Matt Capps was immensely valuable to the Nationals this season. With help from Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Sean Burnett, he turned what had been the organization's weakest link into its biggest strength. 今年球季，Matt Capps 的价值对国民队而言可说是难以估计。在Capps，Clippard， Storen 以及 Burnett 等人的协力下，去年原本积弱不振的牛棚在今年成为球队最 强大的优势。 Capps' value to the Nats, though, made his trade value even higher, which is why Mike Rizzo had no choice but to pull the trigger tonight when the Twins offered up Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa in exchange for his closer (plus $500,000 in cash). 尽管 Capps 对国民队来说十分重要，然而他的交易价值却更高，这也是为什麽 Rizzo 会同意用他再加上0.5M和双城交换来 Wilson Ramos 以及 Joe Testa。 Think about it this way: Seven months ago, Capps wasn't valued enough by the Pirates to be tendered a contract. Tonight, Minnesota GM Bill Smith valued Capps so much, he was willing to give up one of the top-rated young catchers in baseball. 去年球季 Capps 的表现非常糟糕，因此球季结束後海盗队甚至不愿意提供合约给他， 觉得他没有那个价值。如今，双城队的GM Bill Smith 却愿意双手奉上农场里的顶级 新秀之一来交换 Capps，只因为他认为 Capps 确实有这个身价。 Now, it should be noted Ramos' value with the Twins was minimal, considering they already own the best catcher in baseball. He was never going to crack the lineup at Target Field, not with Joe Mauer entrenched there for the next eight years. 对双城而言，考虑到他们已经拥有棒球界的最佳捕手，Ramos 对他们来说算是可有可 无。只要 Joe Mauer 还在，他就会是双城队的不动捕手，而且未来8年都将是如此， 很显然地在 Target 球场 Ramos 几乎不可能有机会先发。 But it should also be noted that Ramos was coveted by plenty of other clubs around the sport. When the Twins made a serious run at acquiring Cliff Lee earlier this month, Ramos was part of the proposed deal. He's not some throw-in or low-level minor-leaguer. He's the guy who most likely will supplant Ivan Rodriguez as the Nationals' everyday catcher, perhaps sometime next season. 不过我们可以发现到其他不少球队都觊觎着 Ramos。例如之前当双城想交易来 Cliff Lee 时，Ramos 就是包裹之一。他并不是那种替补等级或者是还位於低阶联盟的小联 盟选手。他非常有机会能够取代 I-Rod 成为国民队的先发捕手，也许就是明年球季 中的某个时间点。 Ramos, who turns 23 next month, is regarded as a strong defensive catcher who has also flashed a potent bat in the minors (he hit .317 last year at Class AA, though his average at Class AAA this year is only .241). He'll report to Syracuse for now, but the hunch here is that Ramos comes to D.C. as a September call-up. Next season, he splits the job with Pudge, eventually taking over as the starter. Ramos 下个月即将满23岁，他被认为是一位守备能力极佳，而且在打击方面也颇有 潜力的新秀捕手。去年他在2A的打击率是3成17，不过今年升上3A後却只有2成41。 现在他会待在3A的 Syracuse，不过9月扩编的时候有机会上到大联盟。明年他将会 和 Pudge 共同分担捕手的任务，而最後就会正式接管先发捕手的位置。 In other words, Ramos is Jesus Flores circa 2008. (And by the way, if this deal doesn't confirm the Nationals have no faith Flores will ever return from his shoulder injury, nothing will.) 换句话说，Ramos 的情况就像是08年的 Flores。(顺带一提，这个交易也证实了国民 队对 Flores 能够走出肩膀伤势的阴霾并且完全恢复这一点毫无信心。) Isn't it worth giving up Matt Capps for that? You better believe it. 所以这笔交易的价值难道不值得丢掉 Capps 换来 Ramos 吗？你还是相信比较好。 Capps will forever hold a special place in Nationals lore, both for the manner he performed on the field and for the manner in which he conducted himself off it. If there's a more genuine player in baseball, I haven't met him. Matt endured through a horrific 2009, punctuated by his father's death in October, and you can tell family is always first and foremost on his mind. Capps 未来将永远在国民队的传说之中占有一席之地，包括他在球场上工作时所展现 的态度以及表现自我的方式。在棒球界我还没见过比 Capps 更真诚的球员。09年球季 对 Capps 而言可说是最差劲的一个球季，再加上他的父亲在去年10月也不幸过世了。 而你或许知道在 Capps 心目中，家人永远都是不变的第一顺位以及最重要的存在。 That he could recover emotionally from both the loss of his best friend and the sting of getting dumped by the only organization he had ever pitched for, then resurrect his career and earn his first All-Star berth speaks volumes about his character. 