District Daily: 3/1
By Pablo Roa
Feb 28, 2014; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman
Eric Campbell(68) cannot hold the throw as Washington Nationals catcher
Wilson Ramos(40) takes third base in spring training action at Tradition Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
Start off your weekend with some great articles from our fellow Washington Nationals writers:
Nationals players and coaches are impressed by Matt Williams’s managerial debut
(James Wagner, Washington Post)
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — During the 75-mile ride from Viera before his first game in aWashington Nationals uniform, Manager Matt Williams was far from anxious. Mark Weidemaier, the man in charge of the team’s defense and the only coach Williams brought with him from his previous job with the Arizona Diamondbacks, began to doze off in a nearby seat on one of the team’s chartered buses. Williams grabbed his cellphone, hoping to snap a photo of Weidemaier sleeping so he could post it on the board in the coaches’ office. “We have a little fun,” Williams said, smiling.
Twice, however, Weidemaier opened his eyes in time to spoil Williams’s plan. “I knew it was coming,” Weidemaier said. “He’ll get me eventually.”
A few hours later, Williams stood at the edge of the infield dirt and watched Weidemaier take the team through infield drills before its first Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets, an example of the repetition-heavy spring training he has led so far. Williams then threw batting practice to the first group of starters and hit groundballs with a fungo bat to Danny Espinosa. Read full article here.
Williams pleased with Nats being aggressive
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In their first Spring Training game under manager Matt Williams, the Nationals edged the Mets, 5-4, at Tradition Field on Friday afternoon. There wasn’t any anxiety on Williams’ part. He was relaxed and ready to work.
After having his pregame meeting with the local media, Williams watched his team go through infield drills, and then he threw batting practice.
As the game went on, Williams was standing in the dugout observing the action. He loved the fact that the team was aggressive on the bases. Read full article here.
Severino impressing Nationals with his work ethic
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Nationals are really high on catcher Pedro Severino. His skills behind the plate are off the charts. For example, while playing for Class A Hagerstown last year, he threw out 40 percent of would-be basestealers.
But that number doesn’t tell the whole story about Severino. At 20 years old, he can call a game and is considered a leader when dealing with a pitching staff. Outside of the skill set behind the plate, Severino has a dynamic personality. He exudes confidence and is not shy about having a conversation about baseball.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Severino quickly learned the English language. He is the first to tell you that, by speaking English, he will have a great relationship with the pitching staff.
“I’m ready for everything, ready for every pitch. I concentrate on the whole game,” Severino said. “I try to stay on the same page with the pitcher with communication.” Read full article here.