and may be influenced by current injuries.
Previous entries:
Quarterback
Tight End
Running Back
We continue today with the wide receiver position.
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1. Philadelphia Eagles
Starters: Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin
Reserves: Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Riley Cooper, Jordan Norwood, Chad Hall, Kelley Washington, Dobson Collins
Eagles WR Desean Jackson
Desean Jackson is a small, super-quick wideout who is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. He became a big-time playmaker last year, catching 62 passes for 1156 yards, 9 TD and a sparkling 18. 6 yards per catch. He also ran the ball 11 times for 137 yards and another TD. He will drop some easy passes, but his improvement as a route-runner has made his speed and athleticism all the more dangerous. Of all the wideouts in the division, Jackson is the most likely to make a big play for his team. Jeremy Maclin caught 56 passes for 773 yards [13.8] and 4 TD in his rookie season, a fine performance and reason for the Eagles to hope for more in the years to come. He’s not a speed-burner like Jackson, but he is very athletic and has good hands. With Jackson at 23 and Maclin at 22, the Eagles have two excellent young wideouts who should be starring for the team for years to come.
Jason Avant caught 41 passes for 587 yards [14.3] and 3 TD last year. He’s stronger than fast and uses his 212 pounds of weight to out-muscle cornerbacks for position. Avant is not a special wideout, but he is competent in just about all areas and does some of is best work on third downs. Riley Cooper [aka Tim Tebow's favorite target] exploded on to the national scene last year by racking up almost 1000 receiving yards and 9 TD in Florida’s Tebow-led offense. Despite not being abnormally fast, the strong Cooper averaged almost 19 yards a catch. He’s got good hands, is tough, will work over the middle and plays a lot faster in games than he times in shorts. However, he’s a rookie wideout and big things should not be expected of him soon. Hank Baskett is a journeyman wideout making his return to Philly, but he’s known more for his infamous wife than for his skills on the football field.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Starters: Miles Austin, Roy Williams
Reserves: Patrick Crayton, Dez Bryant, Sam Hurd, Kevin Ogletree, Jesse Holley, Manuel Johnson
Cowboys WR Miles Austin
Miles Austin wasn’t even a starter when the 2009 season began and few outside of Cowboys fans knew who he was. Then he caught over 200 yards worth of passes in an October victory over the Kansas City Chiefs and things were never the same. Austin soon had a starting job and finished 2009 with 81 catches for 1320 yards [16.3] and 11 TD. Austin has the speed to get deep and stretch zones, he runs nice routes and is a demon after the catch, breaking tackles and leaving defensive backs eating his dust. KC Joyner wrote a famous column on ESPN.com in July, using various metrics, particularly YPA [yards per attempt] to demonstrate that Austin was the best wide receiver in 2009, superior even to Houston’s Andre Johnson. The argument is persuasive and even though I would not take Austin over Johnson, it’s clear Austin had a fantastic season last year and was able to dominate even the elite-level cornerbacks. At 26, Austin is just entering his prime as a receiver and should have several more superb seasons in him.
Roy Williams has had one good season in the NFL, with the Detroit Lions, and he used that to pry millions of dollars out of people who don’t know any better, like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Williams isn’t awful — he caught 38 passes for 597 yards and 7 TD last year — but he’s just not nearly good enough for the money he earns or the price Jones paid to trade for him. He’s not a #1 wideout and it isn’t even clear if he’s a #2 wideout anymore. Even the Cowboys are facing up to this, which is why they traded up in the first round to take Dez Bryant, the former Oklahoma State wideout who was suspended after 3 games in the 2009 season for rules violations. Bryant caught almost 1500 yards and 19 TDs worth of passes in 2008 and was headed for another great season in 2009 before the suspension. Bryant is a big receiver, who uses his size and strength to make major gains down the field in the passing game. He can go up and out-muscle a cornerback for a deep ball and he can shed tackles to rack up yards after the catch. He’s not particularly fast, nor is he a polished route-runner, but he’s good at making himself an open target for quarterbacks. I see Bryant as a very good #2 receiver in the NFL, not an elite-level player. That should be fine for a Cowboys team with Miles Austin and plenty of other weapons.
Patrick Crayton caught 37 passes for 622 yards [16.8] and 5 TD in 2009. He’s a tough wideout who uses strength, size and sheer guts to make plays, often over the middle. He’s not a speed-burner and is best if used as a third wideout, which is the role he will play in Dallas until Dez Bryant is ready to assume a bigger role in the offense. Sam Hurd is a very good 4th or 5th wideout and a top special teams player.
