Washington Diplomats

Team Info
Owner: Andrew Iwamoto
Joined: 2000
Park: Cinergy Field

Team History
Regular Season
2000 93-69 (2nd)
1999 96-66 (1st) 
1998 60-102 (4th)

Playoffs
1999 
Unknown Results
If you know
tell me.

Projected Line-Up

Rotation 
1. R. Johnson
2. T. Glavine
3. S. Parris
4. S. Etherton
5. F. Castillo

Closer 
M. Rivera/
J. Rocker

Line-Up
1. J. Bell 2B 
2. J. Jones LF
3. J. Bagwell 1B
4. J. Edmonds CF
5. M. Sweeney DH
6. M. Williams 3B
7. P. O'Neill RF
8. M. Bordick SS
9. D. Miller C










The "Big Unit" is
the most feared
lefthander in all
of baseball. The
one question is
will his back hold
out for yet 
another season.













Tom Glavine on
any other team 
except the
Diplomats would
be the top lefty.

     Last season the diplomats came within one game of a playoff
birth as the wild card team. They placed second in the division, 
but in the end never really threatened finishing the season 10
games back. This season a wild card may not be out of the 
question as the core of the team is staying put. Kaapstad this
season may be within the grasps, and perhaps there will be one
more parade in the streets of Washington this year. If the
Diplomats can get to the playoffs their strong pitching would be
feared in any series.

Rotation
     The Washington Diplomats rotation features two types of
very dominant left handed pitchers. One pitches on the corners
of the plate, and allows his great control to get you out. The
other throws hard and comes right at you, and his little bit of 
wildness doesn't allow hitters to dig in the box, his he over
powers batters to get them out.
     Randy Johnson will be the top starter in the Washington
rotation. The combination of power and intimidation allows
him to rack up the K's while most left handed batters ride the
pine when he takes the hill. If the Diplomats could make the
post season, being able to throw out the Unit three times in
a 7 game series has to strike fear into any opponents eyes.
     Tom Glavine could be the ace on any other team other
than the Diplomats. This crafty left hander works both sides
of the plate and obviously isn't physically imtimidating as
Johnson but can be just as effective in the win column. Tom
and Randy could both be 20 game winnes his upcoming 
season.
     The third spot will be taken this season by Steve Parris. 
Not knocking Steve, but he's a considerable step down from 
the number one and two men in the rotation. Steve is your 
typical 3rd or 4th in the rotation type of starter, he is fairly 
consistent, and can be effective when he finds the plate. 
With the type of lineup the Diplomats have in front of him, 
a 12 win season isn't out of the realm of possiblities.
     Youngster Seth Etherton is going to benefit by being
surrounded by the type of arms Washington has in their 
rotation. Seth doesn't have overpowering stuff but he knows
to be most effective he has to chnage speeds. The only 
concern is that Seth has asceneded o the majors without
alot of innings in the bush leagues. This could lead to
arm problems as his arm hasn't had enough time to adjust
to the amount of innings the majors will ask of him.
     Fifth spot should be headed up by journeyman Frank 
Castillo. Many people think of Frank as a tired old veteran,
but if you check his birth certificate he is only 32 years old.
Over his career he has been plagued by elbow and shoulder
ailments, and the slider he throws doesn't help eliviate the
wear and tear of throwing it has on his arm. In the fifth spot
Washington just wants him to go out and try and be as
competitive as he can, within this in mind 10 wins in bottom
of the rotation would more than please club management.
     The only troubling thing about the Diplomat Rotation is
that there isn't much else to look forward to. Any big injuries
would severely hurt the team, especially if the "Big Unit" has
any back troubles. On the farm are veterans like Ariel Prieto,
Dave Eiland, and Everett Stull. Eiland and Stull are not
long term solutions to any rotation problems. Prieto is
coming off elbow surgery in 1999 and he says he's 31, but
there are no actual documnets to prove it. If healthy he can
help, but like the others is not a long term solution.
     The rotation starts out strong but then tends to fizzle. The
Diplomats need to inject some youth soon, or else they could
drop out of the playoff race quicker than the falling NASDAQ.
Look for the Diplomats to make a trade late in the season for
some youth if they fall out of the playoff race.
     
