Washington Nationals: Interview with Andrew Stevenson

On a special edition of the DoDCast, Blake Finney spoke to Washington Nationals and Syracuse Chiefs player, Andrew Stevenson on his 2018 season so far.

On this special episode of the DoDCast, we had the chance to talk to Washington Nationals outfielder Andrew Stevenson. Stevenson is currently with the Syracuse Chiefs, hoping to build on some of the strides he’s made in his game throughout the past 12 months.

The last time District on Deck had the chance to speak to Steveson, he was a couple months away from his first major-league call-up. Talking about the moment, the outfielder said:

"It’s a feeling you can’t really describe. It’s all the hard work that you put in, is starting to pay off. You get the call, and you’re just excited and everybody you call is excited for you. It’s a moment I know not many get to experience, and I’m just thankful I was able to do that."

More from District on Deck

This year there was a change of manager with Davey Martinez taking over from Dusty Baker. Here’s what Stevenson had to say about the new boss:

"Definitely a player’s coach. He likes to keep it light. His thing is just to go out, have fun, play loose. The way he manages it attributes to just keeping us lose. He also is a good communicator on what he’s trying to do, and in certain situations what he’s thinking. It’s definitely been good learning from him, and I enjoy playing for him."

In the off-season Stevenson worked with hitting coach Kevin Long to optimize his swing, here’s what he had to say about what he learned:

"Some of the things we did was he got in my legs a little bit more. He wanted me to get the ball in the air kind of “the right way” he calls it. Which not just dropping your back-shoulder and trying to lift the ball, but different ways of attacking the ball to get it up in the air. Because, as the numbers show those groundballs in the infield don’t really turn into hits too often up there."

You can listen to the full episode via Spreaker. You can hear Stevenson talk about Max Scherzer‘s intensity in the clubhouse, what advice he has for the players who have just been drafted, and if he prefers Field of Dreams or Major League.

Want to hear more about the Washington Nationals on our DoDCast? You can subscribe to us on iTunes or Google Play and have episodes automatically downloaded for you. You can also listen to us on our brand new home, Spreaker, here:

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We want to say thanks again to Andrew Stevenson for taking the time to join us on the podcast. Make sure you follow him on Twitter @astevenson6 and check on his progress throughout the season.

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