Nationals News: Stakes are high for Dan Uggla, Denard Span
By Pablo Roa
Good morning DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! The pace is starting to pick up in Viera, Fla. as the Washington Nationals continue to prepare for the 2015 season in the early days of Spring Training.
The team saw great progress this weekend as pitchers and catchers had their first workouts. There was plenty of excitement around the team in the last couple of days, especially on Saturday when the team got its first look at newly-acquired ace Max Scherzer, who threw a bullpen session alongside fellow ace Stephen Strasburg.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier discusses Dan Uggla, who hopes to resurrect his career as a member of the Nationals. As we all know, the team signed the former-superstar second baseman earlier this offseason to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training.
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While it won’t be easy for Uggla to make the Opening Day roster, second base is probably the least stable position for the ballclub at this point and if Uggla turns in a dominant spring, he may have an opportunity to break camp with the big league club.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson discusses Denard Span’s high expectations for the 2015 season. Span is entering his final season before testing free agency, so the stakes are high for him to do well. Of course, the Nationals need him to shine just as much as he does. Span was the catalyst of the offense last year; as he went, so went the Nationals, and there’s no doubt that he’ll play the same role again this season.
As always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Nationals Spring Training needs. For now, start off your day with these great Washingotn Nationals articles from around the web:
At Nationals camp, Uggla sees chance to resurrect career
VIERA, Fla. — Not too long ago, Dan Uggla was perhaps the best second baseman in the National League, a perennial All-Star who slugged at least 27 home runs in each of the first six years of his career. When the Braves traded for him in 2010, they promptly signed him to a five-year, $62 million extension.
Then suddenly he stopped producing.
During the past two seasons in Atlanta, Uggla batted .171 with more strikeouts (217) than hits (101) before the Braves released him in July. Adding to the frustration of it all was the fact that he couldn’t pinpoint the root of his struggles. Read full article here.
Coming off career year, catalyst Span seeks more
VIERA, Fla. — Nationals outfielder Denard Span arrived in camp Sunday and announced that he has fully recovered from December hernia surgery. However, Span indicated that he would take it slow early in the exhibition season.
Span suffered the injury toward the end of last season, but it wasn’t enough to miss any games, including the National League Division Series against the Giants. After the postseason ended, Span thought rest would help ease the pain. It didn’t go away, however, after he started training for the 2015 season.
“I’m not in a rehab mode. So I’ve been working out. I’ve been hitting, throwing, fielding. I’ve been doing everything,” Span said. “From what has been communicated to me, we are going to take it slow, just be smart and realize that it’s a long camp.” Read full article here.
Next: Nationals News: Brian Goodwin Recovering From Surgery