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Good Morning, Washington Nationals Fans,
Some of the news that we are covering today includes:
Carter Kieboom robs Mets’ Dom Smith of a hit with a leaping catch
Coronavirus prompts change to autograph signings
The Nationals once desperately needed an emergency catcher. They don’t have one anymore.
Will King Felix crack the Braves rotation?
Yankees' Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in the rib
Major League Baseball team to give away Taiwan jerseys
Here are today’s latest Washington Nationals & MLB Headlines and what else you need to know to start your day.
Game Notes: Washington Nationals Shut Out New York Mets, 5-0: Austin Voth Tosses Three Scoreless
Voth vs Ross: Two of the contenders for the fifth spot in the Washington Nationals’ rotation were in action this afternoon, Austin Voth in Port St. Lucie, FL taking on the Mets, and Joe Ross home in West Palm Beach where the defending World Series champs took on the Fish.
Voth tossed two scoreless innings to start the day, on 33 pitches, working around a wind-aided double and a few hard-hit balls in the first two frames, and he stranded a two-out double by Brandon Nimmo in the third, completing his third scoreless frame at 47 pitches when he caught Robinson Cano looking with a 1-2 fastball outside that was called strike three.
Meanwhile, in the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, Joe Ross worked around a single and a walk in the first, retired the Marlins in order in the second, completing his sixth and seventh scoreless innings to start the Spring, but finally gave up a run when the Fish got to the right-hander in the third, with Jonathan Villar walking to start the inning, stealing a bag, moving up on a Corey Dickerson single, and scoring on a two-run double by Jesús Aguilar that put Miami ahead, 2-1. That was it for Ross, who was up to 57 pitches when he was done for the day.
Amid Fifth-Starter Battle, Nats Keep Eyes On Ross
When the Nationals boarded a bus for split-squad action in Port St. Lucie, manager Dave Martinez stayed back at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. He wanted to get an in-person look at Joe Ross in his home start against the Marlins.
“He’s pitching so well,” Martinez said prior to the Nats’ 2-2 tie. “I want to put eyes on what he’s doing really well so that if anything does go awry, I can actually see. I know we’ve got video and stuff, but for me, I’m very visual and I like to watch and see how he’s doing.”
Nationals ‘Renew’ Juan Soto’s Contract For $629,400 In 2020
The Nationals finished a procedural move with Juan Soto on Saturday when they “renewed” his pre-arbitration contract for $629,400, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Washington.
Soto remains under team control as he enters his third major-league season. He normally would be arbitration-eligible in 2022, but his “Super-2” status should make him arbitration-eligible this offseason. His contract will roar upward beginning then.
Juan Soto’s Contract Was Renewed For $629,400. How Can The Nationals Do That?
fter hitting 34 home runs last season, shining in the playoffs and further establishing himself as one of the league’s top players, Juan Soto will make $629,400 in 2020. The Washington Nationals renewed his contract at that value, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, after the club and Soto did not agree on a salary.
How is that possible?
Because Soto has less than three years of major league service time, the Nationals were able to assign his salary for another year. He made $578,300 in 2019 after a standout rookie season. The Nationals bumped him up $51,100, and Soto’s representation, headed by agent Scott Boras, did not agree with the resulting figure. That’s why the Nationals had to “renew” his contract, rather than the two sides agreeing to terms, and exercise their power to stick with the original offer.
Coronavirus Prompts Change To Autograph Signings
Though there haven’t been any confirmed coronavirus cases in the immediate vicinity yet, the Nationals are taking their first precautionary steps toward helping prevent the virus from spreading at their spring training facility.
The club announced this morning changes to the way players and coaches approach autographs and fan interactions at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and other spring training stadiums.
All Nationals personnel have been advised to avoid shaking hands or exchanging items like pens, balls and jerseys, “out of an abundance of caution,” the team said in a statement. To compensate for the time being, players will pre-sign items and distribute them to fans periodically before and during games.
Carter Kieboom Robs Mets’ Dom Smith Of A Hit With Leaping Catch
Carter Kieboom entered spring training with the opportunity to earn the Nationals’ starting job at third base after the incumbent Anthony Rendon departed via free agency.
So far, his play at third—a new position for the natural shortstop—has been streaky, with two recorded errors and several other misplayed balls that didn’t make their way into the scorebooks.
The Nationals Once Desperately Needed An Emergency Catcher. They Don’t Have One Anymore.
Dave Martinez looked up, then down into a sun-drenched pavement, then tapped his foot once, twice, a third time against the grass. The Washington Nationals manager could not come up with an emergency catcher for the coming season. He was stumped.
“We really don’t have one,” Martinez said Thursday. “If we were really desperate, we’d have to activate Brett Austin.”
Austin is the Nationals’ new bullpen catcher. Martinez laughed because, in reality, activating him is not an option. Emergency catchers in baseball are not like emergency goaltenders in hockey. They have to be on the roster already, a position player brave enough to squat behind the plate. There are very few situations when one is needed, making this more of a fun spring thought exercise, and less of an actual problem.
