The Morning Briefing: Carter Kieboom catching up to game speed at third
There are only 29 days until MLB Opening Day 2020 and 38 days to the Washington Nationals Home Opener at Nationals Park! There are 141 more days until the 2020 MLB All-Star Game in LA.
Good morning, Nationals Fans,
There are only 29 days until MLB Opening Day 2020 and 38 days to the Washington Nationals Home Opener at Nationals Park! There are 141 more days until the 2020 MLB All-Star Game in LA.
Some of the news that we are covering today includes:
- Nationals Kieboom Has a Lot to Prove This Spring
- Kieboom catching up to game speed at third
- Proper retribution against the Astros? For Nationals, it won't involve beanballs
- The best team promotions in MLB this season
- Jeter's message: 'We need to turn the corner'
- Gerrit Cole tantalizes in first taste of Yankees game action
Here are today’s latest Washington Nationals & MLB Headlines and what else you need to know to start your day.
Washington Nationals Headlines
Unlocking Juan Soto's Power Potential
On Friday, MLB.com reporter Sarah Langs wrote an article entitled, “Juan Soto is even better than you think he is.” Soto is already good. Like, really good. And he’s only 21 years old. Langs took Soto’s 2020 ZiPS projections and envisioned the continued growth he could see this upcoming season. If the projections hold up, we could be seeing a historic season from the young Dominican, as Langs explained.
Read the full article via Fan Graphs
Nationals Kieboom Has A Lot To Prove This Spring
As baseball officially returns for the 2020 MLB Season, the defending World Series Champions have a few spots to fill. The biggest question for Washington’s Front Office is continuing with the search for Anthony Rendon’s replacement at third base. Rumors have kept the Nats name around in possible trade talks for acquiring a new hot corner such as Nolan Arenado or Kris Bryant, but the team seems to have faith in the organization’s top prospect Carter Kieboom to step up and take the reins.
Read the full article via Blue Collar Media Group
Kieboom Catching Up To Game Speed At Third
Carter Kieboom spent his offseason preparing to play third base at the Major League level for the Nationals. There were workouts and drills … and more workouts and drills, hours upon hours spent transitioning from shortstop.
But all those training routines aren’t live action, the latest phase of Kieboom’s adjustment to his new position.
“There’s a game, and then there’s practice,” Kieboom said on Monday. “You have a hitter versus you have a coach hitting you the fungo. … The balls off the bat are different. You’re put in a situation where you’re having to make different plays than you ever have to make in practice. … It’s just different reads, it’s different judgments, it’s game speed.”
Read the full article via MLB Nationals
Ryan Zimmerman 'Couldn't Be Happier' For Alex Ovechkin Scoring 700 Career Goals
Two of the longest-tenured athletes in Washington, D.C. are Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman.
Zimmerman and Ovechkin made their respective MLB and NHL debuts within nearly a month of each other; Zimmerman's first game with the Nationals was on Sept. 1, 2005, while Ovechkin's first game with the Capitals was Oct. 5. Since then, both have spent their careers with the same organization, becoming legends in the nation's capital and being an integral part of a championship team.
Read the full article via NBC Sports Washington
Where There's A Will, There's A Way
Nats fans were first happily introduced to Will Harris with a *clang* last October when Howie Kendrick drilled a perfect pitch down the right field line for the World Series winning home run. Regardless of what happens in his career with the Nationals, we know we will always have this lasting and happy memory of Will Harris. It’s worth noting that while some people claimed he was overworked in the postseason, the pitch location to Howie had perfect placement down and away in the strike zone. Our playoff legend just had the perfect swing for that pitch in that moment.
Testing free agency for the first time in his career, the Houston born and bred right-hander decided to leave his cheating hometown team after five seasons for greener pastures in Washington DC. Despite his age, Harris was viewed as one of the top relievers on the free agent market. Mike Rizzo made the bullpen a priority and signed the veteran set-up man to a 3-year deal worth $24 million. He’ll serve with Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson as a three-headed monster at the back-end of the Nationals bullpen.
