Washington Nationals: Dave Martinez passes early tests
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez has started his tenure under fire. But, under the circumstances, he is holding his own.
Managers are lightning rods and rookie Washington Nationals skipper Dave Martinez is no exception.
From the inevitable comparisons with Dusty Baker to the team’s slow start, Martinez grabs his share of criticism from anxious fans and a few in the press. Although it comes with the territory—there is the old baseball adage that the day a new manager is hired, so does the countdown to his firing—the arrows flung at Martinez are harsh.
We knew about Daniel Murphy’s injury last fall. However, Adam Eaton’s slow recovery and re-injured ankle is a surprise. Anthony Rendon needed a toe nail drilled after fouling a ball off his foot. And, Brian Goodwin found the disabled list.
You can never predict injuries, just do your best to work around them. When Baker was deluged last year, Washington held a comfortable divisional lead with no one capable of catching the Nats.
This year, the story is different. The dreaded bug hit early and improved clubs in New York, Atlanta and Philadelphia have DC under .500 and in a fight for the first time in years. Although there is never a good time for injuries, this is not it.
Not that Martinez is perfect. The growing pains are real and mistakes have cost a game or two. He wanted baptism by fire, but we are in masochistic territory the first eighth of the season. As with any new relationship, things turn complex early.
Here is a closer work on what works, what he must lean and the future for Martinez and the 2018 Nats.
THE GOOD
Despite major losses in the lineup, along with the most famous slump of Ryan Zimmerman’s career, the new offensive philosophy Martinez wants works.
Washington leads the National League with 90 walks. Figure 12 to 18 of Bryce Harper’s walks were semi-intentional and you still have a club working pitchers hard to force them into mistakes. Trea Turner has 15 walks heading into the weekend on 87 plate appearances. A remarkable number.
Washington’s on-base percentage of .335 is third in the NL. Although their .235 batting average is eighth, the Nats 85 runs is fifth. By not relying solely on the home run, the Nats are creating offense and throwing opposition pitchers on their heels.
Over the first 19 games, the Nats have 23 stolen bases. The same number as their home run total. Washington runners have been caught five times for an impressive 82.1 percent success rate. NL runners steal with a success rate of 70.6 percent overall.
Martinez is not afraid to bunt, a mild surprise for a guy steeped in analytics. Wilmer Difo and Michael Taylor will get bunts down for hits and for sacrifices. When healthy, this combo of speed and power is lethal.
He has handled the starting pitching well. Gone are the sluggish 115-pitch games that affected Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark their next start. The front four average almost 19 outs a start. Needs to be longer, but they are not getting overworked early.
As the season wears on, and we get what must happen to win the division, the lessor load early helps come August.
WHAT HAS NOT WORKED
Zimmerman and the bullpen. Social media hammers Martinez for both. They are right, partially.
The experiment of letting Zimmerman sit out the Grapefruit League portion of spring will get dissected for years. Three weeks into the regular season, the first baseman is finally seeing the ball better and making those rockets off his bat find gaps or seats.
The hard lesson for both is Spring Training games matter for everybody. There is no substitute for facing live pitching from major-league pitching. Timing is an essential skill and Zimmerman did not have it once the season started.
Yet, the mistake was not the experiment. But, after a prolonged slump by Zimmerman and the team, Martinez’s insistence keeping the vet batting fourth. When teams refuse to throw Harper strikes, knowing they have a virtual automatic out next, it hurt.
As with Turner early, Zimmerman needed to be in a position without the pressure. Protecting Harper’s bat is essential and waiting for Zimmerman to swing into shape cost games.
Also costing games, Martinez’s learning curve with bullpen management. It is clear he is unsure who of those seven arms he can trust. On average, he needs around nine outs or three innings a night.
The problem? He needs pitchers back-to-back nights in high-leverage situations and relies too heavily on those who struggle with the load. Five relievers are on pace for over 81 games pitched. Ryan Madson threw 101 pitches over five days. Brandon Kintzler tossed five consecutive days.
There is a danger those arms will be dead tired come summer. Although the pen is good, it is fragile. When you have multiple pitchers who struggle on no rest, it is time to get creative.
SORTING OUT THE SUMMER
It is too early to pass judgment on Martinez’s abilities.
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The players love him. When he was ejected trying to protect Rendon in the first Mets series that was more passion than we saw from Baker last year.
Washington is not afraid of designating players for assignment when needed. All big changes from last year. But, with a record flirting with .500, Martinez faces a short honeymoon.
The return of Eaton, Rendon and Murphy will help. A game or two with a bigger lead late helps with bullpen loads. If Jeremy Hellickson can be the stable fifth starter, then the pen workload gets manageable. The key is staying within five games of first. Doable, for sure.
But, he must trust his entire pen. Not using Shawn Kelley against the Mets Wednesday might have cost them the game. They cannot let A.J. Cole sort out his issues while getting rocked. If Martinez warms relievers, he needs to use them. Pitchers lose effectiveness getting up-and-down.
Although Zimmerman proved Martinez right, he must recognize faster when the lineup needs adjusting.
These lessons come with experience. When you consider Washington is missing three everyday players, Martinez is doing well. He will learn. Rookies make mistakes no matter the level.