Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Carter Kieboom is like any other player sidelined by the baseball shutdown, but acknowledged the third baseman is getting extra infield and hitting instruction during the downtime brought on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The replacement for All-Star Anthony Rendon at third base was the biggest spring training story as players descended on South Florida in mid-February. The 22-year-old top Nationals prospect slashed .233/.395/.300 in 14 exhibition...

Over the next few weeks, let's take a look at some aspects of the Orioles and how they were shaping up at the time that spring training was halted. Today, a look at the infield. Earlier, I made my projection for the five-man rotation in this entry. While we may see rosters larger than 26 players when baseball does start this year, we are going with a roster of 26 for this exercise. Under that roster size, I'm going with seven infielders, one of which can also play in the outfield, where later...

Postseason games at Nationals Park, generally speaking, have not been celebratory events. They're usually loaded with tension, usually involve contests that go right down to the ninth inning (or more), and usually see the home team desperate to win and keep its season alive. That was the typical scene for the first 14 postseason games played on South Capitol Street, beginning with Game 3 of the 2012 National League Division Series and running straight through Game 4 of the 2019 NLDS. The...

The competitions for roster spots with the Orioles remain on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. Players are working out at home, a few of them posting clever videos on social media. Small children and pets are coming in handy as alternatives to gym weights. Ever done squats with a German Shepherd draped over your shoulders? These are the dog days of spring. One of the likely adjustments to baseball's season, if it happens in 2020, is inflating the active roster from 26 to 29 players for the...

Nationals pitching coordinator Brad Holman said left-hander Ben Braymer had been focusing on his mechanics with his changeup at spring training before the shutdown. The 25-year-old out of Auburn started 26 games and tossed 139 innings last season. The MLB Pipeline No. 22 Nats prospect, Braymer made one start in spring training and worked in three games. No. 22 Ben Braymer "He's doing good. Obviously, he's been in major league camp the entire spring," Holman said of Braymer. "He knows how...

Remember that time a Nationals starting pitcher flirted with a no-hitter in the National League Championship Series in St. Louis? No, not the first time it happened. The second time it happened. The very next day. Of all the remarkable things the Nats did during their postseason run last October, the back-to-back no-hit bids by Aníbal Sánchez and Max Scherzer certainly deserve to sit high on the list. Making it all the more remarkable: That same duo did the exact same thing in Games 1 and...

At this strange time in baseball and throughout the country really, it is nice to have normal things in our lives. I'd like to think this blog is one. It represents someplace we can go to discuss baseball. Baseball talk is understandably taking a back seat now, but there is still room and hopefully time to discuss the game and the players and get away from the world for a few minutes. One day, hopefully soon, all will be well and normal again. And baseball will become something important again...

Because the wild card game, the National League Division Series and the World Series were so dramatic, with the Nationals fighting off elimination five times along the way, the NL Championship Series kind of gets lost in the shuffle when you think back to the 2019 postseason. We know the Nats swept the Cardinals in four straight. They never even trailed at any point in any of the four games. It was as one-sided a postseason series as you're likely to see. But let's give the NLCS more credit...

The agreement between Major League Baseball owners and players this week ensures that players will get service time in 2020, even if there is not a season. While both sides seem very committed to playing this year and playing the most games possible, they did account for this scenario in their latest talks. Players on the roster all year in 2020, no matter how many games are scheduled, will also get a full year of service time. That makes sense as they would have played a full year, even if...

The constant speculation over Major League Baseball's return and in what form is doing little besides confusing fans and spreading rumors. Separating truth from fiction is requiring a lot more muscle these days. Implement it into your workouts while gyms are closed. We don't know if or when baseball will be played. We don't know how long spring training 2.0 will last and whether teams would head back to Florida and Arizona. We don't know if the schedule will be packed with doubleheaders. We...