Official Apology to Denard Span, Twitter Style

Not even a broken bat could stop Denard Span against the Reds. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

I have been critical of Denard Span this year. This doesn’t necessarily make Span special in that regard. I’m critical of most of the Nationals players, excepting Anthony Rendon and Tanner Roark who both remain blameless no matter what.

Since the beginning of May, Span has been ridiculously hot. Well, ridiculously hot if we’re grading on a curve, but hitting the ball with authority. In May, Span is batting .296/.337/.444 with nine extra base hits. Against Cincinnati he had a game where he went 5-for-5, homered in his first at bat in the next game, and was 9-for-16 in the series. On Thursday, against the Pirates, he followed that up by reaching base twice with two walks.

That means, since hitting rock bottom on May 3rd against the Dodgers, Span has raised his OBP from .279 to .315, his batting average from .221 to .263, and his slugging from .305 to .377. All totaled, his OPS has increased from .584 to .692, a jump of 108 points.

This, then, is my mea culpa. So quick to judge, let’s relive my stupidity through Twitter, where Span has obviously been paying attention.

Now, I begin to make amends.

Reluctant praise.

But I’m willing to state facts. There are no exclamation marks, though.

After his first walk last night:

So, there you have it. Denard Span, consider this my apology. Thank you for proving me wrong.