by Andrew Lang
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
by Stan4Nats
The calendar is 9-days from turning to February, and you can almost smell the green grass being freshly mowed at the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches . Yes, three weeks from today marks the opening of Spring Training camp to pitchers and catchers on Feb. 12 for the Washington Nationals.
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The comments from the previous TalkNats article contained an interesting discussion regarding whether MLB was broken. Looking forward to the next CBA, is a Cap/Floor needed? Here’s my 2cents: ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY YES. MLB Trade Rumors did a poll on this subject with over 35,000 votes.
The issue is, how does MLB and the MLBPA get there? MLB likely wants a salary cap ceiling; the MLBPA does not. MLBPA likely wants a salary floor; MLB does not.
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These days, the quickest route to 10-digit wealth is software. Geniuses with little business sense — but the right connections — just needed to program the right algorithm. In the old days, wealth was built by taking chances on tangible assets. Steel, automobiles, and real estate. Many risked every dollar they had — and went broke. Not every business idea will succeed. Have you ever seen the show Shark Tank?
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The sun rises over the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches as hopes and dreams are encapsulated in a new season of promise. That complex is the home to the Washington Nationals’ facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 26-days, pitchers and catchers are set to officially open Spring Training camp on Feb. 12. But according to Jon Heyman, “156 MLB players are still waiting for deals as spring training approaches.” Even if each team signed three more players from that pool, there would still be 66-players looking for jobs.
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The Statcast™ math on Jacob Young has already highlighted some of his impressive tools. He is not a 5-tool player as nobody expects him to be a power hitter. Is he a 3½-tool player? He has loud tools with elite speed and defense. He will have to show that he can hit at better than .256 with more walks at the MLB level — but it’s really just one more hit a week that separates Young from being an All-Star.
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In most years, Mike Rizzo, the President of Baseball Operations and General Manager of the Washington Nationals, likes to have all of his offseason business finalized before he meets with season plan holders to give his Hot Stove speech at the State of the Nationals event. This year, that date is January 25th .
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The wait to get to January 15 marks the date that the Nats will announce their newest international free agency class led by two Venezuelan players, shortstop Brayan Cortesia, and catcher Daniel Hernandez. Official signing lists can get announced at 11am on Jan. 15.
Per @francysromeroFR rankings (h/t to Wadlez), Cortesia and Hernandez ranked at №7 and №13 respectively. Cortesia has speed and only turned 17 in November. His tools should get even better with his 6.4 speed in the 60, and his above average defense and arm. Hernandez is considered a strong offensive player with solid defensive skills at catcher. Could he be the next Wilson Ramos? Romero and FanGraphs have Hernandez ranked as the best catcher in this international class. Baseball America does their rankings based on bonus dollars paid, and FanGraphs ranks the prospects on Future Value (FV).
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When the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, Canada’s teams decreased by 50 percent. The Canadian love of baseball; however, is still alive and well. Maybe even enough to get a new team in Montreal when MLB expands to 32 teams.
In 2024, the MLB witnessed a high growth in fan engagement as attendance peaked over seven years, with more than 71 million fans, up 1 percent compared to 2023. The Washington Nationals are no exception. League initiatives to cut down game times and add more action helped boost attendance by 13 percent on weekdays compared to 2022.
Baseball is reaching younger audiences more, as evidenced by double-digit percentage increases in the 18-34 age group through significant networks. This demographic shift in their favor comes with a Nationals team geared towards the arrival of young talents with James Wood and Dylan Crews and a young starting rotation. Getting closer is Brady House and maybe even Robert Hassell III. For this reason, the Nationals should be in their window to compete for contention.
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Can you believe that 10-years ago this week, that the rumors broke that the Washington Nationals were signing Max Scherzer. There are so many parallels to Alex Bregman that I feel that if Ted Lerner was still running the team that he would make that move in an instant to acquire Bregman. Maybe that would be more of a Jayson Werth type of signing. Those three players have a few common traits: Leaders, Achievers, Winners
What made Scherzer so special was his desire to win and his continual improvement. He was never satisfied with the past. Bregman is that same type of player. A leader. An achiever. A winner. Scherzer made his debut on April 29, 2008 at the age of 23 ¾. Since then, his resumé has added three Cy Young awards including two with the Nats, and one in the AL, eight All-Star games, immaculate innings, a 20-strikeout game, and now a 2-time World Series champ.
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For Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, his offseason got going with a lottery win on the №1 draft pick then a sneaky good trade for Nathaniel Lowe for first base. It seems every week he has added a new player to ratchet the Nats closer to an 80-win season on paper.
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