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The Washington Nationals are infamous for protecting Stephen Strasburg during the 2012 season, setting an innings limit on him.

While they were careful with Strasburg, it seems the opposite is true for their young offensive star, Bryce Harper.

According to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider, Harper is less than 100 percent healthy:

Harper took awkward swings, he labored to get down the first-base line and he gingerly took his position in the field between innings.

In the middle of the third inning, shortly after Harper limped down the line on a groundout to second base, Jayson Werth brought his teammate’s cap and glove out to the field for him. Werth, though, withheld Harper’s equipment for several seconds, appearing to seek some confirmation first that Harper felt well enough to continue playing.

Zuckerman goes on to say that Harper is dealing with a hip injury, an injury that manager Davey Johnson only found out about on Monday.

“I was a little disturbed that I wasn’t informed that he was having some treatment on his hip,” Johnson said. “But every time anybody talks to Harp, he says: ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.’ So I’m going to stick with him.”

With the Nationals currently sitting 15 games out in the NL East and 7.5 games back in the wild card, is it time for the Nationals to protect Harper from himself?

The Rest of the Schedule

There’s no hope of the Nationals catching the Braves in the division, but there is a small sliver of hope in the NL Wild Card.

However, they still have to jump over both the Diamondbacks and the Reds to get that second spot.

While they are 9-4 in their last 13, only two of those wins came against a playoff contender (Royals). Six of the other seven wins came against the Cubs and Marlins.

Recently, the Nationals have lost three of their last four, including two of three to the Mets.

I’m not going to count out the Nationals, but their chances of making the playoffs are at 2.6 percent, according to ESPN’s playoff odds. Of course, the Reds could have a Red Sox- or Braves-like collapse through the last month, but I don’t see that happening with their schedule.

Because of that, it’s important for the Nationals to be thinking about the future as it concerns Harper.

Big Picture

Last week I wrote about how Harper’s agent Scott Boras is looking for a 12-year contract for his young stud. While I think 12-year contracts are a mistake regardless, it’s even more so if there are injury concerns.

I understand Harper is only in his second year in the big leagues and he’s young. Most likely, he’ll recover to full health.

However, now is when he can hurt himself even more. When a player is playing through pain, that’s when they’re more likely to hurt themselves even more. And if Harper hurts himself worse, that will take him off the field for a part of next year when the Nationals expect to contend again.

Harper should be applauded for wanting to play through the pain, but he also has to realize he is the face of the franchise. There’s no problem with taking risks, but there’s a difference in good risks and bad risks.

When your team is basically out of the playoffs and you’re playing through an injury, that’s a bad risk. 

I’m not saying put Harper on the disabled list, but the Nationals need to protect Harper from himself. There is no reason he should be on the field if he’s hurting. He’s too valuable to the franchise.

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The Washington Nationals are surging and will enter September in contention for a playoff spot. Entering the final day of August, the Nationals are 16-10 in the month, which has given them a reason to play meaningful baseball in September.

The pieces of the puzzle have been coming together for Washington. Perhaps they were not able to handle the early season hype that surrounded the team, but, as for now, they have a chance for redemption.

Going forward however, it is imperative that they have some of their most important pieces go far and beyond what they are capable of. If they do this, and get a little bit of luck, the Nats might once again be playing in October.

Let’s take a look at the keys to the Nationals’ success going forward.

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Scott Boras is at it again, and this time it concerns Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper.

According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Boras has laid out a case for a 12-year contract extension for Harper:

While locking up a franchise player for the foreseeable future is key, I think it’s still too early to do that for Harper. After all, what has he done other than win NL Rookie of the Year?

A 12-year contract would be suicide for the Nationals for many reasons.

Comparisons to Buster Posey

There’s no doubt that Harper is a great talent, but he still has a long way to go if he wants to reach the big bucks. Of course, Boras could be looking at Buster Posey’s nine-year, $164-million deal as a reference, but Harper is no Posey.