Read the full article via Moty Davis Talyor
After Fiasco Of 2019, Elías Determined To Reveal His True Self
It’s not entirely accurate to say the Nationals never saw the real Roenis Elías last season.
“We saw it,” manager Davey Martinez said. “The first day. Then after that ...”
This is true. Acquired from the Mariners on July 31 to help fix the Nats’ major bullpen woes, Elías made his debut two nights later in Arizona, summoned by Martinez with one out in the bottom of the sixth. The lefty got David Peralta to fly out, then struck out Adam Jones. All good, right?
Read the full article via MASN Sports
Adam Eaton Knows His Defense ‘Wasn’t Good’ Last Season. He’s Working On It.
His mind goes back to May 8, 2019, to inside Miller Park, straight into a moment he would rather forget. But baseball doesn’t work that way. It is often the bad plays that stick around.
And this one, Adam Eaton admits, was really, really bad.
Read the full article via the Washington Post
The Mets Are Motivated By The Defending Champion Nationals’ Journey To World Series
The Mets’ Cinderella playoff run came down to three games. After a resilient second-half finish, just three games separated the Mets from sneaking into the postseason last year. That three-game difference is what held them back from a Wild Card spot, and what cost them the chance to try to win their first championship in over 30 years.
To make matters more cruel, the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention during the final outing of what would become Jacob deGrom’s second Cy Young season. The Mets offense, historically allergic to scoring runs for their ace, tallied double-digit runs that night against the Marlins. But there was little to celebrate after falling short of the postseason for the third straight year.
In another clubhouse in a different city, the Nationals soaked their surroundings in champagne and beer. They celebrated a Wild Card berth that didn’t seem possible in the earlier part of the year, and it was especially bitter for the team watching from Flushing.
Read the full article via New York Daily News
Which MLB Teams Will Disappoint In 2020?
Every year features its share of surprise teams. Last year the Twins won 103 games, up from 78 the season before. On the flip side, the defending world champion Red Sox dipped from 108 wins in 2018 to a playoff-less, 84-win season in 2019. With that example in mind, which team is going to surprise in all the wrong ways this year? SI's MLB staff weighs in
Read the full article via Sports Illustrated
Around The Horn: News From Around The League
The Best Team Promotions In MLB This Season
Going to baseball games is fun on its own, without any extra swag added. But if you get a chance to get some swag … you should get some swag. We are as much a sucker for ballpark swag as anyone. We even have our own bobblehead wall.
Thus today at the Thirty, we take a look at the most fun promotions on every team’s schedule this upcoming season. Every one of these would make the loveliest conversation piece at your home.
Gerrit Cole Tantalizes In First Taste Of Yankees Game Action
In his first exhibition start for the Yankees, Gerrit Cole offered a peak at his competitive nature at George M. Steinbrenner Field against the team that brought him to the big leagues.
Cole dispatched the first two Pirates hitters in the first inning with ease Monday night before walking Cole Tucker on four straight balls after the first two pitches to the switch hitter were strikes.
Josh Bell, another switch hitter, never had a chance against three of Cole’s fastballs and missed a 97-mph heater for the final out.
Read the full article via New York Post
Jeter's Message: 'We Need To Turn The Corner'
Since taking over in 2017 and building the organization from the farm system on up, the Marlins’ new ownership group has preached patience.
Now, after two consecutive last-place finishes, CEO Derek Jeter says it is time to start seeing some progress at the big league level.
“We need to make progress,” he said. “We need to turn the corner. We have to get better. Guys have to get better. You have to improve. If you’re a young player that’s here in camp trying to make a name for yourself, you’re trying to win a job, and you’re trying to keep a job, you have to get better and you have to produce.”
MLB Tells Court Attempts At Cheating Are Part Of Sports
Attempts at cheating are a part of sports, Major League Baseball said in urging a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by fantasy contestants.
Five men sued MLB, MLB Advanced Media, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox in federal court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, violation of consumer protection laws, negligence, unjust enrichment and deceptive trade practices by teams that violated MLB's rules against the use of electronics to steal catchers' signs. The five said they participated in DraftKings fantasy baseball contests.
