Paul Lo Duca is a gritty player. He's a gutty player. He's the kind of player who you trade and lose your job shortly thereafter, even if you get an All-Star starter in return. Those kinds of intangibles plus steroids used to equal a decent major league player. Minus the juice, however, Lo Duca's game is somewhere south of mediocre which is why the Nationals have to be privately dreading his return from injury. Lo Duca is set to come off the disabled list this week and he returns to a team that has absolutely no need for him. Jesus Flores, 23 and possessing a future, has the best on-base and slugging percentages on the team. Lo Duca was only around to give him a year to ripen but that's no longer necessary. Lo Duca, who has never really been charmed by Spanish-speaking teammates, has just the right kind of personality to make this a problem in the clubhouse.
Perhaps to avoid that problem, the Nats are coming up with alternate usages for their third catcher. The Washington Post reports that he'll play some left field and first base. Yes, the Nats are actually going to put a guy who had an OPS+ of 80 last season at a corner position. That would be worthy of mockery if it weren't for the fact that the guys they have been playing haven't even mustered that kind of production.
(H/T BBTF)
