District Daily: Williams Looks to Put Harper’s Comments in the Past, All-Star Voting: The Case for LaRoche
By Pablo Roa
Jul 1, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder
Bryce Harper(34) runs to first base after hitting a single during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Start off your day with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web:
Williams looks to put Harper’s comments in the past
WASHINGTON — Nationals manager Matt Williams did his best Wednesday to eliminate any perceived tension in his clubhouse regarding Bryce Harper’s comments about the lineup.
Before returning to the field Monday night after missing more than two months with a torn left thumb ligament, Harper addressed the media and displayed some dissatisfaction with Williams’ decision to hit the 21-year-old slugger sixth in the batting order.
Harper also disagreed with where individuals were playing in the field, stating that Ryan Zimmermanplaying left field, Danny Espinosa playing second and Anthony Rendon playing third “should be what’s happening.” Harper’s proposed lineup would have presumably moved him to center field in place of Denard Span. Read full article here.
All-Star Voting: The Case for Washington Nationals 1B Adam LaRoche
The best hitter for the Washington Nationals has been Adam LaRoche this year.
The first baseman deserves a spot on the National League All-Star team. He is hitting .306 on the year with an on-base-percentage of .412 in the Nationals’ No. 4 spot in the lineup. LaRoche should not only make the All-Star team, but he is a likely candidate to start at first base for the National League team. Read full article here.
MLB Rumors: Could Washington Nationals Trade Bryce Harper?
(Rob Kelly, Boston Super Blog)
Bryce Harper has been the most highly touted MLB prospect in decades. From leaving school early – high school, that is – so that he could play college baseball and get even closer to his dream of playing in the big leagues, Harper has been labeled as the next big thing. So far, he has been very good. Not great, but very good. Harper is yet to play 140 games in a regular season. He has never hit more than 22 home runs or batted higher than .274 at the end of a season. Harper has never scored 100 runs or driven in more than 60 in any given season. Is he good? Yes. Is he great? Not by a long shot. Not yet, at least. I am not saying that Harper cannot reach his potential – although I am not sure that any player would be able to live up to his hype – but as many negatives relate to Harper as positives as he is in his third season. Again, it has been another one marred by injuries. With all of that, including some recent comments where Harper basically told manager Matt Williams how to do his job and who should play what position, is it conceivable that we could see the Washington Nationals trade Bryce Harper? Read full article here.