3. New York Giants
Starters: Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith
Reserves: Mario Manningham, Ramses Barden, Tim Brown, Derek Hagan, Victor Cruz, Duke Calhoun
Giants WR Hakeem Nicks
Steve Smith turned into a top possession receiver for the Giants last year, catching 109 passes for 1220 yards [11.4] and 7 TD. He doesn’t have top speed or great size, but he plays tougher than he looks and faster than he times. He eats up zone defenses, runs great routes and isn’t afraid to make plays over the middle, despite his size. He’s a good run-after-catch receiver and has even become a halfway-decent blocker down field. Hakeem Nicks caught 47 passes for 790 yards [16.8] and 6 TD, a very respectable performance for a rookie first round pick. Nicks has the size and strength to muscle up cornerbacks and the big, soft hands to beat them to the ball in close quarters. He’s not terribly fast, but he makes plays and seemed to just improve almost every week during his rookie campaign. Don’t be surprised if Nicks makes a big jump this year towards becoming a Pro Bowl-caliber wideout; he’s got that kind of physical talent.
Mario Manningham caught 57 passes for 822 yards [14.4] and 5 TD last year. He’s not all that quick nor does he have special size, but Manningham seems to perform better than he should. He’s a better athlete than he looks and he’s good at using his hands to snatch the ball and ward off defenders. He’ll never be a top wideout, but he’s a very solid #2 behind Smith & Nicks. Ramses Barden is 6′6″ so the Giants are naturally intrigued with him, but he’s a project right now after catching only 1 pass in 2009. He’s battled injury issues in the 2010 training camp, but his rare size makes him someone to watch. Derek Hagan has very good size for the position, but he’s a marginal athlete who struggles to get separation from NFL defenses. Victor Cruz has played well against inferior competition during this preseason, but he’s someone to watch.
4. Washington Redskins
Starters: Santana Moss, Anthony Armstrong
Reserves: Joey Galloway, Bobby Wade, Roydell Williams, Devin Thomas, Terrence Austin, Brandon Banks, Shay Hodge
Redskins WR Santana Moss
Considering the level of offensive coaching on the Redskins in 2008 and 2009, it’s a wonder Santana Moss kept his numbers up as well as he did. Playing in a deeply dysfunctional offense, with a confused scheme and an offensive line so porous that deep passes were usually out of the question, Moss still managed to catch 70 passes for 902 yards. The offensive limitations held him to only 3 TD and 12.9 yards per catch. Moss is small, but he plays a lot stronger and tougher than he looks and he doesn’t mind going over the middle for a tough ball. He will drop a few easy ones, but he’s a dynamic playmaker after the catch and has the speed to get deep on almost any cornerbacks. His problem recently has been an utter lack of other talent at the wideout position, allowing defenses to double Moss deep, thus taking the long bomb away from him.
That may be a problem again, as it isn’t clear who will start opposite Moss or who, if anyone, will step up and become a second viable option at wideout. Joey Galloway is ancient and flamed out badly in New England. Bobby Wade is a journeyman possession receiver and Roydell Williams has missed two years with injuries. Devin Thomas continues to disappoint, can’t run routes and may not even make the team this year. Terrence Austin and Brandon Banks are super-fast rookies who will probably struggle to get open against cornerbacks who muscle up to them. Only Anthony Armstrong, a little-known player who has battled through semi-pro football and several bad injuries to become the MVP of Washington’s 2010 preseason. Armstrong is 27 and has never played this well at the NFL level before, but there’s no doubt he’s outplayed every Redskins receiver, apart from Moss, during this offseason. Here is how Redskins beat reporter John Keim recently described Armstrong:
What I liked about his effort the other night is how quick he came out of his breaks. Did a great job selling the fakes, too, in each case. He’s not a big guy at 5-foot-11 (a stretch), 185 pounds. He can get inside on slant routes thanks to his footwork and that ability to sell fakes. And he doesn’t waste a lot of movement on his fakes, either. Just good footwork. Once he cuts, too, he’s able to accelerate quickly. He’s not a budding star, but he is someone who has earned a spot on this roster.
Armstrong has good, but not great speed and average size. What he has going for him is a good work ethic, the knowledge that at 27 this is probably his last chance in the NFL and the fact that the Redskins are bad and desperate at the position he plays.
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THE BEST
Best starting WR in the NFC East: Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
Best reserve WR in the NFC East: Jason Avant, Philadelphia Eagles
Best team at WR in the NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
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