District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals DoDcast: 2017 Season Preview Roundtable

By Ricky Keeler

Mar 30, 2017; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) connects for an RBI single in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during a spring training game at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2017; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) connects for an RBI single in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during a spring training game at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Last night, we had a roundtable discussion as we went over the main stories from spring training over the Washington Nationals

On last night’s episode of the DoDcast, my co-editor Ron Juckett and I conducted a roundtable with other Washington Nationals websites as we get set for the regular season that begins Monday. Our guests were Andrew Lang from Talk Nats and Ryan Sullivan from The NatsGM.

First, the four of us gave our grades for the offseason and we all gave about a same grade. Then, the conversation shifted over to the big news of the day as Blake Treinen was named the closer for the regular season. We debated whether or not that Dusty Baker and the front office made the right decision.

Since Treinen is the closer, Koda Glover will have to find a new role in the bullpen. What is the best spot to put Glover in the bullpen to start the season since most see him as the future closer?

More from District on Deck

Now that the closer role is decided, there are two spots to be decided on the 25-man roster? We debate whether Wilmer Difo or Michael Taylor should make the team as the last bench player. Also, does the team need a long man to start the season and what does that mean for Jeremy Guthrie?

Then, the conversation shifted to our takeaways from the Grapefruit League, which included the team staying healthy and Bryce Harper having a fantastic spring. Going off of those topics, we talk about Ryan Zimmerman and what are the expectations for the Washington Nationals first baseman in 2017?

After that discussion, the four of us talked about some of the prospects to watch in the minor league system this year. Some of the names that came up were outfielders Juan Soto and Andrew Stevenson, third baseman Drew Ward, and starters Austin Voth and Erick Fedde.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a preview show without some over/unders. The two main picks for over/unders in this show were whether or not Harper would finish with over or under 35 home runs and who would lead the team in ERA. With the ERA question, there were three different answers.

Finally, we each gave our X-factors for the season and both Andrew and Ryan made their predictions for the season. Ron and I would make ours after the roundtable ended and we each have the same World Series pick, which means it won’t happen.

Next: Nats Hand Treinen Closer Role

We would like to thank Andrew and Ryan for coming on the show and we apologize beforehand for the technical difficulties during this episode. Remember to catch our postgame DoDcasts after the two exhibition games against the Red Sox and the first game of the regular season against the Marlins.

Home/Nationals News