Sarasota, FL—The Nationals have started their spring training. Here are a few story lines that have emerged since the team got to the Sunshine State.
James Wood has proven himself a force to be reckoned with
The 21 year old outfielder has shown time and time again that he could be the next powerhouse in the string of homegrown Nationals outfielders. Measured at 6’7″ and 240 pounds, the former second round pick from San Diego has hit 3 home runs in 19 plate appearances, along with having a .474 batting average, .600 on base percentage, and a whopping 1.547 on base plus slugging. In those 19 at bats, he also has achieved 18 total bases.
Patrick Corbin is adding a new pitch to his arsenal: A cutter
Corbin, 34, is on the last year of his six year, $140 million dollar deal he signed heading into the 2019 season. Ever since 2019, however, he has been known as a disappointment among Nationals fans. He has averaged a 5.04 earned run average since joining the Nationals, and a 5.49 ERA since 2019. However, he is looking to add more variety to keep hitters guessing. Corbin threw eight cutters in his three inning outing against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 1st, and he picked up a strikeout using the cutter to All-Star 3B Nolan Arronado.
In those three innings, he recorded four strikeouts on 41 pitches. 78% of his pitches were thrown for strikes.
Stephen Strasberg is not present at spring training
Strasberg, 35, was diagnosed with severe nerve damage and was planning on announcing his retirement from the MLB in September of 2023. Nationals owner Ted Lerner, however, said that they planned on seeing him at spring training in March. Despite this, Strasberg is nowhere to be found. It has been reported that he is currently unable to throw a baseball or even pick his kids up. Strasberg signed a seven year, $245 million dollar contract in the 2019 offseason that was supposed to keep him in the nation’s capital until 2026. Since he signed that contract, however, he has appeared in only eight games with a 1-4 win loss record, and a 9.62 ERA in those starts. The fact that his contract does not have a “disability clause” was the reason the Nationals are preventing his retirement.
Nationals sign former divisional foe
Thursday, the Nationals signed 32 year old outfielder Eddie Rosario to a 1 year, $4 million dollar deal. This contract makes Rosario eligible for minor league demotion. Last year, Rosario played with the Atlanta Braves and had a .255 batting average along with 21 home runs.
The Nationals season starts March 28th, meaning that any prospects with chances of making the opening day roster have around three weeks to prove their worth to manager Davey Martinez and General Manager Mike Rizzo.
