TGIF, Washington Nationals Fans!
Today's Forecast West Palm Beach via the National Weather Service:
Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Breezy, with an east wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Games this Week:
3/13/2021 v. Mets 6:05 pm EST
3/14/2021 @ Astros 1:05 pm EST
Make sure to follow The Nats Report on Twitter for updates on the latest Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball during the day!
Countdown Clock:
Opening Day: 20 Days
Yesterday's game 1-1 tie against the Marlins was the second outing for Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin for this Spring Training. Mark Zuckerman from MASN Sports has the breakdown of the game: "When Corbin pitched this afternoon in Jupiter, Fla., in his second start of this spring, his fastball averaged 90 mph and topped out at 92 mph. A seemingly subtle difference, to be sure. But perhaps enough to portend better things in the 2021 season.
Corbin didn't know the precise numbers, but he did know things felt better as he threw three scoreless innings against the Marlins in what wound up a 1-1 tie by day's end. And that's certainly significant as he attempts to bounce back from a subpar season."
As Zuckerman notes: "Corbin's return to form is among the most important positive developments the Nationals could experience in 2021. They need him to resemble the 2019 version of himself, the guy who posted a 3.25 ERA and 1.183 WHIP while using a 92 mph fastball to get ahead of hitters and thus set him up to put them away with his wipeout slider."
One of the nice stories coming out of Spring Training is Victor Robles' re-emergence as a batter. As we have noted on multiple occasions, Victor Robles came into camp skinner and more prepared for camp, and it has shown in his performance on the field and in the batter's box. So far this Spring, Robles has played seven games and at his 21 plate appearances, has hit a home run, has two RBI's, four walks, four stolen bases witch has given him an OPS of .866, a slugging percentage of .438, and a batting average of .250.
One would think that the Minor League system's re-organization would be the end of the changes that Major League Baseball was going to make. Well, if you thought that, like myself, you were wrong. Yesterday, MLB announced additional changes, this time to the rules. MLB announced that the Minors would be a testing ground for various experimental playing rules to create more balls in play and action on the basepaths, improve the pace and length of games, and reduce player injuries.
"The game on the field is constantly evolving," said MLB consultant and former Cubs and Red Sox executive Theo Epstein, "and MLB must be thoughtful and intentional about progressing toward the very best version of baseball -- a version that is true to its essence and has enough consistent action and athleticism on display to entertain fans of all ages."
Here are the changes and the minor leagues in which they will apply:
Slightly larger bases with a less-slippery surface (all Triple-A leagues)
A requirement that all four infielders have their cleats within the outer boundary of the infield dirt when the pitch is delivered (all Double-A)
A condition that pitchers must step off the rubber to attempt a pickoff (all High-A)
A limit of two pickoff attempts per plate appearance (all Low-A)
A 15-second pitch clock (Low-A West only)
An automatic ball-strike system (Low-A Southeast only)
As we get closer and closer, we are looking for additional writers to join the Nats Report and cover the Washington Nationals. We are looking for writers and editors to join the Nats Report team. There is no article minimum that you have to meet each month. Write as many articles as you want. We want to have fun!
Almost a year removed from the COVID-19 outbreak, Nationals fans deserve to make their own decision on if they want to see a Nats Game or not.
However, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently commented that D.C. is looking to lift some virus-related restrictions on businesses, possibly including attendance at professional sports games as soon as Mid-March, according to Washington Post Julie Zauzmer. At this point, the Mayor needs to start letting fans decide if they want to return to watch the Nationals play at Nats Park.
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Patrick Corbin on learning a cutter grip from Max Scherzer + more... via Federal Baseball
2021 Washington Nationals World Series, win total, pennant and division odds via USA Today
Washington Nationals fans may soon be able to watch the team play in person via FOX 5 Washington DC
Kelvin Herrera wasn’t the savior the Nationals hoped he’d be via District on Deck
Major League Baseball should get vaccines for its players, for Sid Hartman's sake via Minnesota Star Tribune
Minor leagues experimenting with robo umps, larger bases via Associated Press
Baseball faces permanent changes a year after COVID shutdown via Sportico
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