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Nats positional preview: Outfield

February 15, 2015, 8:53pm

Lofty expectations follow Denard Span, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper into 2015, their third season playing together in the Nationals outfield. Span anchors the trio playing center field and batting leadoff for the Nats. He's entering his third year in D.C., after coming in a trade from Minnesota in 2012. His contract with the Nationals expires at the end of this year giving him added incentive to perform well as he approaches free agency. I'm sure Nats manager Matt Williams would be thrilled...

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Happy (Racing) Presidents Day!

February 16, 2015, 8:37am

Nationals

While today is a federal holiday, for those in the D.C. region, it's so much more than that. When Nationals fans hear the word "presidents," they naturally think of George, Tom, Abe, Teddy and Bill racing around the warning track of Nationals Park. Whether they're racing giant pierogies, being taken out by D-backs legends or getting chased by sharks, the racing presidents are just another reason why you should be counting down the days until the return of baseball season. Here are some...

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Nats positional preview: Second base

February 15, 2015, 12:10am

Nationals

No question, Max Scherzer was the biggest offseason acquisition for the Nationals, but the second most important move came in January when general manager Mike Rizzo shipped reliever Tyler Clippard to Oakland for infielder Yunel Escobar. The Nationals have been searching for an answer at second base for a couple seasons. The plan last year for Anthony Rendon to play at second was scrapped early, once injury forced Ryan Zimmerman to the disabled list. Danny Espinosa stepped back in at second...

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Whose glove do you love? (plus Werth Chia Pets and Rendon gnomes)

February 13, 2015, 12:33pm

Nationals

Whose glove do you love? (plus Werth Chia Pets and Rendon gnomes)

Whose glove do you love? The Nationals accomplished a lot in 2015, among them most wins in the National League and Silver Slugger Awards for Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon. But not one Nats player was awarded a Gold Glove last season. In fact, in the 10 seasons of Nationals baseball, only two Nationals - Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche - have received Gold Gloves. Ironically, Zimmerman is replacing the departed LaRoche this season, but is basically a novice at his new first base position having...

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Nats positional preview: Third base

February 12, 2015, 8:13pm

Nationals

Two words: Anthony Rendon. All he did was finish fifth in the National League MVP voting and win a Silver Slugger Award in just his second season in the majors. Rendon led all NL third baseman with a .287 batting average, slugging percentage (.473) and OPS (.824). He added 39 doubles, six triples, 21 home runs and 83 RBIs, and his 111 runs scored were the most in the league. Rendon also had 17 steals in 20 attempts. The 24-year-old hit .368 (7-for-19) in the National League Division...

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Werth Chia Pet, Rendon garden gnome, historical bobbleheads highlight 2015 Nationals promotional schedule

February 13, 2015, 11:03am

Nationals

The Nationals are rolling out a slew of interesting promotional giveaways to mark their 10th anniversary season, including an array of historical mementos to celebrate their first decade in D.C. On the heels of last year's successful Jayson Werth garden gnome, the Nats will offer an Anthony Rendon garden gnome to the first 25,000 fans through the turnstiles on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Werth fans shouldn't be worried, as their favorite bearded player will be celebrated in a unique Chia Pet to be...

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Nationals announce 2015 promotional schedule

February 13, 2015, 10:45am

Nationals

Following today's completion of the "10 Days of Teddy" and the reveal of the final promotional item, the Washington Nationals released the 2015 season promotional schedule. The 2015 season marks the 10-Year Anniversary of the Nationals arrival in Washington, D.C. and a number of special promotional items to commemorate this season will be distributed at select games. Initiatives include monthly 10-Year Tuesdays, six designated games that will feature special guests, pregame ceremonies and a...

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Video: Harper is throwing his weight around

February 12, 2015, 2:43pm

Nationals

Video: Harper is throwing his weight around

Bryce Harper is becoming one of social media's new stars. The 22-year-old has been piling up re-tweets and likes on his Twitter and Instagram accounts over the past few weeks with anything from pictures of him hanging with Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter at Super Bowl parties to crushing golf balls into outer space. By the looks of his most recent Instagram post, it appears the Nationals outfielder is more than ready for spring training. A video posted by Bryce Harper (@bharper3407) on...

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Nationals announce non-roster invitees to spring training

February 12, 2015, 12:47pm

Nationals

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo today announced 20 non-roster invitees for spring training. First baseman/outfielder Mike Carp, second baseman Dan Uggla, third baseman Ian Stewart and right-hander Heath Bell were among 13 players the Nationals agreed to terms with on minor league contracts with invites to major league spring training. Seven additional minor league players received spring training invites, including right-hander Rafael Martin and infielder Cutter Dykstra. Carp started 56...

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Blevins wins arbitration case

February 11, 2015, 7:09am

Nationals

Nationals relief pitcher Jerry Blevins won his arbitration case against the Nationals today. The left-hander was scheduled to make $1.675 million in 2015 before arbitration and was arguing for a bump to a salary of $2.4 million. The Nationals countered with an offer of $2.2 million. The three-person panel in St. Petersburg, Fla., decided in favor of Blevins. The 31-year-old Blevins was 2-3 with a 4.87 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings last season, his first with the Nats after being...

