Good Monday Morning, Washington Nationals Fans. Thank you for starting the week with us.
Today's weather in West Palm Beach, according to the National Weather Service:
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
You can now purchase tickets to Spring Training Games.... Here are the details and to purchase
Today's Spring Training Quote:
"I don't really try to look back too far to say what happened, but obviously, I've been throwing a baseball for a long time, and it's that injury is from repetitive use, and I was just happy to go in and it's like a 15-minute procedure and I wake up and even though I was all bandaged up, the numbness in my thumb just went away." - Stephen Strasburg discussing his 2020 injury and looking to the future.
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
Exhibition Games Begin: 7 Days
Opening Day 2021: 39 Days
2021 MLB All-Star Game: 142 Days
Today's Morning Briefing was written by Richard and edited by Jonthan
Today's Top Story: Washington Nationals fans are left wondering if they will be returning to Nats Park this season
As the Coronavirus vaccine continues its rollout to all regions of the U.S., Major League Baseball teams and the local governments that oversee them will be asked an important question: Should fans be allowed to attend games?
Washington Nationals fans have been left in the dark on what’s going on this season. The Nationals have not released any information even to their season ticket holders.
Click here to read the full article on The Nats Report
Podcast Alert: In the Clubhouse with the Nats Report
We rarely put our podcast announcements near the top of our morning briefing, however, we have a jam-packed week with our Podcast. This week, I will be sitting down with Washington Nationals Beat Reporters from the Washington Post, NBC Sports Washington and The Athletic. During those episodes, we will be talking about the latest news, headlines and thoughts from what is happening down in West Palm Beach, FL.
Perspective: The Case For Victor Robles Leading Off
Washington’s Lineup is in a weird spot right now. They have a good amount of high-level talent, but it’s not as deep as many would like, so Victor Robles might be a good option to lead off. Based on Mike Rizzo’s recent comments, it appears that the Nationals are done adding players and they haven’t been outwardly linked to anyone who hits leadoff.
Thankfully, they may have the perfect leadoff candidate on the roster in Victor Robles.
Click here to read the full article on The Nats Report
Scouting Nationals Prospects: Armmando Cruz and Yasel Antuna
Our friends at TalkNats.com have done it again. This time they have profiled two up-and-coming Washington Nationals prospects: Armando Cruz and Yasel Antuna. This article goes in-depth with both of these prospects. If you have the time, it is a must read.
From the article: "Most Washington Nationals fans have been following Armando Cruz for some time now. If for some reason you are unfamiliar with that name, Cruz is a 17 year old shortstop from the Dominican Republic who recently signed with the Nationals for $3.9MM. Cruz was not only the top player of the Nats’ 2020 international group, but both Ben Badler (Baseball America) and Jesse Sanchez (MLB .com) ranked him as a Top-5 talent overall for this year’s class. This week, ESPN named Cruz in their Top-10 prospects for the Nationals."
Click here to read the full article via Talk Nats
NL East 2021 Season Preview: The Atlanta Braves
Since moving to the National League East in 1994, the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals has been one of the best rivalries in baseball, and 2021 looks to be more of the same. Some teams were thrown off by the chaos of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but the Atlanta Braves didn't miss a beat, winning their third straight division title and their 15th NL East Crown in the last 25 seasons.
Despite their regular-season dominance, Atlanta failed to reach the World Series again, losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in game 7 of the NLCS.
Read our previews of the other NL East Teams:
Click here to read the full article via The Nats Report
Strasburg 2.0?
Mark Zuckerrman from MASN Sports Washington writes an interesting article about how after an injury wiped out his 2020 season, Strasburg is healthy and determined. From the article: "Some six months later, Strasburg’s body is completely fixed. He said the numbness disappeared almost immediately after the surgery. He was throwing again in November. And early in January, a few weeks earlier than normal, he climbed a bullpen mound for the first time to throw fastballs."
Click here to read the full article via MASN Sports
The Latest on the Nats Report
- The Last Washington Nationals Bench Spot: Yadiel Hernandez?
- 5 Washington Nationals StoryLines to pay attention to as we get ready for Spring Training
- What Does a Trea Turner Extension Look Like?
- How the Tatis Deal Impacts the Nationals & More Importantly Juan Soto
- How Hurt Was Carter Kieboom During the 2020 Season?
- What should the Nationals Do with the 5th Pitching Spot in the Rotation?
Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball Headlines
- Scott Boras won’t let Juan Soto settle for Fernando Tatis Jr. money via Fansided
- The trickle-down effect of MLB’s weird 2020 is an emphasis on pitching depth in 2021 the Washington Post
- MLB rumors: Red Sox remain in touch with Jackie Bradley Jr.; Braves add Jake Lamb to bench via CBS Sports
- First full team workout for the #Nats today; Martinez wants his 2021 team to get off to a quick start! via Talk Nats
- Dave Martinez, contract extension in hand, looks forward at Nationals spring training via the Washington Post
- Washington Nationals get Stephen Strasburg back after five-inning 2020 season for 2019 World Series MVP... via Federal Baseball
- Stephen Strasburg is confident that carpal tunnel issues are behind him via the Washington Post
- Former Washington National News: Ian Desmond opts out of season, end of career is near via District on Deck