Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore discusses five factors that he believes are essential for Bud Black to succeed as the Nationals’ manager. The team is expected to introduce Black as the new skipper after the World Series.
According to Kilgore, Black must be able to bring the team together, earn the veterans’ trust, manage the bullpen properly, let Bryce Harper be himself and get the best out of Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals had issues with all of those factors and more during manager Matt Williams‘ two-year tenure with the team, and they’ll all be key for Black’s success in his first season with the Nationals.
While Black inherits a very talented ball club, things won’t be easy for the veteran manager in his first season at the helm. The Nationals are coming off a disappointing 2015 season that brought problems both on the field and in the clubhouse, and Black will be in charge of cleaning it all up and bringing the team together during Spring Training.
One thing’s for certain, the Nationals needed someone with plenty of experience and managerial pedigree to help take the team to the next level. And, at least on paper, Black certainly fits that description.
Also in today’s Daily, Federal Baseball’s Jim Meyerriecks some soon-to-be free agents on the Royals that Nationals fans should keep an eye on during Spring Training.
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.
Five pivotal factors that will determine success of Bud Black as Nationals’ manager
(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)
As he becomes the Washington Nationals’ new manager, Bud Black will inherit both a mess and a team that should be capable of contending for a National League East title and the World Series. He takes over a team that finished seven games out of first place in an awful division. He will also oversee a team with Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and a truckload of money to spend in free agency. It’s a challenge, but an appealing challenge.
How can Black succeed? Here are the five most important things Black must do in order to push the Nationals back into the playoffs for the third time in five years. Read full article here.
Royals FAs for Washington Nationals fans to watch in the World Series
(Jim Meyerriecks, Federal Baseball)
Losing free agents can often be a double edged sword. It certainly hurts to see key players that we’ve watched grow in the Nats farm system for years such as Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann go elsewhere. At the same time, Desmond, Doug Fister, Denard Span, and Jordan Zimmermann earned a combined $47.9 million in the 2015 season. This figure rises even more when you include other free agents to be such as Nate McLouth ($5M) and Matt Thornton ($3.5M). The Nats will have about $55 million* coming off the books heading into the offseason, so it’s reasonable to think that they may be players themselves on the free agent market.
*Of course, a handful of players figure to see raises via arbitration as well.
While I was watching Game 1 of the World Series last night, I realized that I didn’t really have that much of a vested interest in who won. There’s a part of me that naturally roots against the Mets because they’re a division rival. Read full article here.