District Daily: Loss of Souza leaves Nationals with hole to fill on bench
By Pablo Roa
Sep 17, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder
Steven Souza(21) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the fifth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Nationals 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-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:
Loss of Souza leaves Nats with hole to fill on bench
WASHINGTON — With the trade of Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays, the Nationals lost a player who could have provided power off the bench, thinning out a unit that already was in need of bolstering.
The offseason is far from over, though, so general manager Mike Rizzo can be expected to address the bench before Spring Training.
The Nationals haven’t had a productive bench since 2012, when their pinch-hitters hit .288 with four home runs and 26 RBIs. Last year, those numbers slipped to a .144 batting average, five home runs and 18 RBIs. Read full article here.
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Washington Nationals show a patience other teams would do well to follow
(Thomas Boswell, Washington Post)
The huge difference in culture between baseball and the NFL shows itself clearly in their antithetical attitudes toward scouting, player development and respect for organizational patience between the sports — especially in Washington. The Washington Nationals’ trade of (basically) Steven Souza for Trea Turner illustrates it. That deal proved the Nationals will invest 10 to 12 years in hopes of producing just one good player.
And that’s great.
After eight years helping Souza, 25, transform from a teenager floundering in the low minors who almost quit the game into a tape-measure-power-plus-speed MVP of the International League this year for Class AAA Syracuse, the Nationals traded him for Turner, a 21-year-old shortstop still two to four years from the show. Read full article here.