Washington Nationals News: Dusty Baker’s coaching staff still being worked out

Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.

In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s James Wagner gives us an update on the Nationals’ continued search for a new coaching staff. The Nationals hired the most important of their coaches — manager Dusty Baker — last week, and Baker has already picked a couple of coaches to help him run the team in 2016.

As Wagner writes in his article, Baker and the Nationals have added two coaches to the staff: pitching coach Mike Maddux and first base coach Davey Lopes. Both Maddux and Lopes have seen great success at their respective coaching positions in the past and should be fantastic additions to the Nationals.

At this point, however, it’s not known who will make up the rest of the coaching staff. The team fired the entire staff — along with manager Matt Williams — at the end of the 2015 season.

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According to Wagner, the Nationals are expected to add Chris Speier to the coaching staff, though it’s unclear what role he would play. Speier has a connection to general manager Mike Rizzo as he was the third base coach on the Diamondbacks’ 2001 World Series championship team. He also served as Baker’s third base coach in 2005 and 2006 while both were with the Cubs and as Baker’s bench coach on the Reds.

As the offseason roles on for the Nationals, expect the team to name most of its coaching staff relatively soon. The Nationals already have a star-studded staff with Baker, Maddux and Lopes, and whoever else they add to the coaching staff will play a key role in the team’s success next season.

Also in today’s Daily, Clinton Yates of the Washington Post discusses a rather embarrassing marketing mishap for the Nationals. As Yates notes, Major League Baseball’s Nationals-themed 2016 calendar isn’t as Nationals themed as it should be — the photo on the cover is one of Fenway Park in Boston, not Nationals Park in Washington.

Of course, the Nationals have experienced several similarly embarrassing debacles over the years, perhaps the worst of which being the “Natinals” fiasco of 2009. Fortunately, the mistake with the calendars had nothing to do with the team. The company that supplies the calendars used the wrong photo for the Nationals’ calendar, and the league is in the process of recalling the products.

Here’s the official statement from MLB, via Yates’ article:

"“Our licensee used an incorrect photo in its 2016 Nationals calendar, a product that the Nationals were not involved in producing. We are working quickly to rectify the situation including recalling the calendars from retail.”"

In more positive news, the Nationals and Astros broke ground today on their new Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. If all goes well, the facility should be ready for both teams to use in 2017.

Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.

Dusty Baker’s coaching staff still being worked out

(James Wagner, Washington Post)

Dusty Baker’s coaching staff with the Nationals remains a work in progress, with plenty of candidates expressing interest.

“It’s sad because there are a lot of qualified people for these jobs,” he said. “… We’ve got to do something for the guys. I got a job. I really see the effects of the guys that did all this playing and can’t get jobs. There’s a lot of baseball knowledge out there that’s unemployed, and I can only hire a handful of guys. You don’t know how hard it is for me to have to tell guys and friends and guys that I don’t know that well that there’s no room. I could have a 200-man staff.” Read full article here.

Next: Washington Nationals Free Agent Profile: Darren O'Day

The 2016 Nats calendar looks nice. Wait, is that Fenway Park?

(Clinton Yates, Washington Post)

Ah, fall. With it comes the promise of renewal and the mind turns toward taking stock of your year and celebrating your blessing with those whom you consider closest to home. Speaking of home, beyond being where the heart is, it’s typically what you want to recognize when looking forward to a new year.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the Nationals 2016 calendar, why don’t we. Read full article here.