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Span gearing up, no regrets for Suarez, plus 30 more grapefruits

February 11, 2015, 6:51pm

Nationals

Span gearing up, no regrets for Suarez, plus 30 more grapefruits

Denard Span is coming off an outstanding season in 2014. His 184 hits tied Philadelphia's Ben Revere for most in the National League. For the year, Span batted .302 with 39 doubles and 31 stolen bases, and once again played stellar defense in center field. In early December, Span underwent surgery to repair a nagging sports hernia. On Tuesday, Span appeared on MLB Network's "Hot Stove" and provided an update on his recovery. "I'm working towards Day One being able to work through all the...

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Nationals announce 2015 non-roster invitees to spring training

February 12, 2015, 10:09am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Heath Bell, right-handed pitcher Bruce Billings, right-handed pitcher Manny Delcarmen, right-handed pitcher Mitch Lively, right-handed pitcher Scott McGregor, right-handed pitcher Evan Meek, catcher Steve Lerud, infielder Emmanuel Burriss, first baseman Kila Ka'aihue, first baseman Clint Robinson, third baseman Ian Stewart, second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielder Mike Carp on Minor-League contracts with invitations to...

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The All-Star waiting game continues for D.C.

February 10, 2015, 8:26pm

Nationals

The All-Star waiting game continues for D.C.

Last Wednesday, new Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred visited the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and was quite vague when asked about the chances of an All-Star Game ending up in the nation's capital. "We're going to make some announcements about All-Star games in the relatively near future and I won't go beyond that," Manfred said. On Tuesday night, the Miami Herald reported that the 2017 All-Star Game will be played at Marlins Park, officially confirming the...

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Nats positional preview: Shortstop

February 09, 2015, 8:40pm

Nationals

There's been plenty of activity involving the shortstop position this offseason. In December, the Nationals traded for San Diego's Trea Turner, who will be the player to be named in a three-team deal that also involved the Rays. Turner, a highly ranked prospect, was selected by the Padres with the 13th overall pick in June's First-Year Player Draft. Last month, general manager Mike Rizzo acquired infielder Yunel Escobar from Oakland. The plan is for Escobar to play second base in 2015, but...

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Nats positional preview: First base

February 08, 2015, 7:25pm

Nationals

It was no surprise when the Nationals opted not to bring free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche back. Ryan Zimmerman has battled injuries the past few years and the best option was to move him across the diamond to first base - especially with five years remaining on a $100 million extension he signed in 2012. LaRoche produced 82 home runs and 269 RBIs in his four years in Washington, a stint that also included a Gold Glove in 2012. It's defense that figures to be the hardest for Zimmerman to...

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Rizzo: Espinosa's on the right side in 2015

February 07, 2015, 6:27pm

Nationals

Rizzo: Espinosa's on the right side in 2015

While addressing Nationals season ticket holders at a hot stove event on Saturday, general manager Mike Rizzo made some news by saying that Danny Espinosa would only hit from the right side in 2015, according to blog posts and Twitter comments from some of the fans in attendance. The discussion for Espinosa to give up switch-hitting, and focus completely on batting right-handed, has been debated for a few years within the organization. Espinosa is one of the most stubborn players on the Nats,...

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Watch history happen on this week's "Nationals Classics"

February 09, 2015, 6:48am

Nationals

This week, we're digging a little deeper to bring you a couple of "Nationals Classics" on MASN HD. First, don't miss a grand finale from Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond against the Phillies. Second, you can re-watch Barry Bonds record-breaking home run from 2007. Don't worry, despite the history, the Nationals still got the win on the road against the Giants. Here's what's on deck on MASN HD: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 11:30 a.m.: Who doesn't love a battle with the Phillies? On June 19, 2013,...

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Harper crushes "Happy Gilmore" drive

February 07, 2015, 6:59pm

Nationals

We've been well aware of the herculean power Bryce Harper possesses since his high school days. We've witnessed the violent bat speed that's produced some enormous home runs. On Saturday, Harper took to the golf links to display some of that power, while also doing his best Happy Gilmore impersonation. He showed the video on his Instagram account: 340 yards! Why not? What's up Happy Gilmore #leftygolf @aaronkurcz @chasenshreve61 @bryanharper45 @sportscenter @ionmellc @underarmour...

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Scherzer: "Business part of the game is ugly"

February 06, 2015, 6:09pm

Nationals

Scherzer: "Business part of the game is ugly"

It's been almost three weeks since Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo stunned the baseball world by signing free agent pitcher Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million contract. On Friday, a candid Scherzer spoke on Detroit's WDFN radio about what led to his choice to leave the motor city for the nation's capital to become the game's highest paid right-handed pitcher. "I realize how fortunate I am and how blessed I am to be in this position," Scherzer told WDFN. "This was never about...

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Werth-y options

February 06, 2015, 3:46am

Nationals

It hasn't been a quiet offseason for Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth. At this point, I'm sure you've seen the TMZ-like images of Werth entering a Fairfax County jail to serve part of a five-day sentence after pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge. It was the result of being pulled over last July after exceeding 105 mph in his Porsche on Interstate 495 in Virginia. Though embarrassing, this will not interfere with the season in any way, as Werth will finish his sentence shortly. On...