For starters, Posey has led the San Francisco Giants to two World Series titles, along with winning an MVP award (in addition to his NL Rookie of the Year). He batted .317 with 46 home runs and 191 RBI through his first three seasons, which includes a shortened 2010 after a collision at home plate ended his year.

When on the field, Posey simply helps will the Giants to wins.

Harper, on the other hand, is batting .272 with 40 home runs and 105 RBI in his career. Those are not exactly the numbers you want to see when you’re about to give a kid a 12-year deal.

Like any big leaguer, Harper has dealt with injuries and slumps this year. But just like with everyone else, it’s a part of the game. As an executive, do you give a player a huge contract when he’s coming off a year with filled injuries and struggles at the plate?

Not Even Arbitration Eligible

When I see that Harper isn’t even arbitration eligible yet, that makes me more hesitant to give him a long-term deal. In fact, he won’t be arbitration eligible until 2016.

He’s already under a cheap contract that pays him just over $2 million the next two years, so why not stick with that?

If I’m not going to have to pay a guy a lot of money (even in arbitration), why would I want to pay him more money in a long-term contract? Instead, I could wait and pay him $7-8 million in arbitration and then sign him to a long-term deal prior to his last arbitration year. It would save the Nationals money and would allow them to see what they really have on their hands before committing long term.

With Harper being one of the franchise players for the Nationals, they definitely don’t want to tick him off. But to pay him more money than they really have to early in his career would be a bad business decision.

What If?

Playing the “what if” game can be dangerous, but we’ve seen huge contract decisions come back to bite many teams in the you know what.

Just look at Ryan Howard, Alex Rodriguez and Carl Crawford. The list of bad contracts for star players goes on, but these three should suffice.

Howard has been good when he’s in the lineup, but that’s the problem…he can’t stay in the lineup. He keeps getting injured.

Then there’s A-Rod, who has a myriad of problems from struggles late last year and in the postseason, and the Biogenesis scandal. It was even reported by ESPN New York’s Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand that the Yankees were looking at ways to void his contract. It doesn’t sound like the Yankees have the same feeling now that they did back when they signed him to his latest contract.

Crawford has struggled with injuries as well, having played in only 123 games the last two seasons. And the year before that (his first in Boston), he batted .255 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI. 

In total, Crawford has gotten paid almost $55 million over the last three years and produced a .271 average with 19 home runs and 100 RBI. Talk about bang for your buck.

I’m not saying that Harper will turn into one of those three, but it could happen. And if it does, do you really want to be locked into a 12-year contract with him?

Long-term contracts that pay players big bucks do two things: make agents rich and prevent a team from making necessary moves years down the road.

Outside of Crawford (since he’s been traded), imagine if the Yankees and Phillies hadn’t signed Rodriguez and Howard to long-term deals. With injuries and poor play, they could have made the necessary moves to improve their teams.

Instead, those two players are getting paid to either watch or play poorly.

It all seemed good back when those contracts were given out, but like they say, “hindsight is 20-20.”

What Does the Future Hold?

In the end, Harper will eventually get a long-term contract for a large amount of dollars. After all, Boras is his agent and he has a way of doing that.

Funny thing is, he’s also Stephen Strasburg’s agent and will look to do the same thing for the pitcher.

However, the Nationals don’t need to rush to pay either extra money. Let both players get through their first year or two of arbitration and then approach a contract extension.

Giving out a contract prior to that is just like handing out free money. Why do it when you don’t have to?

Do you agree with me or think I’m full of it? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @chris_stephens6.

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When Bryce Harper was chosen by the Washington Nationals as the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft, he had played for most of his amateur career as a catcher.

In just three-plus years, it’s safe to say he’s picked up the nuances of the outfield fairly well.

On Friday against the Kansas City Royals, Nationals closer Rafael Soriano had given up three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull the Royals within one run, 11-10. With a runner on first and just one out, Justin Maxwell lofted a fly ball to short right field. 

At first glance, it looked like the ball would drop. But Harper was having none of that.

His tremendous play was a huge out, and Soriano was able to induce another fly ball to left fielder Tyler Moore for the final out.

