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Davey Martinez decided to give his club off on Friday. Off off. Like really off. “We have a day off tomorrow. We’re not doing nothing,” he told reporters following Thursday’s game. They have been hard at work for weeks now, so the Nationals’ skipper wanted his club to rest up and get ready for the final stretch of Grapefruit League games leading up to the start of the 2021 season.
“At this point, like I said earlier these guys are doing well, and the effort has been great, so we just want to give them a day to just kind of rest and relax and come back,” Martinez said.
“We’ve got two games [Saturday], we got a game at 10:00, a game at 6:00, and I told them all today, I just said, ‘Have a good day off and come back and let’s continue to have the Spring Training that we’ve been having, keep working hard, and let’s get ready for that first game April 1st.”
EDIT: MLB’s At Bat app didn’t have any broadcast listed for tonight’s game, but it does now list a radio broadcast via washington.nationals.mlb.com. Go read your links.
NATS BEAT:
One year later, spring training shutdown still feels surreal - (MASN)
"March 12, 2020, was a day unlike any we’d ever experienced. It was surreal. It was filled with uncertainty. It was, as it turned out, the end of an era."
When does the 2021 MLB season start? - (NBC Sports Washington)
"The pandemic is still prevalent, but things are looking up and Major League Baseball is pushing forward."
The big lessons #Nationals outfielder Andrew Stevenson (@astevenson6) learned from his little brother Matt via @dougherty_jesse @washingtonpost https://t.co/bt3jOFmD2E
— Ballengee Group (@BallengeeGroup) March 12, 2021
Starlin Castro brings 'incredible' bat-to-ball skills back to Nationals lineup - (Washington Times)
"There are moments at the plate that can get downright ugly for Starlin Castro. The Washington Nationals’ second baseman might lunge, completely unbalanced, for a ball and whiff on a swing."
Starling Marté vs. Victor Robles vs. Brandon Nimmo: Who’s the best CF in NL East? - (NBC Sports Washington)
"Each NL East team is taking its center field position in a different direction. How do they rank heading into the 2021 season?"
NATIONAL(S) BEAT:
Extending Juan Soto… All the Way to Cooperstown - (FanGraphs)
"Juan Soto has hit at an historical level during his three seasons in the majors, landing himself on leaderboards among legends like Williams, Foxx, Hornsby, Cobb, and Trout."
Extending Juan Soto… All the Way to Cooperstown https://t.co/q7LfoXz3B1
— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) March 12, 2021
Workload worries: MLB teams ponder how to protect pitchers - (USA TODAY)
"The Washington Nationals took a lot of heat in 2012 when they decided to sit young ace Stephen Strasburg during the playoffs."
Nationals 2021 Top 30 Prospects list - (MLB.com)
"The one theme that captures the essence of the full Nationals Top 30 is its homegrown nature."
Nationals 2021 season preview: Projected lineup, rotation and four things to know - (CBSSports.com)
"It's not the Nationals' fault; not entirely, anyway. They did make it easy to forget about their magical run last summer by authoring a disappointing title defense."
The idea: @JaysonJenks and I called up 15 catchers who have worked with Zack Greinke during his career and asked them to explain his genius.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) March 12, 2021
The result: John Buck told me maybe the funniest baseball story I've heard — and it's maybe the fifth best here: https://t.co/12AkrIfss9
Top prospect performers March 11 - (MLB.com)
"Matt Cronin, LHP, WAS - The 2019 fourth-rounder tossed a perfect ninth inning on Thursday."
Prospects with the best fastballs for 2021 - (MLB.com)
"Nationals: Jackson Rutledge, RHP - Washington likes its big, tall pitchers who throw hard, and the Nationals may have found just the prototype in their 2019 first-rounder."
Got 2 of 6 up pic.twitter.com/IFV6spNqkB
— Koda (@koda_glover) March 12, 2021
NL EAST UPDATES:
Phillies look to limit strikeouts as center field battle heats up - (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
"The battle for the Phillies' starting center field job takes center stage Friday in Sarasota, Florida."
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor wants to save baseball - (Sports Illustrated)
"Lindor laughs. The man they call Mr. Smile lights up with the wattage of joy that Lewis Carroll had in mind when he invented the word frabjous."
Marlins reflect 1 year after COVID-19 halted spring training - (Miami Herald)
"The coronavirus shut down MLB spring training one year ago. The Miami Marlins, who dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak in the 2020 season, reflect on the last year."
Former Braves OF Nick Markakis announces retirement - (AJC.com)
"Nick Markakis has called it a career. Markakis, 37, told The Athletic he’s officially retiring."