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Okay, NatsTown, you've made your point.
You've raised a ruckus in the comments section here. You've shared your thoughts on Twitter, made a stink on message boards, sent e-mails, called into sports talk shows and even marched to the front door of manager Jim Riggleman's house.
Well, maybe not that last one. At least not that I know of.
But you've made yourselves clear: You want Michael Morse in the starting lineup.
And why wouldn't you? He hit his seventh homer in just 99 at-bats last night; that pace projects to a nice 35-homer season over 500 at-bats. He's put up an impressive .343/.393/.606 in that time, and every time he's given a chance to play, Morse seemingly does something to impact the game.
We get it. Judging from a couple comments he's made, Riggleman does, too. He's given Morse more playing time lately, even starting him against a right-handed pitcher last night. But unless something changes, Morse isn't going to play every day.
The reasoning has been covered here on several occasions: The Nationals want to give Roger Bernadina a long look in right field, and are still committed to Nyjer Morgan in center. Until, or unless, that changes, Morse has nowhere to play consistently.
He probably hasn't helped himself, either, by being so good off the bench. Morse has thrown himself into that role, talking about preparing mentally as though he's going to play each day and becoming the team's best bat off the bench. He's 5-for-16 as a pinch hitter, and is hitting .346 as a substitute, though all of his homers are as a starter.
Morse also doesn't help himself defensively; his UZR is 3.1 runs below average in right field. Bernadina's, it should be noted, is 4.8 runs below average, but he's got a strong arm and gets to more balls, so there's a perception that he's a better defender.
And unless the Nationals give up on Morgan in center field (which seems less likely now that he's hitting), there's still nowhere for Morse to play. He could become the everyday first baseman if Adam Dunn is traded, but doesn't seem to have much chance to play in the Nationals' current outfield configuration. Let's not assume that he would keep up his current numbers over a full season, either. Pitchers will adjust to Morse, who's never played more than 72 games in a season. You can talk about his 499 career plate appearances in six years, but there's something to be said for getting through the grind of one contiguous season, when you go through slumps, injuries and adjustments from pitchers, and overcome them. None of this is to say Morse wouldn't be a tremendous player if given the chance; his stats closely parallel Jayson Werth's, as has been noted on several occasions. But he needs the crucible of 162 games, and he's not going to get it right now.
So keep begging, ranting and petitioning, NatsTown. The stats might even back you up. The Nationals' current roster, and their plan for the players on it, doesn't allow Morse a chance, though. You're welcome to spend the energy arguing about it. Just know what you're getting into before you do.
