On this week’s DoDcast, we talk about the first ten games from Washington Nationals spring training, the World Baseball Classic, and we preview the Phillies
For this week’s episode of the DoDcast, Ron Juckett and I talked about the first ten games that the Washington Nationals have played this spring training. The Nats are back in action this afternoon when they take on the Boston Red Sox in West Palm Beach (1:05 p.m ET, MASN).
First up, we talked about the way the offense has played. In the first ten games, the Nats have scored 52 runs. Even though that is the third fewest total in the National League, we talked about the strong approach they have had at the plate. Mainly, we looked at Bryce Harper and some of the patience they have had. Should Harper’s patience this spring be taken as a sign of things to come?
Also, when we talked about the offense, some of the other players that discussed were Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, and Anthony Rendon. In addition, with Adam Eaton hitting sixth in some of these games, is it possible that Werth hits in the number two spot at some point this season?
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One of the great stories of the spring for the Washington Nationals has been outfielder Michael Taylor. He is 7-for-18 with a pair of home runs and five RBI’s. We talk about whether or not Taylor’s great start gives him a big lead over Brian Goodwin for the final outfield spot on the bench.
Then, the conversation shifted to the closer competition and the disappointing couple of games that A.J. Cole has had in the starting rotation. On a positive note, we give catcher Jhonatan Solano a lot of credit for starting off the spring 10-for-12 with four RBI’s.
Another positive from spring training has been four of the five projected starters in the rotation having not given up an earned run. The most notable news from the rotation is Stephen Strasburg pitching solely from the stretch on Friday. What should we take away from that new pitching technique?
For our guest this week, we were joined by one of the site experts at That Ball’s Outta Here, George Stockburger. The three of us talked about the Philadelphia Phillies offseason, some of the top prospects to watch in their farm system, and could they possibly sign both Harper and Manny Machado in the winter of 2018?
After our interview with Stockburger, Ron and I talked about a couple more Washington Nationals topics such as the signing of reliever Joe Blanton and whether or not the team should release backup catcher Derek Norris.
Finally, the two of us talked about the World Baseball Classic and why we both enjoy the event. Plus, we talk about some of the Nats players to watch in that event, including Tanner Roark and Daniel Murphy playing for Team USA.
Next: Are They Serious About Gagne?
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