Spring Training 2023

[Section214]

There's a MLB starting rotation ranking that has the Nats 26th best. That's actually higher than I would of thought it would be.

https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/all_30_mlb_starting_rotations_ranked/s1__37352363#slide_26

This is from last year.

[Senatorswin]

This is from last year.

Oh okay. I wonder if they rate better or worse coming into this season.

[welch]

Coverage of the Nats in Spring Training, in case anyone misses a story.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/20/james-wood-elijah-green-robert-hassell-nationals-spring-training/

At one point Saturday afternoon, James Wood, Elijah Green and Brady House took batting practice simultaneously, their thwacks almost reaching unison.

Wood, a 20-year-old outfielder and the Washington Nationals’ consensus top prospect, pulled liners into the right-center gap. Green, a 19-year-old outfielder and the fifth pick in last summer’s draft, shot a few over the fence. House, 19 and the 11th pick two summers ago, swung at full strength, an important step after he missed most of 2022 with lower-back issues.

A few members of the front office positioned themselves so they could watch each player hit. It was hard to blame them.

“It’s the best group of upside players we’ve ever had here,” General Manager Mike Rizzo said a day before. “I’ve been here since Day One. I’ve never seen it like this before.”

[Natsinpwc]

Hopefully some games will be on the radio also.  Miss Charlie and Dave more than the TV guys.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Cavalli and Gray have to cut the walks.   But if both stay healthy and make 25+ starts, that'll take some of the sting out of the 90+ losses.

Along these lines, there was an interesting story in the WaPo about a fix to Gray's motion that Hickey and Davey have worked with him on. Apparently, he has unusually tight hips that have impacted how he rotates and finishes his pitches. They gave him exercises and Hickey shows him videos during his bullpens. He is trying to finish more square to the plate to improve command. I will post a link.

[Slateman]

Along these lines, there was an interesting story in the WaPo about a fix to Gray's motion that Hickey and Davey have worked with him on. Apparently, he has unusually tight hips that have impacted how he rotates and finishes his pitches. They gave him exercises and Hickey shows him videos during his bullpens. He is trying to finish more square to the plate to improve command. I will post a link.

Lol, this is everything wrong with this organization

Every analytics/performanced based organization would have him developing his fastball for better spin efficiency and having him pitch based primarily off his offspeed.

Not Mike Rizzo's org though. They want to fix Gray's hips.

 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Lol, this is everything wrong with this organization

Every analytics/performanced based organization would have him developing his fastball for better spin efficiency and having him pitch based primarily off his offspeed.

Not Mike Rizzo's org though. They want to fix Gray's hips.

 

read the article. It goes into how his most effective stuff are his 2 breaking balls, then says the problem has been he lost his fastball the past couple of years. Rotation is fine, just no command side to side due to the hip problem and his foot landing. Says he needs the fastball to have something to keep hitters off the breaking stuff.

[imref]

here's 19 year old Elijah Green taking Corey Abbot deep: https://twitter.com/MarkZuckerman/status/1627698446546137088

And a Brady House sighting (or at least someone wearing House's jersey).

[Slateman]

read the article. It goes into how his most effective stuff are his 2 breaking balls, then says the problem has been he lost his fastball the past couple of years. Rotation is fine, just no command side to side due to the hip problem and his foot landing. Says he needs the fastball to have something to keep hitters off the breaking stuff.

He never had a fastball in the first place.

Again, everything wrong with this organization.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

This is the Golden article on Gray.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/19/josiah-gray-nationals-corrections/

But to those who watched, there was a slight change.

Gray was more in line with the catcher when he finished his delivery, an intentional correction that he focused on during the offseason. At times last season, Gray would miss his location significantly east and west of the plate because he wasn’t consistent with his mechanics.

“He really took it to heart to work on his flexibility and his hips,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “That helped him out a lot. He says he feels a lot more mobile and agile so he doesn’t have to get so rotational. His direction is way better.”

...
Martinez has said that one of the downsides of last year’s shortened spring training was that the coaching staff didn’t get a chance to work with some of the new players for as long as the team wanted.

Now, with a full six-week camp, Gray and pitching coach Jim Hickey will have the chance to test out some adjustments. During his bullpen session, Gray would step off the mound and look at an iPad with Hickey and assistant video and technology coordinator Dominic Merlino to view data from Trackman, which uses cameras and radar to measure metrics such as spin rate and location.
...
His slider and curveball were effective swing-and-miss pitches, with whiff percentages of 38 percent and 32.2 percent, respectively, per Baseball Savant. But Gray’s fastball, which was his bread-and-butter pitch during his rise to the majors, was his worst pitch a year ago. Batters hit .304 against it, and 24 of those MLB-worst 38 homers came off it.

“It was the pitch that got me to where I’m at, but then my past two years in the big leagues it just wasn’t what it was in the minor leagues,” Gray said of his fastball.

[imref]

He never had a fastball in the first place.

Again, everything wrong with this organization.

