Kuzul

A couple weeks ago, I wrote an open letter to Bryce Harper asking him to never change. I made it clear that it involved him upholding his style of play, as Bryce Harper just isn't Bryce Harper without the Tasmanian Devil approach to the game. I'm feeling conflicted on the matter now. In fact, I'll be damned if I don't feel a shred of responsibility for what happened to Harper on Monday night during the Washington Nationals' 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.You saw it, right?If no, you can watch it here. If yes, well, you can re-watch it here.It was a collision as weird as it was violent. Harper just seemed to have no notion of his whereabouts and then, BAM, face met fence. When he hit the deck and the blood started to flow, it looked bad.The good news is that it's not. Harper walked ...

Bryce Harper isn't invincible.During the sixth inning of the Washington Nationals' road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Harper was hot in pursuit of an A.J. Ellis fly ball to deep right field. Harper appeared to be in position to make a play on the ball, but just as he pulled up short, he met an unforgiving force.The right field wall.In a horrifying sight, Harper crumbled to the ground and lay motionless with his face in the dirt. Ellis rounded second base and stepped into third base safely, as Denard Span came over to hit the cut-off man.More importantly, Harper rolled onto his back and one of the few things we could see was blood.Harper didn't just collide with the right field wall, but the scoreboard that is planted within the barrier. As soon as Span checked on him, he signaled for the trainers to come out and, before we ...

It is only May 11, but the Washington Nationals have already activated a couple players from their 40-man roster to deal with injuries.The most notable of these minor league call-ups was prized prospect Anthony Rendon.But which Nationals prospects could be among the September call-ups?Here are are the five Nationals' prospects who can most impact the roster during a late season push for the MLB Playoffs. Note: All statistics updated through May 10 courtesy MLB.com unless noted otherwise. Begin Slideshow

The Washington Nationals are chasing the Atlanta Braves at the top of the National League East, but it looks like they'll have to continue their climb for the next couple of weeks without starting outfielder Jayson Werth. Nationals beat writer Dan Kolko reported on Twitter that Werth is likely headed to the disabled list soon with a hamstring issue that has bugged him for the majority of the month of May:Werth hasn't played since May 2, when he left Washington's game against Atlanta after five innings with hamstring tightness. Washington Times reporter Amanda Comak helped confirm the news (via Twitter) and had a look at some of the prospects the Nats might use to fill Werth's spot while he fully recovers from the leg ailment on the DL:An initial MRI scan proved to be negative earlier in the week (h/t Washington Post), but the news on Werth on Friday did not give ...

Waiting patiently for the day when Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg becomes the next Justin Verlander? You know, as in a guy who's both extremely talented and extremely durable?Here's a hint: Don't do that. Strasburg is never going to be Verlander's equal, nor is he going to be up there with any of Major League Baseball's great aces who are also tireless workhorses. That's not the life Strasburg has been cut out for.Before you object, let's be clear about one thing: We're not talking about a question of talent. If talent is a matter of stuff and command, then Strasburg has those two areas pretty well covered.Strasburg's stuff, obviously, is tremendous. Drool-inducing, really. He's got the kind of stuff that we all gave our customized video-game pitchers when we were kids (and/or still do as adults).Per FanGraphs, Strasburg has the highest average-fastball velocity of any starter in the majors (minimum 160 ...

The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled in the early weeks of the 2013 regular season. They are 14-16 thus far, 3.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the suddenly tight National League East.Should the team have a losing record (or even subpar record, for that matter), general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. could choose to trade some of his team's impending free agents.Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com opines, "If things don't improve, the Phillies might make their noise in July, when [Chase] Utley and the two Youngs [Michael and Delmon], all pending free agents, could become trade candidates."The Washington Nationals have also struggled a bit, albeit their record is 1.5 games better than their rival's. At 16-15, general manager Mike Rizzo is likely upset with the way his team—a team that was supposed to dominate the rest of the National League—has performed.Their pitching hasn't been great, but inconsistencies offensively have ...

Dear Bryce,You don't know me, but I feel like I know you well enough. Like many others, I'm a fan. Also like many others, I feel like I know you a little better now after having watched the documentary ESPN did on you. Bryce Begins was good stuff. A real humdinger.It also got me to thinking that it's high time I asked a favor of you, one that I believe most others in galaxies both known and unknown would find agreeable.Do us all a favor and don't ever change, bro. Always be yourself.I can't believe I'm sitting here asking you to never change. When you were still making your way toward the major leagues, I recall anticipating that you were going to be just another insufferable prima donna.You remember the article Tom Verducci wrote about you for Sports Illustrated back in 2009? You know, the one that portrayed you as baseball's ...

With concern centering around Stephen Strasburg following Monday's 3-2 loss to the Braves, the offense also may not have come out unscathed. Right fielder Jayson Werth, the team's second-leading home run hitter and run producer, fouled a ball off his ankle and aggravated his hamstring. Near the end of the game, Werth felt cramping in the seventh inning while racing to catch a fly ball and make a throw home. During his eighth inning at-bat against reliever Eric O’Flaherty, Werth fouled a ball off his left ankle. He fell to the ground, rolled around and got up gingerly. Nationals' trainer Lee Kuntz and Davey Johnson came out to check on him. He finished the at-bat but was replaced the next inning in right field by Roger Bernadina.Via Dan Kolko of MASN Sports: The ankle was a little swollen after the game, Werth said. The hamstring, while it bugged the veteran outfielder, doesn't seem to be a major ...

Limited to only 44 games last season after suffering an ankle fracture in his second professional game, Anthony Rendon resuscitated his prospect stock this spring with an excellent showing in major league camp. Appearing in 13 games, the 22-year-old batted .375/.412/.875 with four doubles and four home runs and received extensive playing time at the hot corner. More importantly, Rendon asserted that, despite his limited experience, his bat was close to being ready for the major leagues. However, with Ryan Zimmerman blocking his path, it was widely known that only an injury could get Rendon to the majors before September. Unfortunately, the Rendon insurance policy came into play far earlier than expected this season, as the Nationals were forced to call up their top prospect from Double-A after placing Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list for a strained left hamstring.Luckily, among all position prospects, Rendon stands a legitimate chance at ...

Another season, another trip to the disabled list for third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson announced that Zimmerman would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring issue, and that top prospect Anthony Rendon will be called up from Double-A to play third base in his place (via the Washington Times).Zimmerman attempted to play through the nagging hamstring. The first signs of injury were reported on Monday, though he tried to play on Wednesday after taking a day off. He left halfway through that game and then proceeded to miss Friday and Saturday's games. The MRI he received Saturday morning must have thrown up red flags for the team's doctors.The move to call up Rendon in his place is an interesting one. The Nationals will likely only need the No. 6 pick of the 2011 draft for two weeks, after which he'll be sent back ...