The Morning Briefing: Tomorrow is Opening Night!

Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball headlines, news and the latest news coming out of Washington Nationals Spring Training for March 31, 2021

by Richard Wachtel

Updated March 31, 2021

Good Wednesday Morning, Washington Nationals Fans. Tomorrow is Opening Night!

Upcoming Games:

4/1/2021 Mets @Nationals 7:05 pm EST
4/3/2021 Mets @Nationals 4:05 pm EST
4/4/2021 Mets @Nationals 1:05 pm EST

Countdown Clock: Opening Day: TOMORROW

Make sure to follow The Nats Report on Twitter for updates on the
Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball during the day!

Today’s Morning Briefing was written by Richard and edited by Jonathan

Today's Top Story: Opening Day 2021 is Upon Us

Well, Washington Nationals fans, we made it to Opening Day 2021. From the start of free agency to the Winter Meetings to pitchers and catchers reporting and lastly Spring Training games, the Nats Report has been covering all the action and now tomorrow, the start of the 2021 season.

The New York Mets are coming to town to face the Washington Nationals;
with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm EST on ESPN. According to Jessica Camerato, Washington Nationals beat reporter for MLB.com, the Washington Nationals will recognize the 2019 World Series championship team on Opening Day, including raising a championship flag in the center-field concourse. For the first time since Game 5 of the 2019 World Series, fans will be sitting in Nats Park and will finally get to celebrate the 2019 World Series Winners.

Here are some of the activities that will be happening on Thursday night reported by Jessica Camerato:

A previously recorded performance of America the Beautiful will be performed by the United States Navy Band;
Our nation's colors will be presented by the United States Capitol Police Ceremonial Unit;
A flyover by the 113th Wing from the D.C. Air National guard;
A presentation of the 2020 NL Batting title and Silver Slugger award to Juan Soto;
And God Bless America performed by D.C. Washington.

If you are going to Opening Night, tag @TheNatsReport in all of your pictures on Twitter and Facebook!

Thank YOU, READERS! I want to thank everyone for reading all of our coverage of 2021 Washington Nationals Spring Training. It was a lot of fun covering the team during the offseason. From free agency to pitchers and catchers reporting, til the end of Spring Training, it has been a crazy couple of months, and I can't wait for Opening Night!

'We'll try our best': Mark Lerner on the Nats' efforts to sign Soto to a long-term deal.

Yesterday, in an interview with Scott Abraham of ABC 7 here in DC, Mark
Lerner talked about the status of Juan Soto contract negotiations. One quote that stood out to me was: "We would love to lock Juan up to a long-term deal, but he and his agent have to be ready to do that."

Click here to view the full interview via ABC7.

It always will come down to what the player wants. However, I hope that Juan likes playing here in Washington, D.C., because I want him to be a Washington National for life.

During the offseason, Frank explored what a dream scenario would look like to sign Juan Soto. Click here to read the full article.

Is Carter Kieboom's time with the Nationals coming to an end?

With Kieboom not making the Opening Day Roster, is the Washingto Prospect's time in D.C. coming to an end? I take a closer look at what the Nationals should do at third base, and the Washington Nationals prospect's future..

Click here to read the article.

Perspective: Looking ahead to 2021: What does Nationals success look like?

With the 2021 Spring Training coming to an end, Brandon looks at what
success looks like for the Washington Nationals in 2021!

Click here to read the full article.

Podcast Alert: In the Clubhouse with the Nats Report

Last night, I sat down with Byron Kerr of the "Kerr-ly W" podcast, and we talked all about Opening Night and Washington Nationals baseball. It was an enjoyable conversation and worth your time to listen to the episode. If you need to get pumped and ready for Opening Night, this is the podcast for you. Take a listen, and then rate and review! Listen to the full episode on all the major podcasting platforms: Listen to the full epsiode on all the major podcasting platforms:

Apple: https://apple.co/3fxGFoe
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QOtOnf
Megaphone: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AMPM7530588659.mp3?updated=1617189729

On Monday, April 5th, I am releasing my conversation with Washington Nationals pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge. Our interview is something that you will not want to miss! There is still time to submit your questions for the Washington Nationals prospect. All you need to do is leave a comment below.

Welcome to Washington D.C., Smash Brothers

Can a Combination of Zimmerman and Bell Power the Nats to a Division Title? I take a close look at the success that the Nationals saw during Spring Training with Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Bell, making a positive impact on the team.

One question remains, can this success translate into the regular season!

Click here to read the full article