How Many Testes Jokes Do You Think He's Heard?

So the AP sez that the Nats have signed Shawn Estes.

It's almost certainly a minor-league contract, and those are rarely worth getting worked up over.

But Jesus Horatio Christ.

The fatal flaw in Mike Rizzo's philosophy is his groundballs uber alles philosophy. All things considered, a groundball is better than a fly. But then all things considered, a strikeout is better than a grounder, too.

Rizzo's philosophy requires the team to have a pitch-to-contact rotation, which requires the Nats to pay more attention to their infield defense. (Not that paying attention to defense on any team is a bad thing).

Where it worries me the most is in the pitching he brings into the system. GBers who strike out batters are usually the best kind of pitcher to have. But a groundballer who strikes out a ton is also among the most rare kind. For every Brandon Webb, there are 176,000 Danny Cabreras.

Is this a case where he's hoping to find the next Webb? Does he recognize what skill set makes Webb special and so unique? Will the profile of pitcher he looks for make it less likely for the team to find that gem in the draft?

We'll certainly find out.

So while worrying about Estes... one second...

... sorry.... had to go puke.

So while worrying about Estes isn't really worth it, the underlaying pattern might be something worth considering.

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Related question: After the Pudge/Marquis signings at the half-way point, many were ready to give the Nats huge credit for their off-season. Now that it's closer to the end, and the Nats only have a Kennedy to show for it, is it still as successful an off-season?