Nationals Notebook
Morgan Looks Ahead, With Help of Pilates
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Sunday, October 4, 2009
ATLANTA, Oct. 3 -- Nyjer Morgan is back home in San Francisco now, completely detached from the final days of the season, excluding some passing curiosity about the stat races.
"Hey," Morgan asked in a recent telephone conversation. "Am I still second [in the National League] in stolen bases?"
He is. Even though he hasn't played since Aug. 27, when he broke his left hand sliding headfirst into third base. (That was the 42nd and final stolen base of his season.) Since heading to the disabled list, Morgan has left behind a Washington Nationals team that misses his speed and defense. And Morgan, whose hand is almost fully recovered, has turned his attention to next season.
Initially after sustaining the injury, Morgan speculated that he might play winter ball to make up for the lost at-bats. But he's since decided against it, preferring to take it easy for the next few weeks before ramping up his training program.
Morgan said he plans to copy the fitness regimen he followed for the first time last offseason, at the recommendation of a Pittsburgh Pirates trainer. And what, exactly, does this regimen entail?
Pilates. (And some weightlifting as well.) But mostly Pilates, a yoga-aerobics hybrid that emphasizes balance and core training.
"That's how I stay limber," Morgan said.
Morgan hopes to maintain the productivity next season he demonstrated during his time with the Nationals. After arriving in a June 30 trade from Pittsburgh, Morgan transformed the Nationals, filling two of their biggest needs -- center field and leadoff. With the Nationals, he batted .351 (67 for 191) with 24 stolen bases. Washington was 22-26 with Morgan in the lineup.
MRI for Guzmán
Shortstop Cristian Guzmán, unable to play the field because of right shoulder soreness, will undergo an MRI exam on Monday, General Manager Mike Rizzo said. Because of his injury, Guzmán has not started a game since Sept. 23 -- though he has still been used as a pinch hitter.
"We'll see what we find [in the MRI], if anything, and we'll take care of it," Rizzo said. "But whatever it is, he's going to be ready for spring training. What the doctors say -- worst case scenario there's a possible clean-up of the shoulder, but he'd be certain to be ready for spring training." . . .
Asked for an opinion on his team's MVP, interim manager Jim Riggleman needed no time to deliberate. "Ryan Zimmerman," he said. "He's leading the club in RBIs and runs scored; those are the two most important categories for an offensive player. And he's played Gold Glove third base. Ryan's had a really good year in all the categories."
