Washington Nationals News: Bryce Harper ready to help on defense
By Pablo Roa
Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Washington Nationals news with some great articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Andrew Simon discusses Bryce Harper and how important he can be for the Nationals’ defense. Of course, we often hear about Harper’s incredible abilities at the plate. But Harper is a great player all around, and he can be just as much of an asset in the field as he is in the batter’s box.
Not only does Harper’s speed allow him to track down balls in right field, but his powerful arm can also make base runners think twice about taking chances on the base paths. As Simon notes in his article, that’s exactly what Harper did Wednesday night against the Mets.
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Granted, Harper’s defense isn’t always great. He’s been known to make some poor decisions, and he’s also hurt himself pretty badly crashing into walls. But when he isn’t overthrowing the cutoff man or crashing into walls, Harper can be one of the best outfielders in the game. And now that he’s in right field instead of left, it’ll be fun to see how his cannon of an arm can help the ball club.
Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s James Wagner gives an update on Casey Janssen, who is dealing with tendinitis in his shoulder. As Wagner notes, Janssen will soon head to Viera to begin rehabbing the shoulder.
Of all the injuries the Nationals have right now, perhaps the least concerning is Janssen’s. The Nationals have plenty of depth in their bullpen to overcome any time Janssen misses. That being said, Janssen is still a great reliever and the Nationals’ eight-inning man, so it’s good to hear that he’s making progress in his recovery.
Be sure to checkout the articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Harper armed, ready to help Nationals on defense
WASHINGTON — The Mets’ Lucas Duda and David Wright both faced the same choice at different points on Wednesday night against the Nationals — to run, or not to run, on Bryce Harper.
Both chose not to go for a double, decisions Harper validated with strong throws. The Nationals had multiple reasons for shifting Harper from left to right field this year, swapping places with Jayson Werth, but one was Harper’s powerful right arm. The ultra-confident 22-year-old certainly doesn’t mind if opponents want to test him, even if they haven’t so far in 2015.
“Of course you want to get that out,” Harper said. “That’s huge. But if I can leave [the runner] at first base, that’s something that is going to help us out. Read full article here.
Casey Janssen to head to Viera soon to rehab shoulder
(James Wagner, Washington Post)
Casey Janssen said he will soon head to the Nationals’ spring training facilities in Viera, Fla., to continue rehabbing his right shoulder, which has rotator cuff tendinitis. Janssen recently began a light throwing program and even played catch in Washington as he returns from the 15-day disabled list.
But there was still some discomfort so the Nationals let Janssen rest some more, according to Manager Matt Williams. Read full article here.