District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals News: Dusty Baker gets up to speed on baseball’s new rules

By Pablo Roa

Feb 23, 2016; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross (41) and head coach Dusty Baker talk during a work out at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross (41) and head coach Dusty Baker talk during a work out at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Today’s District Daily features stories on new Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker adapting to recent rule changes in baseball and Nationals prospect A.J. Cole.

Good afternoon 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 Bill Ladson discusses new manager Dusty Baker’s efforts to get caught up on new rules that have been added to the game since the veteran last managed in 2013.

More from District on Deck

As Ladson notes, Baker recently met with MLB executives Jim Leyland and Joe Torre to discuss new rules involving clean slides and manager visits to the mound. Baker has also worked to get up to speed on rules surrounding instant replay — specifically manager challenges — which he has yet to use in his managerial career.

Also in today’s Daily, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post discusses A.J. Cole’s efforts to bulk up during the offseason. As Janes notes in her article, Cole has long been considered a promising prospect on the verge of blossoming into a solid starter for the Nationals.

But Cole is now 24 years old, and he’s struggled to break out of the minors over the last few years. The 2016 season will be crucial for the lanky right-hander, who must prove that he’s capable of producing at the big league level. Hopefully for Cole and the Nationals, his offseason strengthening will help him bring things to the next level 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.

Baker meets with Torre, Leyland on new rules

(Bill Ladson, MLB.com)

VIERA, Fla. — Nationals manager Dusty Baker missed the last two innings of the team’s intrasquad game on Sunday because he had a meeting with Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s chief baseball officer, and Jim Leyland, who’s serving as a special advisor to Commissioner Rob Manfred, to discuss recently announced changes to rules on the field.

Baker said he needed to be more up to speed about the rule changes — which include redefining what constitutes a legal slide while breaking up a double play and limiting mound visits by managers and coaches to 30 seconds — before talking things over with his players. Read full article here.

A.J. Cole tried to bulk up this offseason

(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)

VIERA, Fla. — For  years now, or so it seems, right-hander A.J. Cole has been the lanky roster hopeful, a starter on the cusp, but never a sure thing. He is back again this season, still trying to make it, and still fairly lanky, despite his best efforts.

Cole added 15 pounds this offseason, as many as he could. His wife helped him eat healthy — cooked “almost every night,” he said — as he added as much protein as he could after workouts and more carbohydrates before them. Hard as it may be to believe, since Cole seems to have been around forever now, he is 24 years old, and likely to start the season at Class AAA. He expects the weight to help him. Read full article here.

Home/Nationals News