Washington Nationals News: Staying injury-free vital for Bryce Harper
By Pablo Roa
Good morning DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! The Washington Nationals take a break from their Grapefruit League schedule today, but with Opening Day just a few days away, there’s plenty of news to talk about coming out of the team’s camp in Viera, Fla.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson discusses the importance of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper’s health. As Ladson notes, Harper has high expectations for his team and for himself this season, but none of that is possible if he can’t stay healthy.
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Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done. Harper has yet to play a full season in the majors and has struggled to avoid injuries throughout his career. While that may very well change this season and hopefully will, it’s important that the Nationals have a backup plan (and they have several) in case Harper goes down at some point this season.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Andrew Simon discusses some new additions to Nationals Park that the team made this winter. If you’re heading out to the Park next week, be sure to check out Simon’s article below to find out what new features you should expect to see this season.
Spring Training is almost over for the Nationals, but there should still be plenty of big news over the last few days of camp so be sure to sty tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals Spring Training needs.
Staying injury-free vital for Harper, Nationals
JUPITER, Fla. — Bryce Harper badly wants to go to the World Series and feels the Nationals have the team to make some noise in October.
Harper, 22, knows how important it is for the Nationals to win this year, because core players like Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister are free agents after the season.
“We have a great team right now, and we can possibly lose some guys next year,” Harper said. “We want to play the games that we know how to play, do the things that we need to do to win ballgames. If we hit on all cylinders, we are going to win ballgames. It’s going to be a lot of fun this year.” Read full article here.
Nationals show off park upgrades in advance of opener
WASHINGTON — The Nationals made a big splash by adding former Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, but the right-hander wasn’t their only upgrade this offseason.
The ballpark Scherzer is set to call home for the next seven years got as much attention from the franchise as the Major League roster. On Wednesday, five days before the Nats host the Mets on Opening Day, the club showed off some new aspects of Nationals Park’s gameday experience to members of the media. The additions include stadium features, concessions, giveaways and more.
“I think we try to raise the game on the field every season, and we try to raise it off the field, too,” said Valerie Camillo, the Nats’ chief revenue and marketing officer. “So we’re constantly trying to be innovating, be focused on technology, bringing technology enhancements into the park.” Read full article here.