Grade: B-

Bullpen
     If your losing to the Diplomats this season going into the 9th
inning, don't expect a comeback victory. Washington posesses
not just the best closer in all of baseball, but also arguably the
second best closer in baseball too. The combination of Mariano
Rivera and John Rocker will have very few opponents coming
back from any deficit to beat the Diplomats. One word describes
Rivera, to put it simply, "UNHITTABLE." He can throw as hard as
97 MPH and with his cut fastball he never nibbles at batters, but
goes right after them. Rivera could have a 40+ save season.
     Rocker's offseason interview with a GSBL correspondent was
as controversial as it gets. Making his rascist comments and his
behaviour during the candid interview rocked the GSBL world.
On the field, he can still get the job done, but it will be 
interesting how he handles the constant booing and the cold
shoulders some teamates are expected to give him. Look
for rocker to be moved at some point, but one must wonder, is
he a tradable commodity?
      Buddy Groom and John Rocker should get most of the
lefty vs lefty match-ups, with the occasional call on Dennis Cook,
especially if rocker is dealt. The set-up job versus righthanders
will be given to the rapidly aging Mike James, who has a 
repeated history of elbow problems. Rocker could also be the 
the right handed set-up man as he is equally as tough versus 
righthanders as he is versus lefties.
     Jose Santiago and Dave Eiland will take care of most of 
the middle relief innings. Santiago's troubles seems to be 
entirely menatl, as he has a history of pitching well with no
runners on, and awful when runners are present. If he can
shake this it would make him a more valuable player to the
Diplomats. 
     If Washington needs to look to the minors for help, they 
won't find much in quality there. Players like Bryan Ward, 
Everett Stull, Steve Schrenk, Jason Boyd and Brett
Hinchcliffe don't exactly strike fear in the hearts of any 
opposing batters. Ward, Stull, Schrenk, and Boyd have 
checkered pasts and none has proved that they can stay on 
a 25 man roster yet. Hinchcliffe has some upside since he is 
only 25, but he has never shown more than breif flashes of
his potential.
     Overall the bullpen is above average because of the two
solid closers. Any trade involving the moving of Rocker for
a couple quality relievers could instantly make the bullpen
alot better than they really are. Above average may be good 
enough as any lead going into the 9th should be a 
guarenteed W. Washington needs to inject some quality youth
in the staff as soon as possible.

Grade: B- 

Catching

     At back-stop, the Diplomats have chosen to have a trio of thirty-
something veterans. Damian Miller will get the majority of the starts
behind the plate. A classic line drive hitter, Damian has a solid arm 
combined with decent power. His defense is pretty good but isn't 
much of a base runner.
     The back-up catching role will be a constant battle between 
Tom Lampkin and Brian Johnson. Lampkin is an aging veteran
that when healthy is not a bad hitter. The wear and tear on his 
knees and his throwing arms elbow limits the amount of innings he
can have behind the plate.
     Johnson has been a career back-up at best. his lifetime .248 avg 
and .291 OBP are nothing to get excited about. Brian has a pretty
week arm and like Lampkin doesn't posess any real speed, even for 
a catcher.
     Some youth needs to be injected into this position. The thirty-
something crew that has been assembled will acheive nothing 
better than a couple of raw rookies could with alot of playing time.

