Davey Martinez’s club totaled 75 stolen bases in 2022, ranking 20th out of 30 MLB teams, but they have a few more players who could be on the roster in 2023 and more base running and steals. The Nationals manager said a new rule was introduced to encourage stolen bases. What he and his staff were focused on, he said, was increasing the number of trials.
“We definitely know that the reason they made the bases bigger and had this limited pickoff was so the players could steal more bases, but we made the mistake “I’m working on it,” he explained at the beginning of last season.
Martinez’s club recorded 127 stolen bases in 2023, 12th in the majors, led by CJ Abrams.
“Abrams,” the club said in its season-in review, “…scored 47 stolen bases, the most in a single season in Nationals history, ranking fifth in the major leagues (third in the National League) (2005). )”[present]). ”
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It was a franchise record-setting season for both the young shortstop in the nation’s capital and the club as a whole.
“[Abrams] On the final day of the season, he stole two bases against his team, breaking Trea Turner’s 2017 record. atlanta braves,” the Nationals noted, noting that the 2023 Nationals “…recorded the most stolen bases” when Jacob Young stole 124th base out of 127 total steals that year. [stolen bases] In a single season (prior to 2005) in Nationals history. ”
So what did Martinez learn about the new rules and how can his club use speed to their advantage going forward?
“Well, we’re definitely going to try to push the envelope even more than we did last year, but that’s part of our identity,” Martinez said earlier this winter.
“We have some really good young athletes. We get [Victor Robles] When I get back, Young is there, and CJ and Lane are there. [Thomas]. Little by little, Lane began to understand.
“So I’m definitely going to push the envelope as far as stealing bases and running bases.”
Also:
As we discuss how the rule changes have affected the 2023 roster and how players have changed their mindset moving forward, Nats new reliever Dylan Floro is DC After signing, he was asked how he adapted to the shift ban introduced last season.
This is an interesting question considering he had the highest GB% (54.4%) over the last three years, but also allowed the most hits in a season (70).
“I think it’s more of an adjustment,” the eight-year veteran said. “by [how] You look at it, yeah, if you had a shift behind second base and you allowed a hit there, yeah, I mean, it affected me, but now that I think about it, the next year… I think when you greet it, it’s like, all sorts of things. ”
“When something changes in the game,” he explained. “…It’s hard to try to change what we’ve been doing for the last five years right away. So going in there now, we have a little bit better game plan and we can say, ‘Okay, we’re going to take this shift. “I have this, or I have this, or this person is playing here.” Maybe it’s better to throw the ball to the outside than inside, or maybe you can go high in and throw it low to minimize the chance of pulling the ball into the 6-hole, 5-hole, etc. ”
