Washington Nationals News: Top prospect Lucas Giolito impresses in live BP
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily features stories on Washington Nationals prospect Lucas Giolito and the team’s need to win now while building for the future.
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, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson discusses Nationals top-prospect Lucas Giolito, who impressed his teammates and manager in a live bullpen session earlier today.
As Ladson wrties in his article, veteran outfielder Jayson Werth liked what he saw from the 21-year-old Giolito, particularly with his arm slot. Here’s what Werth had to say about Giolito, via Ladson’s article:
"“The thing I notice was, when the ball comes out, he was throwing pretty hard,” Werth said. “The big thing was the arm slot. I know he throws that curveball out of there. It’s not a comfortable arm slot. The guy throws hard. If he throws that hook out of that same spot, it’s going to be challenging. It’s not what you want to face. It’s early, we’ll catch up eventually. For a young kid, it was impressive.”"
We’ll likely be hearing a lot about players and coaches being impressed by Giolito this spring. The right-hander is one of the best prospects in the game and is quickly developing into a top-of-the-rotation arm.
While it’s unlikely that Giolito will make the big league club out of Spring Training, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the young right-hander going into 2016. And if he can continue to grow this season, there’s little doubt we’ll see him on a big league mound at some point this year.
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Also in today’s Daily, Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post writes about how the Nationals are in the difficult position of having to balance the urgency of winning now with the need to build a team that can succeed in the long run as well.
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.
Baker, Werth impressed by Giolito in live BP
VIERA, Fla. — Nationals right-hander Lucas Giolito, the team’s top prospect, according to MLB.com, threw live batting practice on Saturday afternoon and faced Bryce Harper, Tyler Moore, Trea Turner, Jayson Werth and Chris Heisey. The hitters weren’t taking many swings against the right-hander, mostly just getting a look at what Giolito was throwing.
Afterward, Giolito said he didn’t feel that he was around the strike zone. But Werth said he felt uncomfortable when he was in the batter’s box. Read full article here.
Nationals must straddle the line between winning now and building for later
(Jerry Brewer, Washington Post)
VIERA, Fla. — From the moment Bryce Harper settled in for a live batting-practice session against massive young Lucas Giolito on Saturday afternoon, the Nationals’ confluence of prodigious present and fascinating future came into sharp focus. It was an undeniable indicator that, for all the franchise did to ruin a championship opportunity last season, this remains one of baseball’s most stable long-term situations.
The Nationals aren’t the preordained World Series favorite anymore. But the organization is layered with talent — from established to on the verge to precocious, and everything in between — that provides hope for a quick recovery and an expectation that the Nationals might soon be as well-stocked as they were in 2015. All they have to do is the extremely tricky part: Nurture and maximize it with impeccable timing. Read full article here.