But no question it was Harper’s valiant effort that saved the day for the Nationals. 

It was Harper’s comments following the game that indicate exactly how he approaches the game, and especially how he reacts when the game is on the line. 

It’s that attitude that has endeared Harper to his legions of fans in the metro-D.C. area, not to mention the many other sterling defensive efforts over the past two seasons.

The game-saving catch on Friday allowed the Nationals to pull back to the .500 mark, now 8.5 games out of the wild-card chase in the National League. 

If the Nationals were to pull a rabbit out of their hat and complete a stunning comeback, they can certainly look back at this catch as a turning point for sure.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle.

Feel free to talk baseball with Doug anytime on Twitter.

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The title of “ace” of a team’s pitching staff is often bestowed upon a pitcher as if it were a nickname. It is prematurely applied to any and all types of pitcher, like a “Player of The Week” award. 

But ace is not a label to be categorized with lesser distinctions, such as: 

• Opening Day starter: Strasburg has held this distinction for the past two seasons for the Nats, despite never completing a full season in his four-year career. Being named Opening Day starter typically carries more weight than it should. As if Strasburg’s case were not proof enough, former Nationals’ starter John Lannan took the mound on Opening Day in consecutive seasons for Washington, while Jordan Zimmermann has yet to do so. 
• All-Star: Selecting players for the Mid-Summer Classic is an inexact science at best. Strasburg was selected as an All-Star last year, when he was 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA at the All-Star break, according to James Wagner of The Washington Post. But he was named one of this season’s biggest All-Star snubs by Matthew Pouilot of Hardball Talk at NBCSports.com when he was not selected to the 2013 NL All-Star squad after compiling a 4-6 record and a 2.24 ERA. 
• “The best pitching prospect in generations”: Strasburg was so labeled by Albert Chen of Sports Illustrated on June 21, 2010, shortly after his MLB debut. This is an important distinction in a sport that places such a high value on prospects and and the science of scouting. But it is subjective, nonetheless. 

No, Ace is a title, in the same way that “Sir”, “Chief” and “Captain” are titles. 

Like those monikers, this title is to be worn like a brand, an indelible mark that is burned into a pitcher’s reputation throughout his career. It remains with him into his retirement, and well after his death. 

Why does this designation stand the test of baseball time? 

Because it is so difficult to earn. 

Until 2013, Strasburg had not done nearly enough to earn the title of ace. But things changed this season. 

First, there was the game on May 16 against the San Diego Padres in  Strasburg’s hometown. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman committed a throwing error during the fifth inning, something he had done with disturbing regularity in Strasburg’s starts.

In his previous start, another Zimmerman error was just one thing that rattled Strasburg. He lasted only 5.0 innings as he took the decision on May 11 in the Nats’ lost 8-2 to the Chicago Cubs. Strasburg surrendered five hits and four runs, but no earned runs. 

After the game, catcher Wilson Ramos talked to Bill  Ladson of MLB.com about Strasburg’s composure, or lack thereof: 

I tried to tell him the other day after the situations like that, you have to keep your head up. You can never put your head down. Every time you put your head down, he lost the focus. You need to fight all game. He has to fight 27 outs. You have to fight all game. 

But things turned out differently in San Diego, and it all started with Strasburg. After another Zimmerman error, Strasburg motioned to his third baseman and mouthed “I got you”. He stayed true to his word, getting out of the jam and lasting 8.0 innings, a career high at the time. Strasburg surrendered only three hits and one earned run as the Nats won 6-2. 

The symbolic act of Strasburg picking up one of his teammates was not lost on catcher Kurt Suzuki, as he told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post: 

I was going to go out there. I was thinking about going out there and talking to him. Once he got the ball back, he looked at Zim and said, ‘I got you.’ Once he did that, I turned around and went back to home plate. Because I knew he was going to do it. 

Then, on August 11,Strasburg threw his first career complete game, while also hurling his first career shutout. He needed only 99 pitches to complete a sweep, surrendering four hit and striking out 10 in the process. 