Strasburg, Scherzer Teaching Younger Nats Pitchers Fundamentals Of Game At Spring Training
Stephen Strasburg chatted by his locker early in spring training with Wil Crowe — just a World Series MVP and a non-roster invitee for the Washington Nationals plopping themselves on a pair of folding chairs to talk shop during camp’s ample idle time.
Strasburg discussed “little pointers and some cues” about throwing out of the stretch, Crowe said, before an unexpected offer arrived.
“He said to meet him outside the next morning at 8, on the mound,” said Crowe, a 2017 second-round draft pick from the University of South Carolina who split 2019 between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Fresno. “It was just me and him; no coaches, no staff. He watched me do my movements and try to take what he does and blend it into what I do.”
Former Miami Marlins President Details History Of Cheating In Baseball, Where Astros Went Wrong
Wait.
What did David Samson just say?
Even though his words were like a line drive whizzing past a pitcher’s ear, the former Miami Marlins president told the truth earlier this week to my journalism students at Miami (Ohio) University in a couple of ways.
First, Samson revealed that his team overcame their 100-1 odds before the 2003 season to capture the World Series over the powerful New York Yankees of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and George Steinbrenner with much help from an orchestrated effort to steal signs.
Will King Felix Crack The Braves Rotation?
With two more weeks of Spring Training remaining before Opening Day, the Braves still are evaluating how best to construct their rotation, bullpen and bench. This week’s Inbox focuses on some of the primary questions the team has left to answer.
If Hernández remains healthy over the remainder of camp, I would expect him to win one of the two available rotation spots. He faced primarily Minor Leaguers in his first two outings (against the Orioles and Tigers), but he proved to be just as effective on Tuesday, when he faced a Rays club that included at least six players expected to begin the year in the Majors.
Before Injury Exam, Munoz Left Team Without Notice And Flew Home, So Cardinals Released Him
In a bizarre twist to the Cardinals' competition for a spot on the bench, Yairo Munoz bolted the team without notice, flew home to the Dominican Republic, and left the Cardinals unsure when, or if, he would return.
So they made the decision for him Saturday morning.
The Cardinals gave Munoz, their utility infielder the previous two years, his unconditional release, allowing him to become a free agent. It is unclear where that leaves Munoz as far as interest from other teams because he went AWOL before he had a hamstring injury examined by the Cardinals. The move leaves the Cardinals with an open spot on the 40-man roster, and it gives an open avenue for players like Tommy Edman, Brad Miller, and prospect Edmundo Sosa to secure or compete for roles on the 26-man roster.
Yankees' Aaron Judge Has A Stress Fracture In Rib
After nearly a week of medical tests, Aaron Judge learned the source of his nagging discomfort.
And the news wasn’t good for the Yankees slugging right fielder.
Judge has a stress fracture of the first right rib according to manager Aaron Boone, who called it “a tough diagnosis to find."
“It’s probably an injury that dates back to last September,’’ Boone said of a play in which Judge dove in right field, attempting to make a catch in a Sept. 18 game against the Angels.
Major League Baseball Team To Give Away Taiwan Jerseys
As part of the 2020 Taiwan Day celebration, the New York Mets will hand out 500 limited edition "Taiwan No. 1" jerseys to fans at their Aug. 29 game, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to offer Taiwan-related apparel.
Wang Wei-cheng (王偉成), the director of Asian markets for the Mets organization, said Friday (March 6) that the baseball team is giving away free jerseys as a gesture of appreciation to its Taiwanese fans. He said that this year will mark the 16th anniversary of the Taiwan Day event and that the first 500 individuals who purchase their tickets through the team's official website will receive a special jersey.
Joe Maddon To Instruct Angels Not To Throw At Astros
When the Halos open up the season as the Astros’ first opponent following the sign-stealing scandal going public, Joe Maddon doesn’t want his pitchers making target practice of Astros hitters. Maddon told reporters that he will instruct his pitchers not to throw at Astros players.
'Everything’s Under Such A Microscope Now': MLB Rules Crackdown Comes With Confusion
It’s not so much about the fired clubhouse manager. It’s not even, really, about pitchers and the substances they use to hold the baseball. Nor is it solely about televisions in clubhouses or buzzers under jerseys or phantom ailments occupying injured lists.
It’s about all of it.
It’s about a game that has veered into gray areas and yet covered by a rule book stamped in black and white. It’s about Houston Astros players squealing to investigators that everyone else was doing it too, and the Boston Red Sox players who promised not to do that again and two years later had to be dragged in for more questioning and, yeah, the guy in the bullpen slathering himself with the latest potion out of Anaheim.
Sights And Sounds From MLB's Return To D.R.
For the first time in 20 years, Major League Baseball returned to the Dominican Republic for game action with a Spring Training contest between the Twins and the Tigers at Santo Domingo’s Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal on Saturday. Minnesota fell behind early but erased deficits of 3-0 and 5-3 in a 7-6 win over Detroit.
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