Washington Nationals News: Where does Michael A. Taylor fit in the outfield?
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily features stories on Michael Taylor‘s role in 2016 and new Washington Nationals infielder Stephen Drew.
Good morning 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, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post discusses Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor’s role with the team in 2016. As Janes writes in her article, Taylor spent most of the 2015 season in the outfield for the Nationals, but with the team reportedly pursuing an outfielder this offseason, he could end up with a spot on the bench in 2016.
The Nationals have been rumored to be pursuing an outfielder all offseason long after Denard Span left the team via free agency. The Nationals reportedly offered free agent outfielder Jason Heyward upwards of $200 million earlier in the offseason, but he ultimately signed with the Cubs. Now, the Nationals are rumored to be pursuing outfielder Gerardo Parra.
As Janes notes, Taylor was a productive part of the lineup last season and played stellar defense all year long. But the Nationals might want someone more experienced to complement Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth in the outfield next season, and Taylor still has some flaws at the plate (namely, his strikeouts) that need to be sorted out.
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Regardless of whether or not the Nationals are able to acquire another outfielder before Spring Training, Taylor will likely see plenty of playing time in 2016. As Janes notes in her article, Werth will be 37 this season and both he and Harper have struggled with injuries in recent years. No matter what happens in the next couple of months, Taylor will be a critical part of the roster for the Nationals in 2016.
Also in today’s Daily, Nicole Fry of isportsweb discusses what position new Nationals infielder Stephen Drew might play in 2016.
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.
Where does Michael A. Taylor fit in next year’s outfield?
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
As it happened, Michael A. Taylor was about as regular a regular as the Nationals had in 2015, though that wasn’t the initial plan.
Taylor was supposed to spend most of the season in Class AAA Syracuse. There, he would play every day in center — flash speed, power, and the best outfield defense in the organization, cutting down on strikeouts all the while.
Instead, he played the outfield for the Nationals. There, he played 138 games — more than all but three of his teammates — flashing speed, power and the best outfield defense in the organization, his high-strikeout count offset in part by a knack for making contact when it counted most. Read full article here.
Washington Nationals: What position will Stephen Drew play?
The Washington Nationals signed infielder Stephen Drew to a one-year, $3 million contract on Wednesday. Drew played for the Red Sox in 2013 when they won the World Series, and was traded to the Yankees a third of the way through the 2014 season.
Drew had a .253 batting average with an on base percentage of .333 over 124 games during his 2013 season with the Red Sox. During the 2014 season his batting average dropped to .162 with his on base percentage at .237, during the 85 games he played. His 2015 season was slightly better with a batting average of .201 and on base percentage of .271 over 131 games. Read full article here.