Photo by Kevin Nibley for TalkNats
We got TV coverage today for the 1:05pm game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals on MASN! This will give everyone a good look at the Nationals top pitching prospect Erick Fedde.
Could there be a Daniel Murphy sighting in the dugout later this afternoon as he and Tanner Roark return victorious as the 2017 World Baseball Classic champions! Both players will always be able to say they were part of something special. At Dusty Baker‘s pre-game media scrum, he will let the media know some tidbits on Daniel Murphy and Tanner Roark. The Nationals have a split-squad game tomorrow, and you can expect Daniel Murphy in the line-up of one of those games.
As far as today goes, all eyes will be on Erick Fedde to see if he can bounce back from his rough outing 6 days ago. Fedde is not competing for a roster spot on the Nationals opening day roster; however, he is trying to make a positive impression on Mike Rizzo, Dusty Baker and Mike Maddux to grab the coveted 6th starter spot.
Speaking of the opening day roster, Fangraphs did a look into Koda Glover‘s spring training, and that became fodder for Steve Phillips on MLB Network Radio to discuss the future closer of the Nationals which he and Eduardo Perez thought should go to Glover. Their conclusion was that if Glover fails, you can then trade for David Robertson. What about Blake Treinen and Shawn Kelley?
Kevin Nibley and Bryan King will begin taping segments of the TalkNats Podcast second show tonight which will cover the hottest hitter in the Grapefruit League which is obviously Ryan Zimmerman. The player who was 0-17 going into the March 15th game is now leading all Nationals starters in batting average. People say spring training stats mean nothing, well do they mean anything now that Ryan Zimmerman is mashing the ball? Let’s see what our guests on the Podcast think. We will also get a glimpse into what Trea Turner was like as a teenager from a special guest. You can listen to TalkNats Podcasts on iTunes at this link and on Soundcloud on this link.
In other side discussions, Adam Lind looked like a lock for the 4th bench spot behind the back-up catcher, Stephen Drew, and Chris Heisey, but now with Lind looking totally underwhelming so far with the bat, is there a possibility he does not make the opening day roster? Michael Taylor had been away from the team dealing with a family emergency and is back in camp and had looked like a lock for the bench, but he still has a minor league option remaining which could factor into whether he makes the opening day roster. Wilmer Difo looks to be the most impressive of all of the bench players as he has been playing all over the diamond and hitting the ball well. Brian Goodwin will start with the regulars today, and he has struggled as far as statistics go. Goodwin made a good impression on the coaching staff during his call-up in 2016. Clint Robinson is still with the team and holding out hope that he can make this Nationals roster.
The final roster spots could have two bench spots up for grabs as well as the long-man role and the closer role in the bullpen. With less than 11 days to opening day remaining after the conclusion of today’s game, who will step above the others to grab the remaining spots or will there be a surprising trade at the end to really shock us all!
Today’s starting line-up is:
- Trea Turner SS
- Jayson Werth LF
- Bryce Harper RF
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Ryan Zimmerman 1B
- Brian Goodwin CF
- Stephen Drew 2B
- Matt Wieters C
- Erick Fedde RHP
