Talking with Ben Goessling

Luke Jackson: How do you perceive the front office has changed since Mike Rizzo took over, and how does this change positively affect the Nationals’ day-to-day operations? From the outside, it seems as though there’s finally respectability and competence in running the baseball operations in Washington.

Ben Goessling: There are a number of changes that have come about because of Rizzo, but the biggest one, to me, is how the Nationals are perceived around baseball. They’re not seen as a laughingstock, as they often were with Jim Bowden in charge, and Rizzo brings them a respect that’s key in dealing with agents and other teams. He’s also put a steadier pace of development in place in the minor leagues; I often felt Bowden moved players up in the system just so he could talk about how quick they were moving.

LJ: What has Jim Riggleman brought to the Nationals that Manny Acta didn’t? What are some of the things that he brought to the team right away when he took over the club as an interim manager last season? To what extent can a manager affect any team in the form of wins and losses over the course of a long season?

Ben Goessling: Riggleman’s biggest influence was over fundamentals last season; he had the Nationals taking extra infield work every day, and you saw the results on the field last season. Those ideas are still in place, but for whatever reason, they’re not translating on the field right now. Some of that shows the extent of Riggleman’s influence; ultimately, it’s up to players to win games, and the Nationals still don’t have enough good ones to win every day.

LJ: In my opinion, Stephen Strasburg has the best stuff in the big leagues and is already a top-five pitcher in the National League. Has Strasburg’s degree of success surprised you at all? Where do you rank Strasburg’s raw stuff and his pitching ability in the National League?

Ben Goessling: I’ve been surprised by how quickly Strasburg has become a dominant pitcher, and his stuff is definitely among the best five or 10 pitchers in the National League. But I’m not sure I’d put his overall game there just yet. He needs to throw more strikes, and we haven’t seen how he responds to a team seeing him for the second time. He’s smart, and remembers tendencies among hitters, but he’s got a ways to go to count himself among the Roy Halladays, Tim Lincecums, Chris Carpenters and Ubaldo Jimenezes of the NL.

LJ: Will Strasburg ever go through some of the typical growing pains that every young pitcher seemingly goes through? Right now, Strasburg almost seems too good to be true.

Ben Goessling: Probably; if he’s facing teams for the second and third times in August and September, when he’s getting into a new threshold of innings, we might see a few rough outings. He’s also going to face better teams than he has so far – we haven’t seen him against the Phillies, Cardinals, etc., yet. But I don’t think his struggles will be anything dramatic; just a few outings where he’s less than stellar and maybe gives up a couple home runs.

LJ: In talking with Matt Capps, what does he feel is the biggest reason for his turnaround from his season in Pittsburgh last year that led to his release?

Ben Goessling: I don’t think Capps feels like he’s doing anything terribly different. His philosophy is pretty straightforward; he attacks hitters with his best stuff, and counts on it being good enough to beat them. Last year, it wasn’t, and his BABIP [batting average on balls in play] stats would suggest he was unlucky. He’s got a lively fastball and a good slider, so maybe he’s had better control of the slider this year. But his approach is pretty simple. I think it’s just that he’s pitching better and has had better luck.

LJ: How has Tyler Clippard become one of the most effective relievers in the National League since he was acquired by the Nationals in 2008?

Ben Goessling: The big thing for Clippard is his deception; he’s got those gangly arms and legs that have the effect of throwing hitters off when Clippard comes to the plate. He’s able to conceal the ball a little longer than some pitchers, and he’s got good arm action on his changeup, which makes him effective against lefties. Clippard only throws 93 mph, so his fastball might not always be as effective as it has been so far. He’s also a flyball pitcher, so he could have some issues with that at some point. But his delivery is what makes him tough, and that will probably continue.

LJ: The effectiveness of both the Nationals’ bullpen and the 3-4-5 in their lineup have all been well-documented throughout the season as reasons for the team’s respectable play. But it seems like the rest of their team has a lot of holes, including the starting rotation’s inability to produce consistent innings and the rest of the lineup. How aggressively will Rizzo move to patch up these problems this season with moves similar to his demotion of starter John Lannan?

Ben Goessling: Rizzo isn’t shy about sending underperforming players to the minors; I’ve talked with him about that enough times to know that he doesn’t have a great tolerance for repeated mistakes in the majors. But why that hasn’t led to a brief minors stint for someone like, say, Nyjer Morgan, I’m not sure. As far as trades, I could see something this summer, but it’s not going to be anything rash to improve the team just for this year. 

LJ: Nyjer Morgan is currently hitting just .248 with a .311 on-base percentage as the Nationals’ leadoff man. How long of a leash does Morgan have in the leadoff hole before being moved lower in the lineup, moved to the bench or to the minors?

Ben Goessling: I was just talking about Morgan, and then I see that’s who your next question is about. Jim Riggleman already tried him in the No. 2 hole, and that hasn’t really resuscitated his game. His defensive struggles have been what really concerns me. Here’s why I think they haven’t done anything with him, though; I wonder if they’re afraid they’d lose him mentally if they sat him down or sent him to the minors. I don’t know for sure that that’s the case, but I think it’s a decent possibility.

LJ: The Nationals are 12-28 since their 20-15 start to the season. Is what we’re seeing now really what the Nationals truly are, with their weaknesses being exposed?

Ben Goessling: I think the Nationals are somewhere in between this and the start of the year, but they’re probably not as good as they showed at the beginning of the season. They have some reinforcements coming in the rotation, and the key, to me, for the rest of the year is establishing a rotation for 2011. If you’ve got Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and a couple of the following pitchers – Ross Detwiler, Scott Olsen, John Lannan, Jason Marquis or Chien-Ming Wang – healthy and performing well at the end of the year, that’s the most positive development you can find. I think Olsen’s days could be numbered in Washington, particularly if his shoulder keeps him out for most of July. If they can get a couple of their young pitchers established alongside Strasburg, though, they’d be in decent shape headed into the offseason.

LJ: Assuming Bryce Harper gets signed, what do you sense the Nationals’ future plans would be for his initial stops in the Nationals’ organization?

Ben Goessling: He’ll start in rookie ball at their Gulf Coast League affiliate, and I’m assuming they’re hoping to get him in quickly so they can get that stop out of the way. I don’t know if they’d jump him from there to [Low-A] Hagerstown next year, or keep him in extended spring training, but if he sits out until August, that could complicate the timeline. There’s no huge rush with Harper, though, and they’ll make sure to get his fundamentals in order in the lower levels of the minors first.