Strasburg has now become a top of the rotation starter that can realistically retire all 27 batters he faces in any given game. That is expected of an ace.  

But the ace is entrusted with another responsibility, one so great that many do not have the intestinal fortitude to carry it out. 

The ace must act as the protector. The enforcer. The sharpened end of the stick. 

Former Brooklyn Dodgers ace Don Drysdale did an excellent job of outlining this particular part of the ace’s job description. In a quote archived by The Baseball Almanac, Drysdale said that “if they knocked two of your guys down, I’d get four. You have to protect your hitters.”

The Nationals needed Strasburg to do just that over the weekend. Bryce Harper had been hit three times by Braves pitchers in recent games.

Harper was first hit on August 6 by Julio Teheran, in his next at-bat after admiring a home run in the third inning. Teheran’s actions were peculiar, considering his teammate Justin Upton was not plunked by a Nats pitcher after admiring his go-ahead home run on August 5, just the night before.

Harper barked at Teheran  as he walked to first base, and the benches cleared. But no punches were thrown – and no Braves’ hitters were thrown at. Gio Gonzalez failed to exact revenge in that very same game, and Jordan Zimmermann failed to do so the following day.

Harper disagreed with the lack of retribution during an interview with Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com the day after the game, saying “I think if I’m the pitcher on my team, I think I’m gonna drill somebody,”

Then, on August 16, Harper was hit twice in the same game by two different Braves pitchers. Again, no retribution. 

Enter Stephen Strasburg. 

In the top of the first inning on August 17, Strasburg was staked to a 2-0 lead. He quickly gave one run back in the bottom of the frame on a lead-off homer to Jason Heyward.

Next up was none other than Justin Upton. The same Justin Upton who admired his home run almost two weeks earlier, and hit the game-winning home run the night before. He also happens to be one of the Braves’ best players.

Three good reasons to hit him. 

Strasburg needed only one reason to hit Upton: it was his duty as the team’s ace. 

Strasburg drilled Upton in his back. Upton took his base without much fanfare, while seemingly surprised that the Nationals would actually respond to three unabated attacks on their best player. 

After needing a double play to get out of the inning in which he surrendered one run, Strasburg still received an overwhelmingly positive greeting as he entered the dugout, with every single Nationals player and coach congratulating him for his reprisal. 

But Strasburg was not done. 

In the very next inning, Strasburg threw behind Andrelton Simmons on consecutive pitches. Although a warning had been issued to both dugouts after

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The Washington Nationals are watching the season fall apart right before their eyes.

In the latest incident for a team that hasn’t lived up to expectations, Jayson Werth and Gio Gonzalez had to be separated after Gonzalez failed to cover first for an inning-ending double play.

It’s just one in a long list of things that have gone wrong for the Nationals this year.

The frustrations likely stem from the fact that the Nationals sit at 57-60 and 14 games out in the NL East.

Then, there’s this:

It appears Gonzalez could have been unhappy about Werth lackadaisically getting to the ball on a first-inning double, while Werth was unhappy about Gonzalez not covering first.

Regardless, both players made mistakes in the first inning but wanted to focus on their teammate’s mistake. 

Twitter also had a reaction:

Everything has come to a head.

Will players start jumping down each other’s throats when a mistake is made? Where’s the leadership?

Players like Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche need to take this team by the horns and restore order to the clubhouse. The only real sign of leadership coming this year has been courtesy of Bryce Harper, who told Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com that the team needed to show some heart.

But Harper, who is only 20, shouldn’t be responsible for assuming the role of a veteran. That type of influence needs to come from guys who have the experience to back it up.

That lack of leadership is why the Nationals have struggled in 2013 and why incidents like this are happening.

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Since his debut in late April of last year, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has certainly garnered quite a bit of attention, both for his performance on the field and his all-out style of play.

On Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, he got some attention he didn’t ask for.

Harper clubbed a solo home run to center field off Braves starter Julio Teheran in the bottom of the third inning, breaking a scoreless tie at the time.

