For those who didn’t watch the Nats defeat the Redlegs last night — and for those who didn’t watch SportsCenter — this flip to FLop (see below) ranks right up there with some of the greatest infield plays I’ve ever seen. (Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for the link here.)
The creativity, versatility, and the surprising steadiness that Belliard has brought to the team this year — and will continue to bring in upcoming seasons — reaffirms for me the fact that Felipe Lopez needs to be scuttled next year.
If it were up to me, here’s how the Nats lineup would shape up as they move into SoCapStad in ‘08 (free agents coming here notwithstanding):
- Watson, CF
- Guzman, SS
- Young, 1B
- Zimmerman, 3B
- Kearns, RF
- Church, LF
- Belliard, 2B
- Flores, C
Yes, I switched the order on Zim and Meat from their usual Acta-vation and yes, I left Nick Johnson out (I think if he’s trade-able when he finally comes off the DL, we dump him for young talent) and yes, I slotted Triple-A juggernaut Watson into the leadoff spot as Guzman isn’t fast enough anymore to bat 1st.
On the bench:
- Langerhans (late-inning defense)
- Schneider (to spell Flores twice a week and to provide LH offense from time to time)
- Johnson (late-inning defense, PHing, and spell Young twice a week)
- Escobar (RH bat off bench and spell whomever in the OF)
- Bernie Castro (not to be confused with overmatched Kory Casto; pinch runner, utility IF, switch-hitter off bench)
I’m not even going to try to figure out the pitching corps; I think I’d need Criss Angel, Mindfreak for that.
Any thoughts from the Legume Gallery?
