Washington Nationals News: Ryan Zimmerman says no problem in Nats’ clubhouse
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily discusses comments made by Ryan Zimmerman and a closer look at recent roster moves made by the Washington Nationals.
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, MLB.com’s Joey Nowak writes about some interesting comments made by Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The veteran infielder discusses a variety of topics in Nowak’s article, including the late-season dugout altercation between Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon.
Like many Nationals players — including Harper and Papelbon — Zimmerman denied that there is any issue in the Nationals’ clubhouse and reiterated that the fight was just an inevitable disagreement between “brothers.”
Needless to say, the issue between Harper and Papelbon was probably the low-point of a very disappointing season for the Nationals. It was embarrassing for the team and the players, and it might ultimately lead to Papelbon wearing a different uniform next season.
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The good news, however, is that both players appear to have moved on from the issue and the Nationals don’t seem to have any serious clubhouse problems as they head into a crucial 2016 season.
Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses why the Nationals added Chris Bostick, Spencer Kieboom and Nick Lee to their 40-man roster.
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.
Zimmerman: No problem in Nats’ clubhouse
Ryan Zimmerman said he’s already looking forward to what the Nationals can do in 2016 — lofty expectations or not — especially behind newly-minted National League MVP Bryce Harper.
Zimmerman spoke to MLB Network about a variety of topics, including what it’s like to face the high expectations his club has faced over the last handful of years and what it takes to live up to them.
“The first four-five years I was here, we were expected to lose 100 games every year,” Zimmerman said. “It’s way more fun when you’re expected to win close to 100 games. That’s the beautiful thing about baseball — the game is not played on paper, and those expectations are made assuming that everyone stays healthy, that people perform to an average season, and that obviously never happens in baseball. That’s why [baseball[ is the best — you play so many games over such a long period of time that you do actually see what team is the best team.” Read full article here.
Why the Nationals added Chris Bostick, Spencer Kieboom and Nick Lee to their 40-man roster
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
Throughout the 2015 season, the Nationals shuffled prospects up and down, elevating some big names to the major league roster, promoting lesser-known names to higher levels before they pinged casual radars. The three players the Nationals added to their major league roster last week — infielder Chris Bostick, catcher Spencer Kieboom and lefty reliever Nick Lee — are not necessarily big league-ready. Even in an organization as willing to trust young players as the Nationals, adding them to the 40-man roster was notable.
The simple story: Those three are now Rule-5 eligible, making them subject to selection in the early December Rule 5 draft. Now, they are protected. But others are not. Former organizational player of the year Matt Skole and lefty reliever Bryan Harper are among several promising players who fit those requirements. How and why did the Nationals select those three players, in particular? Read full article here.