District Daily: 3/13
By Pablo Roa
Feb 23, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; Washington Nationals catcher
Chris Snyder(7) takes the field before a spring training game against New York Mets at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Checkout some great reads from our fellow Washington Nationals writers:
Washington Nationals: Chris Snyder Fighting For Backup Job
Having too many catchers is a nice problem to have. The Washington Nationals are finding that out as the spring moves along. The starting job belongs to Wilson Ramos who is having a tremendous spring. So far Ramos is 9-for-19 with one home run and 10 RBI in seven games. The Nationals would be thrilled if those gaudy numbers would carry over into the regular season. It is the backup catcher position that is up for grabs.
Before trading for Jose Lobaton with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Nationals signed recently well traveled 33-year-old catcher Chris Snyder. If he makes the roster, Snyder would be on his fourth team in as many years. He is enjoying a decent spring so far appearing in seven games for Washington going 5-for-14 with a home run and five RBI. At this point it very well could be his to lose but there is still a lot of spring to go. Read full article here.
Stephen Strasburg or Jordan Zimmermann: Who should start Nationals opening day?
(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)
The question of who will start opening day is one of the many topics that gets batted around during spring training, only to be largely forgotten by mid-April. But by God, it’s spring training right now, so let’s bat it around.
The safe assumption is that Stephen Strasburg, for the third consecutive year, will be handed the ball on opening day. But Manager Matt Williams insists no final decision has been made. He said Jordan Zimmermann will receive consideration for the honor, and he said it as though he found it obvious.
“Of course he will,” Williams said yesterday. “He won a whole bunch of games last year. He’s been really good.”
Across baseball, teams have been tabbing aces to start their opener. Williams will wait another week, until after the off day March 18, to make his official. Even if the choice seemed clear heading into spring, Williams has framed this as a legitimate question: Should Strasburg or Zimmermann start opening day for the Nationals? Read full article here.
Back from injury, Chris Young hopes to be part of the Nationals
(James Wagner, Washington Post)
Last spring, starter Chris Young was near the top of the Nationals‘ pitching depth chart. If any of the Nationals’ main five starters were to suffer injuries, the veteran right-hander was the likely first choice from Class AAA Syracuse to patch up the rotation. But an injury that had been bugging Young for some time finally forced him to find a remedy.
Young landed on the disabled list last May with a strain in his neck and shoulder area. The 6-foot-10 right-hander had dealt with shoulder problems throughout his career, but it wasn’t that problem again. Last June, Young had thoracic outlet syndrome.
Young, 34, said part of a rib was removed in surgery, some neck muscles that wrapped the problem nerve were scrapped off and his pectoral muscle was thinned in one area in a procedure called pectoralis minor tenotomy. He said he feels immensely better and is excited to provide the starting rotation insurance that he couldn’t a year ago. Read full article here.