Prospectslive.com 2021:

Fastball: The four-seam fastball ranges from 91-96, averaging right around 93. Despite the lack of elite velocity, the pitch plays very well up in the zone due to its outstanding average spin rate of 2450 rpm coming from an elite release height of 5.1 feet. This combination leads to the creation of an outstanding vertical approach angle; which just like many other starting pitchers of similar stature, Gray has used to create his MO. The pitch showcases an average amount of vertical break coming in at 15.5 inches, and thanks to its 1:15 axis, does get some real run (11.9 in). The lack of plus plus velocity and vertical break are the only two things holding the fastball back from truly being elite, as his efficiency hovers in the 90+ percent range. All in all it is a plus pitch, and is essentially what makes Gray the pitcher that he is. Grade: 60

https://www.prospectslive.com/scoutingreports/josiah-gray

[welch]

Tanner Rainey playing catch.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/21/tanner-rainey-tommy-john-rehab/

[welch]

Zuckerman repoprts on Doolittle:

The most newsworthy aspect of Sean Doolittle’s spring so far is perhaps the fact there hasn’t been anything all that newsworthy to report.

Doolittle has been throwing off a mound since Christmas. He’s faced live hitters. He’s talking about the importance of pitching back-to-back days before the end of camp.

This is all normal stuff for any reliever at this time of year. Whether he’s trying to come back from a still-fledgling elbow surgery or not.

“I feel really good about everything we’ve done, and it’s been a long time since I had any doubts going into any throwing that we’ve done,” Doolittle said. “I have built up a lot of trust with it.”

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/uneventful-camp-so-far-is-evidence-of-doolittle-s-recovery

[imref]

Tanner Rainey playing catch.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/21/tanner-rainey-tommy-john-rehab/

3 weeks into a throwing program, targetting an August return before his next IL stint

[Senatorswin]

Tanner Rainey playing catch.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/21/tanner-rainey-tommy-john-rehab/

Tanner Rainey wouldn't be that valuable with us this year anyway so hopefully by the time we're ready to be competitive again he'll be ready to contribute.

[imref]

The kids are alright:

https://twitter.com/dougherty_jesse/status/1627695336943763459?s=61&t=cXZheYdmUsVp8YB8pITYgA

[imref]

Tanner Rainey wouldn't be that valuable with us this year anyway so hopefully by the time we're ready to be competitive again he'll be ready to contribute.

he's 30 coming off TJ. We do have him until 2026 under contract but i'm not counting on much out of him in 2025 when hopefully we're competitive.

[imref]

Full broadcast schedule for the spring:

[welch]

For the record: here is Jesse D's report for today. All about getting players to take a better lead.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/22/nationals-leads-spring-training/

[imref]

first workout positions via Zuck:

1B: Dominic Smith, Joey Meneses, Matt Adams
2B: Luis García, Jake Alu, Michael Chavis
SS: CJ Abrams, Ildemaro Vargas
3B: Jeimer Candelario, Carter Kieboom
LF: Corey Dickerson, Stone Garrett
CF: Victor Robles, Alex Call
RF: Lane Thomas

Several infielders worked at multiple positions, with Alu and Vargas also taking grounders at third base and Chavis also working at first base. Call is getting time at all three outfield positions as he tries to crack the Opening Day roster.

[welch]

first workout positions via Zuck:

1B: Dominic Smith, Joey Meneses, Matt Adams
2B: Luis García, Jake Alu, Michael Chavis
SS: CJ Abrams, Ildemaro Vargas
3B: Jeimer Candelario, Carter Kieboom
LF: Corey Dickerson, Stone Garrett
CF: Victor Robles, Alex Call
RF: Lane Thomas

Several infielders worked at multiple positions, with Alu and Vargas also taking grounders at third base and Chavis also working at first base. Call is getting time at all three outfield positions as he tries to crack the Opening Day roster.

I watched Dominic Smith with the Mets. He was a guy who never quite made it. Strongest memory: ordered to lay down a sacrifice bunt, Smith complained, after failing, that he had never been taught to bunt. Michael Powell, a NY Times' baseball reporter and a life-long Met fan, was astounded. Powell wrote, approximately, How can a guy get all the way to the majors without ever bunting, or being taught how?

The next day, [Mickey] Callaway was asked after yet another loss why Dominic Smith, the Mets’ young prospect, had not bunted despite having a wide open infield in extra innings. Smith, the manager replied, had never bunted in his professional career. That piqued my curiosity about the quality of the Mets’ finishing school.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/sports/mets-alderson.html

[welch]

Patrick Corbin has Mackenzie Gore living in his guest house during Spring Training. If only Corbin could become effective again.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/23/patrick-corbin-mentor-mackenzie-gore-nationals-spring-training/

[Mattionals]

Patrick Corbin has Mackenzie Gore living in his guest house during Spring Training. If only Corbin could become effective again.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/23/patrick-corbin-mentor-mackenzie-gore-nationals-spring-training/

Well, he seems to be an effective AirBnB operator to Gore.

[imref]

Well, he seems to be an effective AirBnB operator to Gore.

i assume the house will be spectacular at first, but will quickly fall off a cliff with Gore still having months to pay on the rent.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

i assume the house will be spectacular at first, but will quickly fall off a cliff with Gore still having months to pay on the rent.

I'm guessing near the end of spring training it'll be called on to house another roommate, something out of the ordinary, and it will be stellar for Corbin to do so.  Then, as you say, Gore will have to pay rent for several more months while he's not occupying the space and the alligators start coming out of the swamp behind it because of the "fertilizer" runoff.