Washington Nationals: Dave Martinez era debuts

With the opening of Grapefruit League action, so does the career for Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez. A closer look on what to expect.

The Dave Martinez era begins Friday for the Washington Nationals.

Although the opening of Grapefruit League action means nothing more than a respite from winter doldrums, what starts as a simple game against the Houston Astros builds to the biggest year in franchise history.

Amongst the chatter on Bryce Harper’s future, Daniel Murphy’s knee, the hopes for October and the unwritten stories to come sits Martinez. He is the stabilizing force tying the Washington package together.

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As a team builder, he implemented a “Circle of Trust” where teammates literally sit in a circle in the sun and chat. Yes, there is something new wave about it. But, Martinez’s toughest chore is understanding his players and how to motivate them over the marathon ahead.

Yes, we rave about his mentor Joe Maddon. While we snicker at bunny outfits worn on team flights and such, Maddon guided the Tampa Bay Rays to a World Series birth and the Chicago Cubs to their first championship in 108 years. Neither, despite the Cubs payroll, was an accident.

Now the master student gets his first chance to teach.

It is interesting with five weeks until everything counts that Martinez will not use any regulars to start in the spring opener. This student of motivation also understands analytics. The data says this is okay.

For us, the public, this opening weekend gives our first glimpse of how Martinez works. Washington changes managers lie car air fresheners. Four playoff trips in seven years came with three different managers and coaching staffs. Martinez is the third skipper since the start of the 2015 season.

You would think the ghost of George Steinbrenner was alive and well in DC.

However, this change feels different. Maybe because the man called “Davey” waited so long for his chance to manage. So loved by his older players, they lobbied for him in Tampa when Maddon moved north to Wrigleyville.

By the time November rolls around, Martinez would love to have his name mentioned with Maddon or Joe Torre and Terry Francona. All managers coming in with impossible expectations with average reputations that won the big one within two years.

Torre in 1996 and Francona in 2004 won the Series off the bat for their teams following heartbreaking losses the year before. Ken Griffey’s mad dash in the 1995 AL Divisional Series in Seattle sent Buck Showalter packing while Francona picked up the pieces after the Boston Red Sox implosion in the 2003 ALCS.

Next: Predicting Nats Opening Day roster

The road to redemption starts now. Martinez, right or wrong, gets judged. He is ready.

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