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Washington Nationals News: What should be expected of Nats’ rotation in ’16?

By Pablo Roa

Oct 3, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (31) reacts after pitching a no hitter against the New York Mets during game two at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (31) reacts after pitching a no hitter against the New York Mets during game two at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Today’s District Daily features stories on the Washington Nationals’ 2016 rotation and the team’s latest concert announcement.

Good evening 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, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses what the expectations should be for the Nationals’ starting rotation in 2016. As Janes writes in her article, the Nationals entered last season with what many thought would be (and ultimately was not) one of the best rotations in baseball. Next season, however, the rotation will be very different.

With Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister leaving the team via free agency this offseason, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross will likely slide into the rotation next season. And the team’s weaker but still formidable rotation of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross will play a big role in determining the team’s success next season.

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As we learned last season, a dominant rotation on paper doesn’t necessarily translate into a dominant rotation during the season. While the team’s rotation appears to feature less starpower than last year’s, only time will tell if the 2016 rotation can succeed and help lead the team back to the postseason in 2016.

Also in today’s District Daily, MLB.com’s Alyson Footer writes about an important announcement the Nationals made earlier today: Billy Joel will return to Nationals Park in 2016.

Joel, who last performed at the ball park last July, will make his third appearance at Nationals Park July 30. As Footer writes, tickets will be available to the public Jan. 29.

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.

What should be expected of the Nationals’ rotation in 2016?

(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)

One year ago Thursday, Nationals President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo helped Max Scherzer put on a Nationals jersey for the first time. Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Doug Fister had long since been fitted for theirs, so the deepest starting rotation in baseball coalesced in white and red. That rotation was so deep that a 15-game winner suddenly constituted a contingency plan, so deep that prospects who nearly had elbowed into rotation spots a year before were suddenly boxed out of the major league roster.

As it happened, that rotation wasn’t deep enough to win the World Series. That rotation was not deep enough to win the National League East. Now, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister are gone, and the Nationals seem content to replace them internally. Read full article here.

Billy Joel returning to Nationals Park

(Alyson Footer, MLB.com)

Billy Joel’s expansive coast-to-coast ballpark concert tour scheduled for the upcoming season will bring him back to several venues he has played in the past, including Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

The Nationals and Live Nation announced Thursday morning that Joel will perform at the Nationals’ ballpark on July 30, marking the musical legend’s third visit there. Joel most recently played to a sellout crowd at Nationals Park in July 2014. Read full article here.

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