District on Deck » Roger Bernadina

Fantasy Preview: Roger Bernadina

Andrew Flax — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:30:20 +0000

In 2011, Roger Bernadina struggled as a platoon regular, hitting .241/.301/.362 in his second full MLB season. There were calls for him to be non-tendered, but he flourished in a primarily bench role in 2012. He hit .291/.372/.405 with 15 stolen bases playing primarily as a late-game substitute or injury replacement. Heading into 2013, he looks poised to prove that his 2012 was no fluke, but some regression is to be expected after a career-best season. Our projections support this:

February 20, 2013; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Roger Bernadina (33) poses for photo day at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

ZiPS: 396 AB, .248/.317/.385, 31 RBI, 39 RS, 18 SB, 9 HR

MLB.com: 225 AB, .262/.336/.351, 22 RBI, 22 RS, 13 SB, 4 HR

CBSSports: 317 AB, .259/.319/.391, 33 RBI, 39 RS, 16 SB, 8 HR

ESPN Fantasy: 211 AB, .256/.325/.379, 21 RBI, 26 RS, 12 SB, 5 HR

Averages: 287 AB, .256/.324/.376, 27 RBI, 32 RS, 15 SB, 7 HR

Taking into account ZiPS’ playing-time-ignoring prediction, our averages expect Bernadina to play a bit more than he did in 2012, which means that he should probably get about the same number of plate appearances. The projectors foresee a return to Bernadina’s pre-2012 stats, which is reasonable, given that Bernadina’s baBIP jumped 74 points from 2011 to 2012. But if Bernadina can simply split his 2012 numbers and projections, giving him a roughly .270/.350/.390 line, he would take a huge step towards establishing himself as a top bench bat, as opposed to a AAAA player. In fantasy, Bernadina will have no value unless a starting outfielder is injured, and even then, only in deep NL-only leagues. As a Nat, he will hopefully remain a productive pinch hitter and defensive whiz who can make plays like this.

Nationals Avoid Arbitration With Six Players, Only Jordan Zimmermann Remains

Jared Book — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:13:42 +0000

Update: Amanda Comak of the Washington Times tweets that the club has come to an agreement with shortstop Ian Desmond as well. The deal is for 1 year and $3.8 million, so obviously it does not look like a long-term deal for Desmond this year.

Update 2: Dan Kolko of MASN says that Tyler Clippard has avoided arbitration as well.

After solidifying their roster with trades and free agent signings, it seems like the Washington Nationals turned their attention to their own players, avoiding the dreaded arbitration hearings with Drew Storen, Craig Stammen, Ross Detwiler and Roger Bernadina.

September 29, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond (20) throws out a St. Louis Cardinals base runner during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Storen will receive an incentive laden $2.5 million which would mean more money if he returns as the team’s closer after General Manager Mike Rizzo made it known that Rafael Soriano was brought in to pitch the ninth inning. Basically, the more games that Storen finishes, the more money he will make.

Detwiler will also see a one-year deal worth $2.337 million. He is penciled in as the fifth starter right now, and if he has a solid season should be set to see that number rise over his career.

Stammen signed a 2-year extension worth a total of $2.25 million, according to Adam Kilgore. Stammen will be one of the middle relief guys in the Nationals bullpen and could start if injuries pile up in the rotation.

Bernadina also avoided arbitration, according to James Wagner. No terms have been announced as of yet.

That leaves Jordan Zimmermann as the two remaining Nationals who have not come to an agreement. I would not be surprised to see a long-term contract finalized with Zimmermann as he is the de-facto third starter for this Nationals team and coming off of a great season after Tommy John surgery.

Nationals Top 10 Hits of 2012: #10 Roger Bernadina

Jared Book — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:03:19 +0000

There were a lot of big hits this year for the Washington Nationals and there were a lot of big wins. This list is sorted by WPA which is Win Probability Added. It means that Jayson Werth‘s walk-off homerun in Game Four of the NLDS is not in the Top 10 because it was a tie game in the bottom of the inning meaning the swing of WPA was not big enough. This list is for games where Washington went from a low chance of winning to a high chance.

June 10, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Roger Bernadina (2) leaves the batter

So we begin our list with Number 10.

Roger Bernadina: June 10 @ Boston

The situation: 3-3, Top 9. Runner on 1st base
Pitcher: Alfredo Aceves

The result: +0.40
Bernadina hit a pitch to right field off of Aceves and Bryce Harper rounded around the bases to score the go-ahead run. It also turned out to be the winning run as Tyler Clippard shut the door for his eighth save of the season.

Bernadina, in reality, should have been called out on the previous pitch. The fastball from Aceves was called a ball inside, but the Pitch F/X shows that the ball was on the plate and in the strike zone. It was another blow to the Red Sox season and a boon to the Nationals who were putting together a run to the playoffs.