Today’s District Daily features stories on Washington Nationals’ top prospect Lucas Giolito and Bryce Harper.
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, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses the big league aspirations of top prospect Lucas Giolito, who is in major league camp with the Nationals this spring.
As Janes notes, Giolito’s goal is to get called up to the big leagues at some point this season. The right-hander has fully recovered from his 2012 Tommy John surgery and had a great year in the minors last season. It’s clear that the next step for Giolito is the major leagues — the only question is when exactly that might happen.
If Giolito dominates this spring, there’s a slim chance that the right-hander could make the big league roster out of Spring Training. The more likely scenario, however, is that Giolito will start the season with Triple-A Syracuse and could perhaps make the big league club later in the year.
Giolito will play a big role with the Nationals over the next few years, and if all goes well, he should get a chance to help the club this season.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Roger Schlueter discusses the similarities between Bryce Harper’s success early in his career and that of Mickey Mantle.
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.
Lucas Giolito: ‘My goal is to make the big leagues’
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
VIERA, Fla. — Nationals executives were clear with Lucas Giolito about the reason he was invited to his first major league spring training: to gain experience, spend time around future teammates and get lots of coaching. They told him he is here to learn, not impress.
“It’s not really about trying to wow anybody at this point,” Giolito said.
Frankly, he’s already done that, with a major league-ready 6-foot-6 frame, a mid-90s fastball and elite curveball, both of which recovered from his 2012 Tommy John surgery just fine. Read full article here.
Bryce as nice? Harper mirroring Mantle thus far
Before Bryce Harper added his name to the Major League registry in 2012, there had been only 35 players who ever played in at least 450 games through the conclusion of their respective age-22 seasons. As ranked by OPS+, the top four on that list of 35 don’t need much of an introduction. They are Ty Cobb (163 OPS+), Jimmie Foxx (159), Mickey Mantle (148), and Mel Ott (147).
With Bryce Harper completing his fourth season in 2015, that pre-2012 list of 35 has expanded, and that legendary quartet is now bookended by two active players: the sparkling Mike Trout (who has surpassed Cobb and leads with his blazing 167 OPS+) and Harper and his 143 OPS+. Read full article here.