Washington Nationals News: Nats entertaining plenty of bench options
By Pablo Roa
Good morning DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! There’s plenty of news to talk about coming out of the Washington Nationals’ camp in Viera, Fla., so lets get right to it.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier discusses the wide range of options the Nationals have for the bench this season. As Collier notes, the Nationals have seen impressive Spring Training performances from Tyler Moore, Clint Robinson, Kila Ka’aihue and Matt Carp, and all of them deserve a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. All of these players, along with several others, are competing for just a couple of spots on the bench and most of them will be cut before Spring Training ends. It’ll be a tough decision by Matt Williams at some point in the next week, but no matter who he chooses for Opening Day, there’s no doubt that this is a great problem to have.
Also in today’s Daily, Collier discusses Bryce Harper‘s brother, Bryan Harper. The elder Harper is a pitcher in the Nationals’ minor league system and he had the chance to spend time with big league players at major league camp yesterday.
While it’s unlikely that we’ll see Bryan Harper join his brother in the big leagues any time soon, it’s easy to forget that they play in the same organization and may very well end up on the same field at some point in the next few years.
Be sure to check out the articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals Spring Training needs.
Nationals entertaining plenty of bench options
VIERA, Fla. — As the Grapefruit League begins to wind down, the Nationals are starting to focus on who will fill out the final spots on their bench.
They have multiple players in camp who play similar roles at first base and in the outfield in Tyler Moore, Clint Robinson, Kila Ka’aihue and Matt Carp.
“They’ve all done really well,” manager Matt Williams said on Thursday. “They’ve all had a lot of at-bats compared to what they would normally get. It’s been good for them to get in rhythm and timing, and be able to do that. I’ve been impressed with all of them.” Read full article here.
Bryan Harper happy to rub elbows with Nats
VIERA, Fla. — The Nationals were practicing defensive drills prior to the start of Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Mets, when one fan noticed something unusual.
“Did Bryce Harper change his number?” he asked aloud to no one in particular after noticing a Harper jersey with the No. 33 on the back.
Bryce Harper, who wears No. 34, had already left Space Coast Stadium due to a stomach bug. This was his older brother, Bryan Harper, up from the Minor League camp for the day to practice with the Nationals. He was listed as one of the team’s emergency pitchers for Thursday’s game, although Bryan was just happy to get a chance to spend the day in big league camp. Read full article here.