Grade: C-

Infield
     The infield in Washington is one of its strong points. Guys
like Jeff Bagwell, Jay Bell, Mike Bordick, and Matt Williams can
mash. The common theme on this team though seems to be
if your old, we want you in our line-up. Being old isn't a bad 
thing when most of the aging Diplomats are in their prime.
     Mike Bordick will get most of the starts at SS and perhaps
could be the weakest part of the Diplomat infield. Consider
Bordick as a dependable, unspectacular shortstop who can 
provide some offensive production at the bottom of the lineup.
Expect him to make the routine plays with the occasional
impressive one. He has decent speed on the basepaths but is 
not a legitimate base stealing threat.
     Jay Bell is the pivot on the double play combo and lacks
range, but can make most of the routine plays. His bat is what
can make him valuable as he could hit between 15-25 HR's 
in 2001. Bell may be on the move to another position as his
lack of range can hurt the team. The problem is the logical
move would be to first and there is no way he would take over 
there. Look for some youth to take over this position in 2002.
     The left corner is guarded by third baseman Matt Williams.
Matt is a power hitter who is very agressive at the plate. He can
drive the ball to all fields, but often falls victim to the double 
play ball, as he is not the swiftness Diplomat on the bases. His
age has to be a concern and there is a constant worry to avoid
surgery to the plantar fasciatis which began bothering him in
late 1999. 
     Bagwell mans first base and could be considered the gem 
of the infield. Bagwell hits homeruns as deep as his goatee is
long. jeff combines his huge power with a good average and 
very good on base percentage. he needs to improve his
defense a little, and he seems to have lost a step since the 
last time he was part of the 30-30 club (did it twice). With Jim
Edmonds behind him in the order we could see a 50 HR 
season out of "Bags."
     Like the rest of the team the infield is aging fast. Damian
Jackson is waiting in the wings to takeover either at SS or in
the outfield as well. Jackson is a speedy guy and the quicker
the team could move Bordick the much better the team 
speed, and range at SS becomes. Scott McLain is on the
40 man roster but the team seems to have no plans for him 
in 2001, and will let him season in the minors. 
     Jeff Conine will spend most of the year on the bench 
and could be useld in late inning pinch hit situations. 
Pedro feliz is still a few seasons away but his progress at 
the Triple AAA level is encouraging. Look for him to make
an impact in 2002.
     Overall the infield is very good, but is getting old fast. It
looks like washington is making a run for the title this season
with the solid veterans before they think about going towards
a youth movement.

Grade: B+

Outfield
     Washington's outfield may be its achillies heel in 2001. The
projected outfield has Jacque Jones in left, Jim Edmonds in
center, and Paul O'Neill in right. There is alot of depth as Roger
Cedeno starts the season as a back-up and could be traded 
before opening day. 
     Jacques Jones at 25 is hoping this is he season where he
reaches his potential. Jones has better than average speed
and good range at all of the outfield spots. Its possible that
jones could turn into a consistent .300 20+ HR threat. He 
should be in the line-up nearly everyday in 2001 which will
certainly help his devlopment.
     Centerfield will be patrolled by the dynamic Jim Edmonds.
Jim has great bat speed and can hits ball out to any field. He
will get his fair share of walks but he still strikes out too much.
Defensively he has a good glove in center and often has the
flair for the dramatic catch. Putting himself in good position
on any ball hit in the outfield often makes up for his weak, but
accurate arm. sneaky fast on the base paths he uses his smarts
to make the steal or take the extra base.
     Right has the ever aging Paul O'Neill. The offseason buzz
had him and edmonds being moved for Griffey jr., but it never
happened and perhaps ws only a rumor. At age 38 one has to
wonder how much longer he can play the field and if any 
retirement plans are forthcoming. When he slumps he's a 
ground ball machine, but is still a solid contact hitter. This may
be his last hurrah in right, hoping that Washington makes the 
post season and a run at the World Series title.
     The designated hitter duties should be taken care of by Mike
Sweeney, although he could see the occasional start at first 
base. Sweeney has average wheels at best, but can play a
decent first base defensively. sweeney seems to excell with 
men on base and could put up some huge RBI numbers out of 
the 5th spot in the batting order. he has good power and a 
great eye at the plate. Look for a big year from Sweeney.
     The future of the outfield is now. Edmonds is in his prime,
and O'Neill is on his way out. Jones could play any OF 
position for a long time. Cedeno, if not dealt could be an
option in next years outfield. Other options include Stan 
Javier, Felipe Crespo, Terrell Lowery, and Charles Gipson.
Looking at the youth, Israel Alcantara and Kory DeHaan need 
at least one more full season in the minors to get the amount 
of AB's they need to help their development.
     The Washington outfield is the only spot on the team where
the future certainly looks bright while not taking away from the
curent cast. If the diplomats fall out of the playoff race, expect
O'neill to be moved to a contender.

Grade: B+

Rivera is the
best closer in
the league
period. With
that said, why
is Rocker on 
this team?

















Rocker's middle
name must be
contoversy. He
brings his 
cockiness and 
swagger every
time he takes 
the mound. 
With few friends
in the league,
is he even 
tradable?










PRESSURE PLAYER



Jim Edmonds will
be expected to
put up monster 
numbers out of 
the clean-up
spot. It's time to
put up some big
offensive numbers
to match the huge
glove.

















Bagewell should
revell hitting in
font of Edmonds.
Seeing alot of
fastballs could
lead to a 40+
HR season.