During his next at-bat in the bottom of the fifth, Harper was drilled in the right thigh on a pitch from Teheran.

Harper jawed at Teheran and the benches and bullpens from both sides sprinted onto the field. However, order was quickly restored, no punches were thrown and the game resumed in quickly thereafter.

While the action on the field turned out to be nothing more than a gentlemanly quarrel, the official team Twitter accounts decided to do battle on their own.

The Atlanta Braves struck first.

Okay, the person handling the Braves Twitter account apparently thought it was funny to throw a Harper quote back in the face of the Nationals.

But in this case, it was the Braves who were clowned.

While the battle—or lack thereof—on the field could be classified as a stalemate, the Nationals were the knockout winners on Twitter.

Unfortunately, it was the only battle the Nationals would win. Harper ended up registering the last out of the night, striking out on a 99 MPH fastball from closer Craig Kimbrel as Washington lost the game, 2-1. The Nationals dropped their second straight to the Braves and have now lost nine of 12 games to their NL East rivals on the season.

But hey, they completely whipped the Braves in the world of social media.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle.

Feel free to talk baseball with Doug anytime on Twitter.

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The Washington Nationals answered the call Friday evening, defeating the Colorado Rockies 2-1 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Friday night’s victory marks three-straight wins for the Nationals.

From the get-go, Stephen Strasburg was too much to handle.

Strasburg was a flamethrower all evening, striking out nine batters and allowing only one run. The lone run came by way of a ground ball into left from DJ LeMahieu.

While Strasburg was phenomenal, Tyler Chatwood showed why he is a rising star in baseball.

Prior to being replaced by Manny Corpas before the seventh, Chatwood allowed only four hits and one run. Subsequently—right after Corpas replaced Chatwood—Ian Desmond smashed one into the stands to put the Nationals up, 2-1.

Why did Walt Weiss pull Chatwood so early? Did he lack confidence in Chatwood after giving up a run in the sixth?

No doubt, the tide definitely shifted when he left the mound.

Although the Rockies now find themselves one game under .500, getting such a dominate contribution from Chatwood has to be heartwarming. In eight games this season, the 23-year-old has a stealth-like ERA of 2.22.

The Rockies have a gem on their hands in Chatwood, and they’d be smart not to let him go.

For the Nationals, their pitching staff is slowly but surely getting back to basics.

Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg pummeled opponents in their outings during the week, thus serving as a sign of good things to come for Nats fans.  

With outfielder Bryce Harper preparing for his upcoming rehab assignment, the Nationals’ lineup will soon be reinvigorated to levels that have been untapped this season.

With Ian Desmond slugging the way he has of late and the all-around efficient play of Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon, one thing is for certain—the Nationals will make a run before the all-star break.

If the past three games have been any indication, the best is yet to come. 

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The Washington Nationals decided to recall infielder Anthony Rendon to the 25-man roster on Tuesday, one of many moves the team made as Jayson Werth returned from the disabled list and Danny Espinosa took his place. 

Now that Rendon is back in the bigs, it’s time to give him the reigns at second base—even if such a move might be a bit of a growing period as Rendon adjusts to an unfamiliar position. 

Here’s the team’s Twitter post as the move became official prior to Washington’s showdown with the New York Mets on Tuesday evening:

Amanda Comak of the Washington Times also had a report as the Nats prepared to make a splash at a position that has plagued them for most of the season. Per this report on Twitter, Comak expects the Nats to use Rendon in a 2B-only role during his second career MLB stint:

Although a move to use Rendon in a position that is foreign to his listed one (third base) would be a bit of a reach for the second-place Nationals, times are tough in the nation’s capital and bringing up a top prospect in a position of need hasn’t exactly hurt Washington over the past few years. 

It’s time to see what Rendon can do, and if he can help stabilize the middle of the infield and a lineup that currently doesn’t have a second baseman on the stat list this season (Espinosa and Steve Lombardozzi) hitting above .231. 

