The Washington Nationals have announced that, contrary to baseball’s conventional wisdom that would have their biggest basher batting fourth, they’ll put offseason acquisition Jayson Werth second in their lineup. As the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore details, if he stays healthy, the move could get Werth to the plate as many as 30 additional times over the course of the season.
Look, this is Washington, DC. We don’t let things like “facts” bury our crazy memes:
- Cutting taxes will INCREASE revenue!
- Slashing funding for Metro will IMPROVE service!
- Americans only care about the deficit and not about jobs!
And we bat our home run hitters fourth! Because that’s how the late great Connie Mack did it at old Shibe Park!
Unless the New York market gets the third team it could easily support, the Nats are always going to be in an uphill financial battle against the Mets. But the Tampa Rays have shown the ability to close a much wider financial gap with brains & luck – things the Mets have found hugely lacking lately. I’m still not convinced Werth’s contract was such a bright idea, but this is a smart move to get the most out of their investment.
UPDATE 3/28: The Nats’ dumb marketing doesn’t seem to match their smart lineup-setting.
