District Daily: Time Running Out For Nats to Sign First-Round Pick, Turnaround Coming for Harper?
By Pablo Roa
Jul 13, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder
Ryan Zimmerman(11) and left fielder
Bryce Harper(34) celebrate win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies, 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Start off your Friday with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web:
Time running out for Nats to sign first-round pick
WASHINGTON — The Nationals have until Friday at 5 p.m. ET to sign right-hander Erick Fedde, the 18th overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.
It’s not known how negotiations are going between the two parties, but The Washington Post quoted a baseball source who said he would not be surprised if the deadline passes without a deal being reached.
General manager Mike Rizzo believed Fedde would have been a top 10 pick if not for the Tommy John surgery he had on June 3, two days before the Draft. Whenever a player slips in the Draft due to injury, it further complicates negotiations, but the day after Fedde was selected, he said he was not worried about getting signed and believed everything would work out. Read full article here.
Nationals’ Bryce Harper’s slow start: Turnaround coming?
(Garrett Hooe, Federal Baseball)
It’s been a frustrating first half for Nats’ outfielder Bryce Harper. Chances are you already know that — a .244/.316/.366 season line is just weird for a guy who, at age 19 and against the best baseball players on Earth, posted a 121 wRC+, then proceeded to outpace the league offensive output by 37% in his sophomore campaign (just 6th best among players 20 years or younger all time, behind some dudes named Trout, Rodriguez, Mantle, Kaline, and Robinson).
So how do you go from historic to huh? To be ridiculously over-simplistic: strikeouts and less power. Read full article here.
Washington Nationals have first half down, with big goals to go
(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)
At this time last year, the Washington Nationals reconvened after the all-star break and essentially destroyed their season. They limped into the break one game over .500, then lost the first six games afterward and fell nine games behind the Atlanta Braves. By late July, the Nationals’ collapse under the weight of expectation was complete.
From that perspective, this season’s Nationals have accomplished something in their injury-filled, pitching-rich, never-boring first half: They have drawn a clear line between last year’s disappointment and this year’s possibility. Read full article here.