Rendon was well above that mark in the minors this season and was even above that output during a short eight-game stint to start the season (.240) when Ryan Zimmerman was on the disabled list. Although he wasn’t flashy, Rendon did have a double, an RBI and drew six walks in 30 plate appearances with the Nats during his first taste of pro ball. 

The 22-year-old Texas native had totaled six hits in 25 at-bats when Zimmerman became ready to reclaim his starting job at third. The Nats made the decision to send him back to Double-A Harrisburg, where he continued to prove why he was catching eyes in spring training this year. 

Impressing enough to move up to the next level of the organization, Washington had already promoted Rendon to Triple-A Syracuse over the weekend, a move that now looks like a preemptive tune-up for the youngster to get some game action at second base before a move to the majors. 

ESPN’s Jim Bowden had this tweet on Sunday with Rendon‘s splits in the minors this year and a ploy by the Nats to bring him up to speed with a new position via the “trial by fire” method:

Tuesday’s decision gives Washington a chance to do just that. 

Not scheduled to be part of the lineup on Tuesday, Rendon should have roughly two weeks to lay claim to the starting 2B job for the remainder of the season.

Sure, the Nats are only seven games out and this is in no way time to start preparing for the future, but an answer needs to be found if the franchise wants to have a chance at catching Atlanta or holding off Philadelphia for the second spot. 

Just to play devil’s advocate, it certainly won’t be easy. As noted by Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com, the last time the natural three-bagger played second base on a regular basis was all the way back during his Little League days:

It certainly catches your eye, but hopefully it doesn’t cloud Washington from making a pure baseball decision with respect to its infield. If you can field the ball at third base, you can learn to field the ball at second and give the team a lift at the dish in the process. 

If you listen to Nick J. Faleris and Bret Sayre of Baseball Prospectus talk about Rendon, the fact that he’s suffered through ankle injuries and some arm issues should actually make a move to second base more plausible for long-term success at the MLB level. 

The scouting report on Washington’s top prospect is simple: Although there’s a road block in front of him in Zimmerman, he can help this team out at the plate by shifting positions. There’s something to be said for versatility in the pros, and if Rendon can make this switch without conceding normal defense or good at-bats, he can help this team on into October. 

It’s something that the Texas Rangers are doing right now with top prospect Jurickson Profar, playing the young shortstop phenom at second base because Elvis Andrus is a top American League SS and Ian Kinsler has been banged up. 

If Rendon cannot make the switch, the Nationals will likely have to return to the Espinosa platoon option or look elsewhere (trades) for help prior to the summer deadline. 

However, the Nationals have been bold enough to call the young stud to the pros at the ripe age of 22 and are doing so for the second time this season. It’s obvious he factors into their long-term plans in some way, or we wouldn’t be seeing him up when another option would have sufficed. 

Now that this move is official, it’s time for Davey Johnson to let it ride with his top prospect and see what he can do up the middle while Espinosa tries to regain his former form. It might be overstated in baseball, but you don’t call up top guys to sit on the bench. 

Expect Rendon to see the field early and often after Tuesday’s game with the Mets is in the books. It might be a move that helps to turn Washington’s up-and-down season around. 

Follow B/R Featured Columnist Ethan Grant on Twitter:

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May has come and gone, and the Washington Nationals are still struggling to stay above the .500 mark. At 27-27, it’s time for Davey Johnson’s club to step it up and play more consistent baseball.

A rash of injuries and poor play from key veterans has led to the Nationals’ struggles. In April, poor play from Adam LaRoche and strong play from Bryce Harper were the main talking points. Both players swapped roles in May, as LaRoche was scorching hot and Harper had trouble staying healthy.

The Nationals’ player grades for the month of May shouldn’t be all that surprising. The grades are based solely off May statistics—not April’s. Players who missed a lot of time in May—i.e., Harper—will have grades that reflect as such.

Because of the slew of injuries, the player grades for May will only be given to those players currently on the active roster.

Players who will not be receiving grades are Jayson Werth, Ross Detwiler, Ryan Mattheus and Wilson Ramos. Everybody else is fair game.

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