District Daily: How good does Scherzer make Nationals?
By Pablo Roa
Oct 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher
Max Scherzer(37) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in game one of the 2014 American League divisional series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-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:
Inbox: How good does Scherzer make Nationals?
How much better will the Nationals be now that right-hander Max Scherzer is on the roster?
— Kenny I., Washington
On paper, the Nationals look unstoppable in the National League East because of their pitching staff. My biggest concern, however, is the offense. For starters, the position players strike out too much. The club needs players like Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper to cut down on the K’s.
Hopefully for the Nats, the offense can be consistent all year, including the postseason. Look how the offense collapsed against the Giants in the NL Division Series last year. The key is to have healthy seasons from Harper, Wilson Ramos and Ryan Zimmerman. All three players missed significant time because of injuries last year. Read full article here.
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Breaking down the Nationals’ roster, position by position
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
It’s not too early to think about it anymore, if it ever was, because baseball is almost back again. The calendar reads February, and football’s reign is over. Full-fledged spring training begins in just more than two weeks. Nationals pitchers and catchers arrive in Viera in 15 17 days, if not before.
Baseball moves can be made in the two months before Opening Day, of course, but the Nationals’ roster is solidifying. Trades could materialize out of the ether, and front offices around the league have placed calls to Washington about Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, and others due big contracts after this season or the next. But so far, they look to be key parts of a 25-man roster that has relatively few soft spots, and that currently has the Nationals as the odds-on World Series favorite. Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of that roster as it projects to Opening Day, 15 days before pitchers and catchers begin official workouts for the 2015 season. Read full article here.