除了失去最重要的朋友之外，他也被生涯唯一效力过的组织给踢出了球队。然而他终 究从哀伤的情绪当中振作起来，不仅在今年球季起死回生还首度入选了全明星赛，充 分证明了他的毅力。 It takes a special breed to close in the big leagues. You have to have the stuff to get the game's best hitters out, but you also have to have nerves of steel to do it with the game on the line. Some simply don't have what it takes (see: Hanrahan, Joel). Whatever it is, Capps has it. 能够在大联盟负责关门的投手，都具备特殊的天份。你的 stuff 必须好到能够让最佳 的打者出局，同时在危急的比赛当中你也必须具备有如钢铁一般坚强的勇气。有些人 完全并未拥有这些条件(例如 Hanrahan, Joel)。不管是什麽，Capps 确实他具有这 样的特质。 So why trade away a valuable commodity like that? Because contending clubs value closers even more this time of the year, and because the Nationals have the bullpen depth to overcome Capps' departure. 所以为什麽我们要交易掉具有如此价值的商品呢？因为在这个时间点目前具有竞争力 的球队对於终结者的出价是最高的，同时我们牛棚的深度足以克服 Capps 的空缺。 The Twins desperately needed a reliable closer for the rest of the season. Joe Nathan blew out his elbow in spring training. Jon Rauch (remember him?) tried his best to hold down the fort in Nathan's absence but has struggled in recent weeks with a role he's never quite been made for. 双城队在接下来的球季迫切需要一位值得信赖的终结者，Joe Nathan 在春训时手肘 受伤，Jon Rauch 为了填补 Nathan 的空缺而暂时担任终结者并竭尽其所能，然而 他在最近也陷入了低潮，同时他过去从未担当过如此的重任。 Thus, Minnesota's desperation played right into Rizzo's hand. Rizzo has insisted all month the asking price would be high for his three most-coveted players: Capps, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. He wasn't lying. He stuck to his guns and got a significant return for Capps. 也因为双城队的不顾一切，因此正中了 Rizzo 的下怀。整个7月 Rizzo 对於球队中 三位最热门的交易人选：Capps，Dunn 以及 Willingham 一直坚持不肯降价，结果 证实他并未说谎。他始终坚持己见并且也获得了可观的回报。 And the Nationals still have a deep and talented bullpen, led by Storen, who will be this team's closer ... someday soon, but not yet. Jim Riggleman said tonight he plans to spread around save opportunities to several relievers, including Storen, Clippard, Burnett and Joel Peralta, playing the "hot hand" the rest of the way. 同时我们的牛棚即使少了 Capps 依旧有一定的深度，未来某一天 Storen 将会成为 球队的终结者并领导整个牛棚，只不过现在还不是时候。Riggleman 表示他计画让数 位中继投手分摊救援机会，这当中包含了 Storen，Clippard，Burnett 以及 Peralta ，之後的比赛基本上看谁状况好谁就上去投第9局。 Nothing wrong with that. No sense thrusting Storen into the fire right away when there's no immediate need to do that. Let him ease his way into the job, perhaps taking over full-time ninth-inning duties next April. 基本上这想法没什麽错，毕竟目前情况并没有任何迫切的需求需要立刻就把 Storen 推入火坑。让他今年先熟悉目前的工作，然後也许明年4月他就会接管第9局的任务。 There could come a day in the not-too-distant future when Storen is on the mound in the ninth-inning of a one-run game in the middle of a pennant race. Ramos could be behind the plate calling pitches. Stephen Strasburg could be in the dugout, rooting for Storen to secure the win after pitching eight innings himself. 或许，在之後不远的将来--在季末与季後这段时间的某一场比赛中，我们居於领先， 但双方仅仅只有1分差距，Storen 此时正准备在第9局登板来关门，同时 Ramos 正在 本垒板後面配球，而 Strasburg 刚才才投完第8局退场休息，此刻正坐在球员席上为 Storen 呐喊助威--这样的一天有可能会到来吧。 When that day comes, take a quick moment to remember Matt Capps. If not for the job he did this season, it might not have been possible. 当这一天到来时，请记得稍微回想起 Capps。如果没有他今年优异的表现，这一切 就不可能发生。 Capps won't be a member of the Nationals when they do find themselves in a pennant race, but he will have played a vital role in the franchise's transition from afterthought to contender. 即使那个时候 Capps 并不是国民队队中的一员，但是他确实扮演着极为重要的角色， 使得国民队从一支可有可无的球队变成了具有竞争力的球队。 In the end, that was his true value to the Nationals. And you can't thank him enough for it. 最後，这就是 Capps 对於国民队的真正价值，这是无论怎麽感谢他都远远不够的。 --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.37.78.87 ※ 编辑: s9527206 来自: 114.37.78.87 (07/31 16:03)