Future outfield adjustment preview:
Beat writers on the scene in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday noticed the Nationals are making adjustments with a young outfield prospect in camp (Robert Hassell III, Dylan Crews, James Wood) When they were on the field together on the first day of full team training in Spring Training 2024:
In the first round of official practice, the Nats are operating with Hassell on the left, Crews in center and Wood on the right.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 20, 2024
This morning, the Nationals are practicing fly ball. In the second round, Robert Hassell III will be at LF, and Dylan Cruz and Jacob Young will be at CF. James Wood of RF.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) February 20, 2024
Manager Davey Martinez said he asked the top outfield prospects within the Nationals organization to start where they feel most comfortable.
“I told them to go where you’re comfortable,” Martinez explained.
“And as we move forward with things, we start to move you guys around a little bit to look at the ball differently off the bat.”
The organization placed all three around the outfield last season as well, as part of a plan to get exposure in all three spots. As Martinez said, it’s by design because if they call, you don’t know when or where the opportunity will be. Bringing the next generation of outfielders to the majors.
“I talked to all of them about playing all three positions,” Martinez explained.
“You never know where our needs are. Right now we have a pretty good right fielder. [Lane Thomas]. And now we have a pretty good outfield.victor [Robles] It’s coming back. But I want them to learn to play all three. I talked to Hassell, I talked to Mr. Cruz today, I talked to Wood three days ago, and they all should be comfortable playing all three positions in the outfield.
Corbin cutter:
Patrick Corbyn has finished his 2023 campaign (11th in the majors, fifth season of a six-year/$140 million contract in Washington.) 5.20, 5.28 FIP, 57 walks (2.85 BB/9), 124 Ks (6.20 K/9), .293/.344/.481 batting average, 33 home runs allowed in 180 IP (1.65 HR/9).
“The numbers don’t indicate that he was doing well,” manager Davey Martinez said after Corbin’s final appearance of the 2023 season, emphasizing the positives. major league. ”
“We were able to give him the ball every five days,” Martinez continued. “He works really hard. He works hard in between starts. The guy’s going to eat innings for you. Overall this winter, he’s trying to figure out his identity, what he wants to do going forward. I think we need to figure out what to do.”
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The captain emphasized that practicing in the zone will lead to more success.
“He’s very good when he has the ball,” Martinez said.
“We have to get him to understand that he has to hold the ball and use his changeup. His changeup is a good pitch. His slider was good.
“Overall, looking back, he pitched some tough games and kept us in a lot of games. So we want to build on that and make sure he comes back even stronger next year. I hope it comes.”
Days after spring training, Martinez told reporters there are signs Corbin is heeding the team’s advice as he prepares for the final season of his six-year contract with D.C.
“I think something resonated with him last year about holding the ball down,” the coach said. “He’s working on both sides of the plate, but with an emphasis on holding the ball down. I know he’s added a cutter to the mix, but it’s been really good so far, so here’s the spring… I’m really looking forward to seeing him use it and see how he fares during training matches.”
The captain announced Wednesday that he will give Corbin the ball in the Nats’ Grapefruit League opener on Saturday.
“He’s been pitching down here. He lives down here. He’s been pitching a lot. So we’re going to go with Mr. Corbin,” Martinez told reporters. .
Corbin has started the regular season opener each of the past two years, but will he have a chance to get the ball in his hands again on Opening Day, or will the Nationals captain take over with another arm? I wonder?
“It’s too far for that,” Martinez said.
“We’ll see how spring training goes and look ahead to the remaining two weeks to figure out who’s going to start Opening Day,” he said. “For me, I know it’s tough for a pitcher to be a starter. All of these guys have to do their job no matter what.
“They have to be ready whether it’s day one, day two or day three.”
Mr. The people themselves:
Ryan Zimmerman’s playing days are over, and he returned to West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday as a special advisor to the organization. Zimmerman was in camp so he could use his wits to reach out to the next generation of Nationals who would like to talk to the now 39-year-old veteran of 16 seasons in the majors. was.
“What he means to this organization and our fans is incredible,” Davey Martinez said after Wednesday’s team practice. “He’s a player that we want our young players to emulate. He knew how to play the game. I talked to the players about how good a third baseman he was, and obviously he was a great player when it came to injuries. But then he went to first base and got really, really good there as well. And from a baserunning standpoint, being able to run the bases like him, play the game like him, and score runs, there are no better players than him. He was a really good guy. So while he was here, I said to my guys, “Hey, pick his brain.” He knows a lot about the game. Pick his brain. There’s a reason he’s here. I love having him here. I talked to him a lot this morning, we worked out together, and I was really happy. ”
