District Daily: Nationals’ options at second base, Detwiler in need of role
By Pablo Roa
Sep 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Jed Lowrie (8) is unable to control the ball against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! Start off your day with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:
Washington Nationals’ options at second base
(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)
The Nationals’ offseason will remain open-ended, a system of levers and moving parts, until they arrive at decisions for how to handle Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister, the three stars with whom they engaged in contract extension talks last winter and are eligible for free agency after next season. It is a muddled picture, but the Nationals have one clear mission: They need to find a second baseman.
The Nationals opened 2014 with Anthony Rendon manning second base, but he moved to third base after injuries to Ryan Zimmerman, and he will likely stay there as the Nationals bid farewell to Adam LaRoche and move Zimmerman across the diamond. They traded for Asdrubal Cabrera at the deadline rather than hand the position to Danny Espinosa, and Cabrera is a free agent this winter. The Nationals have no obvious in-house option for second base. Read full article here.
Nationals’ Ross Detwiler: Nats’ 2007 1st Round pick in need of a role
(Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
Washington Nationals’ lefty Ross Detwiler started the 2014 season competing for a role in the Nats’ starting rotation, but quickly learned he would be pitching out of the pen. After an up-and-down season, the ’07 1st Round pick’s future is uncertain…
“I’ve done it every single year so it’s nothing different for me,” left-hander Ross Detwiler said when asked about competing for the fifth spot in the Nationals’ rotation as he sat on a chair surrounded by reporters in the Gaylord National Convention Center last January.
“I’ve never had just a spot given to me,” Detwiler continued. “It’s always kind of been just up for grabs and I’ve won it in the past and think I can do it again if I stay healthy and throw well.” Read full article here.